Apart from a fortunate few, there can’t be many of us who don’t from time to time, look around our home and think how things such as décor and fixtures and fittings might need a little or even a lot, of improvement or updating.
It of course takes more than just thinking about it and there are two main points holding us back. The first is time. No matter how busy or otherwise our lives are we rarely have much free time that we would wish to spend up a ladder or fighting with the plumping under the kitchen sink. Finding time is hard. When you do find you have the time you might then come across the second point which is money.
Money is not in endless supply and home improvements can often be put off as they are not a vital expense. So let’s consider home improvements and repairs on a shoestring budget.
Make Do & Mend
Make do and mend is a long-used phrase which originated when times were hard in WW2 but which is still relevant today when funds in the home are limited. The sentiment is simple enough, for example, repairing a table leg rather than buying a whole new table gives a cheaper option.
Sadly with most things being relatively cheap to buy and easy to acquire (even delivered right to our doorstep) these days, we have become a ‘throw away’ society so the ‘make do and mend’ ethic could also help reduce landfill which of course in turn helps our planet. Win, win.
Fake Your Flooring
The floors in our homes obviously get a lot of wear and tear. They become scuffed and dirty and eventually need to be replaced. Replacing any form of flooring is usually costly. However in many cases floors can be covered cheaply with peel and stick flooring.
The effect is as close to lifelike as possible with designs to imitate slate, stone or marble for example and will cover a multitude of original surfaces. In many cases it has the added bonus of feeling warmer than the floor it is covering and also with no joints, will be much easier to clean. All these advantages for a fraction of the price.
Concrete Kitchen Worktops
If your worktops are worn or you would like a new look but don’t have the budget for some of the more common – and expensive – solutions like granite, you may want to get consider concrete, yes polished concrete!
This doesn’t mean creating a whole worktop from scratch as the existing countertop is used as a base. It’s fast, simple, cheap, and looks incredible – nobody will be able to tell it’s concrete and even if they do they will most likely be impressed with how it looks.
Refresh Your Matting
Entrance matting is a fantastic way to catch dirt and water at the threshold of your home, helping to keep your interiors cleaner. However, over time, matting can lose its colour or become stained, diminishing its effectiveness and appearance.
A cost-effective way to enhance your home is by updating your entrance matting. Not only will this simple change improve the look of your entryway, but new matting will also trap more dirt and moisture, helping to keep your freshly renovated space looking cleaner and fresher for longer.
