How much does it cost to decorate a house ( not a Boris and Carrie thread)

[ElephantGrey101]

I am trying to buy a house and have seen one I like. It needs decorating throughout and new carpets in a few rooms. There are other things that we would do long term but that is the start.

How much would it cost to paint a room (doing it yourself) and new carpets. Are there other things you need to consider when getting a house ready to move in?

It depends on whether you have any tools at all, how much prep is needed (are you stripping wallpaper for example) and how fancy you want your paint. Painting a whole house the same colour is a lot cheaper than different colours in every room.

do you already own ladders, brushes/rollers for example? Also when pricing carpet don’t forget to price in underlay and grippers around the edge of each room to hold the carpet down.

We recently carpeted an average sized room in fairly average carpet with decent underlay. Think it was about £600 plus £80ish for fitting.

paint is about £100 for enough to do a room inc ceilings, woodwork etc then you’ll need brushes rollers etc (my painter would charge around £400-500)

factor in things like blinds/curtains and any electrics that need done. Also plastering id never do ourselves is pricey.

how long is a piece of string though… all about quality/choices

Some of the rooms have that old style wall paper which probably would need stripping off ( they have painted over it). There are some random shelves that need taken down.

I hadn’t thought about underlay so that is a good point. My family can lend me rollers and step ladders and I have a set of brushes.

I paint often, fifty quid will do it on paint per room, you can go cheaper or more expensive, obviously more if you are doing rhe ceilings, doors, skirtings, windows etc,

so say 75 a room of you do all rooms the same colour. It starts to get more expensive when you have different colours.

Depends on how much prep work is required. Carpet is more expensive than you think. We've recently spent about £400 just to put Lino in our small bathroom and en-suite. Painting a whole house can be relatively cheap if only using one colour. As an average, it takes 2x2.5l tubs of paint for a room, plus extra for ceilings and woodwork. Brushes, rollers and trays are relatively cheap. If the walls are wallpapered, be prepared for the walls to need work/skimming before painting.

How long is a piece of string really. Farrow and Ball colours in each room will cost more than a 10L tub of white emulsion to freshen up throughout.
Are the walls ready to paint or would you need to strip wallpaper, fill, sand, use lining paper etc.
Do you have brushes, rollers, dustsheets etc or do you need to buy them.
Carpet - really depends on what you choose as the cost per m² will vary for both the carpet and underlay.

Other considerations:

Far easier and quicker to paint an empty room than having to move furniture, sheet up etc. If you are renting, see if you can have an overlap. If you are buying and selling, you'll be moving from one property to another on the same day so may want to consider storage or what order to go in if decorating room by room.

Have a contingency fund. Something will be broken / will break within a few days of moving in, its just sods law.

Even if the previous occupants have left it pretty clean, removals often make a mess & you'll want to clean to your own standards so factor in cleaning materials and don't pack them with everything else - keep them accessible.

Take loo roll and spare lightbulbs when you first go to the house. Soap and a handtowel is usually a good idea too. Tea making equipment is an even better idea!

We are in rented so ideally will paint before we move in. I would do all of the downstairs white. I don’t understand Farrow and Ball so would just buy ordinary paint.

Are there any good websites or you tube channels about decorating on a budget? I have never decorated a house before.