Benchtops

Today, benchtops come in a wide range of colours and materials to suit every need. But, there is an opportunity to save (potentially) thousands of dollars just on the benchtop alone. Granite and stone are often the most expensive materials you can buy for your benchtop, while laminate and timber benchtops are often some of the cheapest options. You may have a particular design in mind for your kitchen, and you can still have the same look but at the fraction of the price if you’re willing to look at benchtop alternatives.

There are some laminate benchtops that have a similar look to granite and stone, but aren’t as heavy and are certainly not as expensive. Choosing a cheaper alternative can also save you money on potential adjustments needed for weight constrictions of heavier benchtops.

Wooden and bamboo benchtops also give a fresh, modern look to your kitchen, so make sure to look around for different materials and styles to get a good feel for what is available to you on the market.

Cupboard/cabinet doors

Cupboard doors can come in a variety of materials and colours to suit the style you’re looking for. Depending on your choice of style, some cupboard doors will be more suitable than others.

Some UV finish cupboard doors add a luxurious look to your kitchen, but can easily add an extra few hundred dollars to your spending. Choose cheaper materials for your doors, such as melamine. These doors are practical and sturdy, and are of good quality. They can easily be customised, as they are available in a range of colours. Just check the order time on your colour of choice with your supplier, as some colours are less popular and may need to be ordered in specifically.

The style of your door can also reduce costs. Flat doors will be less expensive than doors that are ‘heritage’ style with indentation detailing. Think about your design and your must-have inclusions. If you must have cupboard doors with indentation detailing, try and get them in a cheaper material to save extra money. Alternatively, you may find a flat style melamine door that can provide the look you want for a cheaper price.

Shower Screens

Modern design has improved over the years, allowing builders and renovators to have a little of their own style and creativity thrown into a build without looking “messy” or unfinished. Shower screens can be quite expensive, especially if you choose a custom size which requires specific glass to be cut to size.

Minimalistic designs means you can purchase one singular screen (with no doors or handles) which acts as a splash screen to walk behind to take a shower. You do not necessarily have to have a fully enclosed shower to have a great looking bathroom. In fact, a singular shower screen can even make the bathroom look larger than what it is.

Lighting

Choosing suitable lighting not only will save you money while you’re building, it can save you money in the long run with reduced costs to your utilities bill. Lighting should be effective in the size of your lounge room. For example, choose lights that are large enough to light the area they are intended for. Some people buy smaller lights to save money, but soon realize they are too small to light the area. Not only do they then have to buy a new light, but also pay for the electrician to visit again to install it.

Flooring

Depending on what flooring you want to choose, there are many options to suit your budget. This decision will also depend on what kind of use your living room will get. Some people with allergies will only opt for wooden, tiled or concrete floors, but others would argue that carpet is a better option as it “holds” the dust and allergens, meaning it is not free-floating in the air of your home. Whichever way you choose to go, there is flooring for every budget. If you choose carpet, you should spend a little more and buy 100% wool carpet, as it lasts a lot longer, is durable, and is better for allergy sufferers. Although it is a little more expensive than other materials, you may find that it will last almost twice as long than other carpets.

If instead you choose to go with wooden flooring, there is the great option of “click-clack” style, floating floorboards. Not only do they look stylish, they look just like conventional wooden flooring and are a fraction of the price. To go even cheaper once again, vinyl flooring is a great option. It looks great and decent vinyl that is installed correctly can last many years without any issues. Alternatively, a concrete floor could be perfect choice for your living room. Concrete flooring is a durable option that is designed to stand up to the wear and tear of everyday life. Decorative concrete can provide an artistic and functional feature for your room without costing the earth, so is well worth exploring.

Wardrobes

Most houses these days have built in wardrobes, but that doesn’t mean you have to. Depending on the use of the bedroom, you can forget about adding a built-in wardrobe if you don’t think you will be using it. For example, if one bedroom will be used as an office, you may not need a wardrobe in that room as you will likely have bookshelves and filing cabinets to store your goods in. Depending on the use of the room, choose to install the wardrobes (or not).

