12 Home Renovation Save Hacks which Every Homeowner Should Know

 

With no clear signs of economic recovery in the near horizon, homeowners are urged to make prudent choices in their renovation projects. So, how can homeowners rein in their spending but still able to achieve a fantastic house?

Well, the solution for homeowners to adopt the KISS principle; Keep It Simple and Straightforward. Without further ado, here are some hacks for homeowners renovating on a very tight budget.

Hence, here is a short 2 minute video which summarizes the 12 renovations save hacks. Nevertheless, do read on for the more detailed description on ways to save during a renovation project!

[embed]https://youtu.be/pNOQH7gArBk[/embed]

Disclaimer: Costs vary depending on area covered, material and design adopted

Paint is approximately 20 to 30 percent cheaper than using wallpaper for home interiors. In fact, washable matte paint creates hard, non-porous surface that repels stains which helps to keep surfaces looking clean longer. Moreover, the maintenance costs for wallpaper is higher since they have to be replaced once they are torn beyond repair or have faded. In fact, homeowners would be surprised to know that they can still achieve fantastic wall designs with paint too!

Interior Designer: Ace Space Design

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Although false ceilings are a great way to achieve the much sought after showroom look, conceal cables and service lines, the costs of false ceiling installation could set the homeowners back by as much as $ 4 to $10 psf. The easiest alternative is to keep the ceiling bare and raw with exposed cables and trunkings. In fact, industrial themed homes relied heavily on this to achieve the rugged look.

Interior Designer: Inspire ID Group

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The average estimated cost of flooring for HDB apartment ranges from $6000 – $9000 for a 3 room to 5 rooms, depending on the material used. Therefore, the most budget friendly way to change the look of existing tiles is to either overlay the existing tiles with new ones or use epoxy paint for the make over. Resale flat homeowners could also consider retaining the old tiles by polishing them, to resume their former glory.

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Old doors can be made to look like new by either giving them a fresh coat of paint or a new layer of laminate. The same applies for the door gate too.

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Feature wall for TV used to be the favorite accent wall idea to demarcate spaces in order to create clearly defined zones in the living room. Since the costs depend on material chosen as well as the area covered, the straightforward way to keep the costs down is to do away with the feature wall. In fact, with the recent rise of jaw-dropping HUGE screen TV in recent years, feature wall for TV may soon be deemed passé.

Interior Designer: Juz Interior

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Carpentry costs depend on the materials used, design and the workmanship required. In actuality, carpentry works chalks up the bulk of the renovation expenses due to the labor costs by the skilled carpenters. To cut down the renovation expenses, homeowners should consider trimming down the scope of carpentry works required and switch over to off-the-shelf furniture where applicable.

Interior Designer: Dap Atelier

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In a hot, humid tropical climate such as Singapore, air conditioners are a popular way to keep our home interiors cool. However, buying an air conditioner is a huge investment since it is not cheap and requires servicing regularly to keep it running in tip top condition. Furthermore, air conditioners typically accounts for around 35 percent of the household electric consumption and bills. In contrast, when compared to air conditioners, ceiling fans cost only a faction of the price and require minimal maintenance.

Interior Designer: Unity Interior Design

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Homeowners can consider using light wall colors and installation of mirrors at strategic locations to brighten up the room instead of spending money on additional lightings.

Interior Designer: Fifth Avenue Interior

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Freestanding kitchen appliances cost less than built-in kitchen appliances since the latter is visually integrated with the kitchen cabinetry. In addition, Freestanding kitchen appliances are much easier to be replaced in the future whilst built in kitchen appliances are complicated and costly to change out in the future. Furthermore, they could impact the existing cabinetry works.

Interior Designer: Free Space Intent

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Choose energy efficient appliances to save on running costs. For instance, a 3 tick air conditioner will save approximately $260 a year, while a 3 tick refrigerator will save around $75 a year. Furthermore, switching over to a thermos flask from an electric air-pot will save homeowners around $300 a year.

Interior Designer: Fuse Concept

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Homeowners should also consider putting the dollars which they intend to spend as cash through their credit cards to maximize the value. That way the homeowners will get the most bang for their spending buck as possible by accumulating rewards points or through cash back to reduce their renovation cost.

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Lastly, renovation portal makes it so much easier for homeowners to shop and compare the renovation quotations before settling on the right renovation professionals to work with. This step is of paramount importance since switching renovation professional halfway through the renovation project will mean incurring significant losses in terms of money and time.

Interior Designer: RenoNation.sg