DIY renovation on a budget tips?

[househuntinginthesouth]

Hoping people can share tips and tricks for renovating a place on a budget. Please share!

I highly doubt we can afford the time and expense to do this however it's something I'd like to look into. We'd most likely have a place that needs all walls, flooring and probably bathroom and kitchen done. I don't know who would be able to help with much more than painting, no experience with plumbing, electrics or anything like that. Most DIY I've done is back when I was a youngster having to lay sticky back flooring planks and building IKEA furniture when I moved into my rented home but an an eager learner . I've watched a bunch of YouTube videos and they all make it look so simple and that it can be done cheaply....is it really as easy as that?

We are currently doing our second renovation and yes there is so much that can be done on a budget!

• We bought a new kitchen but fitted it ourselves (YouTube)
• Saved 5k by fitting and tiling own bathroom. This is our proudest achievement as it looks like a luxury hotel ensuite but all fixtures and fittings were bought on sale!
• Get expensive paint colours (F&B) mixed in cheaper brand such as Johnstones
• Keep an eye on fb marketplace in your area. Lots of bargains to be had!
• Shop at your local builders merchants not B&Q! They will have loads more experience and will start giving you discount if you use them lots!
• You will need to spend on some trades such as electrician but again, ask your local merchant who they'd recommend. It won't necessarily be the first one that comes up on Google.

In terms of surviving:

• Try to have at least one room in a liveable state so you can relax and switch off at times. Living in a reno is hard.
• Be patient! I was shit at this. So easy to get finance and loans etc these days especially for big buys but try not to. Our first reno was 6 years of hard graft and saving and waiting (3 years no kitchen, 1 year no bathroom!) but was so worth it when we finished and sold on for a decent profit with no debts (apart form the mortgage!)

Good luck!

Having the right tools for the job and spending money on tools where it’s needed!