If you do decide to install a built-in wardrobe, consider saving a little bit of money by installing the shelving yourself. The builder can easily install the frame and doors for the wardrobe, but the shelving within can be your own canvas. Home renovator stores have plenty of space-saving shelving and contraptions to use for within a wardrobe.

You can easily design a wardrobe to your needs, so you can design this hidden space to be just the way you want it. For example, if you have a shoe fetish, there are specific shoe holders that are designed to be stored and made to be compacted to create extra room for more items.

Designing your own wardrobe is also a great way to leave your own personal touch on a bedroom.

Windows

Depending on who you are dealing with, you may be convinced that top-range double-glazed windows and french doors are your only option. Although this may be true in areas of Australia that experience extreme temperatures or are in areas that are particularly noisy outside, it is best to decide on what you truly need. Standard sized windows look just as great as floor to ceiling French doors if they’re decorated well. You may feel like you want fancy bi-fold doors instead of a wall for your bedroom, but is it necessary?

Choose windows that are appropriate for the room. A room such as a bedroom really only needs a standard sized window to add some light, but prevent prying eyes from viewing inside. The money you save on your window sizes and materials now can give you a little more freedom when it comes to decorating and furnishing the home later.

Size does matter

If you definitely need a garage, do you really need one large enough for three cars? Will a single or double be just enough? In fact, adding a single car garage is a great way to ensure you do not hold onto items that you don’t need. If you really are strapped for space, invest in a single car garage and perhaps a garden shed big enough to store your gardening tools and those Christmas decorations you only ever see once a year.

Basement opportunities

A great way to use the space you have more effectively is to build your home so that you have access to basement storage, which can include your garage. Not only will you create more space for your car/s and other items, you can be sure that your belongings stored in the basement will be quite safe.

Although installing a basement may be a little pricier, you may find that the money you save on having to build a garage, carport or extra garden shed will be worth it. Having the opportunity to build a basement also depends on the land you have purchased, so be sure to have these kinds of details marked out and approved before buying the land (if possible).

Cupboard doors

Often when refurbishing cupboards of your kitchen, the doors are in the worst condition. So instead of changing the whole cupboard, you can simply replace the doors and handles. Some older styled kitchen will have handles installed from their prime 20 or 30 years ago, and replacing these for modern looking handles can make a huge difference.

Not only will you save on buying new cupboards, you will have a much easier job on your hands. You can also install soft-close hinges to further make the kitchen seem like new.

Updated tapware

Taps are almost always changing in style and fashion. What looked new and fresh back in the 90’s is completely outdated and old today. So before you go ripping out everything in the bathroom to remodel it, consider changing small features such as taps and shower heads. These changes not only make the bathroom look more appealing, but some newer devices also have better water efficiency.

Paint

Nothing says ‘new’ like a splash of fresh paint. A lot of homes may be painted to suit individual tastes, which can often lead to outdated styles in the coming years. Many people repaint their homes every few years, but if you haven’t done this or have recently bought a home to renovate yourself, fresh modern paint colours will work wonders.

Paint is not too expensive and makes a big difference. Choose subtle colours like whites, creams and beige tones to create a modern feel. You can also incorporate a feature wall that is textured if you’re feeling creative, just be sure that your feature wall isn’t too overpowering and doesn’t confuse the style of the room. For example, subtle textured dark feature wall amongst beige tones walls would look great, but having dark brown walls with a green feature wall may be too busy and create an illusion of darkness.

Take a look at wall colours in the home decorating stores and be sure to test them on the walls by buying a small sample pot. Colours always look different in a tin or on a paint colour card than what they do on the walls in your home.

Wardrobe doors

Some older style homes have the same doors that were installed when the house was first built. These cupboards are often dark brown in colour with handles to match. Even more recent cupboard doors may show signs of use with battered door panels and marks. One way to refresh this area is to replace the doors completely. Doors are generally not too expensive, so makes for a fairly easy remodeling cost.

If you don’t want to replace the doors, you can often just paint over them. Paint will be slightly cheaper, but this option will only be useful if the doors are in relatively good condition.

Automatic garage door

As simple as it sounds, adding the convenience of an automatic garage door can make the home more appealing to yourself or for potential buyers. Although a small cost (around $500), it’s a cost that new buyers will not need to worry about and they will be pleased to see there is one installed already for them. Kits can be bought for self installation, but having a professional install one for you is probably the best option so that there are no errors. Any garage door (if in good condition) can become automated.

