Decorating/upgrading new home on a budget. What's realistic?

[Greenfairydust]

I am in the process of buying my first house on my own but will be left with very little money to decorate/upgrade.

The style I am aiming for is eclectic boho.

I wonder if people had any suggestions as to where to look for:

• affordable bathroom stuff (loo, sink, bath) for a small bathroom
• a wardrobe .

So far I got all my furniture, rugs and light fittings so far from charity/second hand shops and markets. I customised the furnitures when needed by sanding and painting them up.

Also I wonder what is realistic for a single woman to take on in term of work in the house:

• I want to paint the walls myself as well (no wall-paper to remove, just ugly colours to change on the walls) and paint over the kitchen cabinets (painted a horrid blue by the current owners) which I think is do-able. Any advice on good but affordable paint most welcome!

• but I also want to remove all the carpets and sand the wood flooring below (if it is in good condition) and I wonder if anyone has also managed to do that alone or if I will definitely require a handyman to help with this as it is not realistically a one woman-job...

Painting and sanding are both possible for single woman

Plan that it will take a long time and be exhausting

Hire the sanders - the big one and the small mouse one . You get a lot of dust and a lot of vibrations so you might find it takes a few weekends to do just one floor

If the floorboards have gaps save the sawdust - mix with pva glue and send it in the gaps

I had to replace one floorboard also - I may have had help from suitable mate but it don't think that was essential

I've done a lot on my own, YouTube is your friend.

The issue I had with floor sanding was the weight of the machine! I didn't have a hope in hell of getting it upstairs so I eventually used a small sander. It took much longer but was worth it. Painting floors is easy, just remember to start at the furthest point from the door and reverse out 😬

Depending on where you live you can get v. cheap paint and decorating equipment from recipro.
People donate stuff they don’t need eg. paint, wallpaper etc.

Facebook marketplace is good for furniture and fittings. I've seen nice sinks on ours and a bath once or twice.

I used designer-carpets.co.Uk at our last place for high quality carpet remnants - carpeted DD's room with lovely 100% wool carpet for £80.

most of this is possible with good you tube tutorials and people who show renovations slowly in real time, obviously if necessary get professionals in for electrics central heating and plumbing, while you can do plastering yourself a professional is probably worth it, tiling is also possible DIY but you can save a lot of money if your are prepared to put the hours in searching for stuff online in charity shops and auctions, also DIY takes time
my DH recommends Johnsons's trade paint they will mix to any shade even if not on johnson chart

@Cottagecheeseisnotcheese

Thank you for the paint suggestion! I have downloaded their paint colours leaflet and it looks good. They have a lot to chose from!

@LawksaMercyMissus thank you for the tip. I will remember to look for a small sander :)

Johnstone's will mix any Farrow and Ball paint colours.

Good luck, it's really satisfying doing it yourself!

I've done an entire house on my own...painting, tiling, light fittings, blinds. I've only really had people in to plaster and to do refits of kitchen & bathroom. I actually get annoyed if I have to have someone do something 🤣

Don't make the mistake of thinking you have to "get it done". I rushed some things as I felt it needed to be finished, and ended up not being happy with them. Over the years I've slowly redone things and been much happier with them.

I've always found wilko own paint to be great, and the fillers and adhesives from home bargains are perfectly fine. A slanted paintbrush is the best thing I ever brought.

Johnstine paint is good. Also dulux trade is good, cheap paints are false economy as u wil need multiple coats and still not get good finish
Check gumtree for stuff you can get second hand
I wish I could do tiling but scared to try as it is so easy to mess up!

For painting kitchen cupboards I used Beco paint, good range of colours and easy to apply.

Don't rule out wallpaper, I find painting a pain in the ass, always seems to need more coats that I thought it would and any flaws in the plaster need to be sorted out (filled and sanded) before you paint or you see them and they're annoying.

The paste the wall papers are incredibly easy to put up and you can often get rolls on sale cheap.

I recently did the landing using one of the Dunelm murals, £5 for a bag of paste, slop it onto the wall with a big paintbrush, then just apply paper to wall, smooth out with a damp cloth and use a Stanley knife to neaten top and bottom. Took about an hour to apply and the mural was reduced to £20 in the sale.

Similar to this one www.dunelm.com/product/voyager-mural-1000202201?defaultSkuId=30770350

Frenchic Alfresco for your kitchen cupboards - fab stuff!

Kitchen cupboards, I’d recommend Little Greene paint. Their All Surface Primer (ASP) comes in the same colours as their topcoats. It’s not cheap, but a little goes a long way. No chips or scratches on mine so far after 2 years.

And their wall paint is brilliant. Great consistency, pigmentation. I’ve gone down the colour match route before, but I won’t do it again. I’d rather pay a bit more for LG paint. It’s the decorating equivalent of “measure twice, cut once”.

Definitely factor in spending on paint sample pots and some paper to test them on. Tape them to walls to see how the colour looks. You’d be surprised how different paint can look depending on what direction your rooms face. I’ve made a couple of crap decisions by not doing this. A colour I loved and bought looked awful in the room it was for - donated the tin to a friend and it looks perfect in her chosen room.

when it comes to painting, I’ve found cutting-in easier with these brushes rather than angled brushes.

www.diy.com/departments/goodhome-fine-filament-tip-paint-brush/5059340015705_BQ.prd

Bathroom stuff. Do you have any industrial estates near you? I went to a bathroom place on one near me and it was definitely more cost effective than ordering through one of the “known” online sites.

Wardrobes. Are you happy to build a flat pack yourself or do you need bespoke/fitted?

Over time, other small things that can make a difference are things like changing light/plug sockets. Updating handles/knobs on cupboard doors or drawers. Changing lampshades. Neutral decor/furnishing switched up with brighter curtains/cushions/bedding.

Congratulations on your new home. Enjoy it and don’t rush to do things. I’m years in and still going!

Like someone has said - take your time and don't feel you have to get it all done or you'll quickly feel (a) overwhelmed (b) depressed. Just work on one room at a time. You'll soon learn how to do the basics quickly just look online for tips (YouTube) painting can transform a room and you don't need to spend a huge amount on paint but invest in quality paint and quality brushes / rollers. With furniture and furnishings keep in mind your design aesthetic when shopping around, that way you won't get any old crap that you'll get sick of in 6 - 12 months - I made that mistake😬 and try to buy quality furniture as it will last. Good luck!

I did my own house completely at 25 when I bought alone and it was fine if you're prepared to graft. I learned so much from YouTube and even fitted a small double glazed window. I ripped up carpets and sanded the floorboards and painted myself.

Only thing I never touched was electrics and plumbing as I wanted them to be safe 🙈

Oh sorry just seen this is nearly a year old and has been resurrected by @Raknin76 😂 hope your project going well op!

It's going slowly but surely! However I do a bit at a time and utilise the window periods of motivation. I actually painted my doors over Xmas 😂

I am a middle aged woman with no great DIY skills and I manage to remove all the carpets and paint all the walls myself in my new 3 bed house.

Also painted the kitchen cabinets and tiles and I restored & painted the stairs.

I did some of the sanding as well myself although my ancient floorboards where not in great condition in place so I painted it with dark grey wood floor paint instead.

90% of my furniture are from charity shops and markets and I up cycled most of it with chalk or wood paint.

Hope you manage to do lots in your house OP!