Driveway resurfacing

Your concrete driveway may be an original part of the build of the home, and could be quite a few years old. It may be looking a little rough around the edges, dirty, and possibly covered in years of grime and oil from your vehicles. One way to really make your concrete driveway shine is to get it resurfaced. You can customise the look of your new driveway with a variety of colours, textures and designs that are available through resurfacing.

Patterns on your driveway can also really make your driveway looking like a million dollars. And not only will it look great, but it will also substantially increase the value of your home.

Check handles and hinges

Check on your hinges and handles periodically. With use, some of these parts can become a little bit loose. This is easily fixed by tightening the screws for each part. Some of the cupboard doors, if they become loose, may “droop” and not be aligned properly with the cupboard. Most hinges will have a manual adjustment function so you can easily re-align them back to be set with the cupboard.

Cleaning

Simply ensuring that the kitchen is kept clean, spills are wiped immediately and benchtops are cleaned properly each day can help to maintain your kitchen. Some foods can stain and damage some benchtop materials (such as oily foods on bamboo benchtops), so it is important to keep your kitchen clean.

Mould

Bathrooms can get very warm and moist, and can be a breeding ground for mould if there is insufficient ventilation. Bathrooms that are part tiled and part painted will be more susceptible to mould growth (as the mould will tend to want to grow on walls rather than tiles). If you have a freshly painted bathroom (or haven’t painted yet), be sure to use paint specific to bathrooms as they have anti-mould properties within the paint.

If you are starting to see mould growth, be sure to act fast as mould can spread quickly. Spray it with mould-killing spray, and kill the mould off. Once the mould has been removed, repaint your walls and be sure to use special bathroom paint to stop it from happening in the future.

Check on your air conditioning unit

During winter, you may not use the air conditioner or you may only use it to warm up the home (if you have heating functions available), and in summer you’re likely to be using it to cool down. For this reason, autumn is a great time to look over your air conditioner and check for any issues.

Clean any filters of dirt, grime and dust from the interior side. Reverse cycle air conditions would have equipment on the outside of your home, so it’s good to check this over for any major damage, rust, wear and tear. If you’re not sure what you should be looking for, your user manual will often provide great cleaning and care tips. Alternatively, a local electrician will usually be more than happy to take a look over it for any electrical issues.

Curtains or blinds

If you have curtains or blinds, it’s important to keep them clean and damage free. Dust is often the biggest culprit for the wear and tear of these places, and is also problematic for those with asthma and allergies.

Remove curtains and have them cleaned regularly to stop dust build-up. For blinds, regularly cleaning them by vacuuming them or dusting them is ideal. Some companies also offer blind cleaning, and can have them professionally cleaned for you if they are difficult to clean.

Clean out your closet

We all like to hold on to clothing and shoe items in case we want to wear them one day. However, there is a point where your wardrobe is going to overflow and become extremely disorganised. Sometimes even the clothes racks bend and break under the weight of excessive clothing hung on them. One of the best ways to organise your clothes is to turn the hangers all to face one way. When you wear an item of clothing, turn it around so that you know you have worn it. After 6 months (or a year to cover seasonal changes), any items that haven’t turned around you will know they haven’t been worn. If they are in good condition or new, you can re-sell them or even donate them to your local charity store, to help others in need.

Not only will you get some extra spending money in your pocket or helping people in your local area with your charitable donation, but you’ll also be helping to organise your bedroom and keep your wardrobe from excessive items.

Driveway cleaning and sealing

Your driveway, no matter what kind of material it is made of, will generally need some kind of maintenance to keep it working well for you and your vehicles. Keeping it clean is important, as it will also ensure that no foreign objects obstruct your vehicle tyres and cause further issues. If you have a concrete driveway, you generally should consider re-sealing it every couple of years to make sure it looks good, is safe and stays maintained. Sealing can also come in a variety of colours and can provide optional slip resistance, perfect for slippery and sloped driveways. Sealing your driveway will also make sure your driveway is more hard wearing and makes the driveway easier to clean in the future.