Your low key low cost tweaks/upgrades

[Wigtopia]

I am interested in finding out what bits and pieces others have done/had done to their homes that have made a big difference but been minimal cost (for example £1,000 or less - the lower cost the better!) and low effort to achieve.

Recently we had a motion sensor light fitted in the porch that was wired in so can also be switched to permanently on if we want. It makes such a difference when trying to find the right key to open the front door in autumn and winter with low light/darkness outside. It cost about £60 total and I really appreciate it each time the light comes on after 7 years of rummaging in the dark!

Any other low cost low effort bits of work that make a big difference? I am interested to see if there are any other quick/cheap wins!

We had a great kitchen but it was dated. We swapped out some older curved cupboards for the b&q ones you build yourselves and got similar door fronts then had a company come and spray them all in a farrow and ball colour. Everyone thinks we had a brand new kitchen until we tell them. We also had our brown UPVC windows sprayed and they look great. Was really reasonable

I bet that made a real difference!

That’s really smart with the flooring planks. And incredible work you and your DH did on the extension. I bet you feel so proud each time you think about it/ welcome someone new into that room!

The sitting room is something we love. It has made so much difference to our home. Adding the extra room gave us a much bigger kitchen diner. We had a first floor sitting room (tall thin 3 storey house) which became DS's much larger bedroom.

As DCs started to leave home we remodelled the first floor to give us a dressing room off our bedroom plus an office for me. All work done by DH. We have built in wardrobes, the shelves, hanging space is all mdf. Sliding doors from B&Q.

Getting built in wardrobes from one of the many bedroom fitters would have cost £000s. Doing it ourselves cost £00s.

I started sewing again a couple of years ago after a 20 year lay-off. My sewing skills are not high level. Curtains were a straightforward make as were the cushion covers. Made to measure for the price of ready-made.

We bought this house from new 18 years ago. From the front it looks identical to our neighbours. Inside it's totally different. Doing things ourselves has allowed us to remodel and repurpose as our needs/wants have changed.

@Wigtopia it sounds like you and your DH have the skills & interest to make a real difference to your home.

@GnomeDePlume its great you’ve been able to make it your own and change it up based on how you’re truly using the space.

sewing is a great skill to bring into the home updates. We’ve currently got the curtains that were left here and they are so expensive to get made so maybe sewing will be the next skill set I will look to build! I’ve always wanted to do an upholstery course but maybe I should begin my dabbling into the world of fabrics with curtains/ cushion covers. 😄

We will keep on trucking with our adjustments. ☺️ I think we do have the skills, and the thing that slows us down is always finding time. But we will get there!!

Just want to second nice taps - really easy bit of plumbing that makes a big difference.
And also second the top notch loft ladder.
Up the more expensive end, but much cheaper than I expected, shutters if you've got a room that is overlooked.
Also suggest light-fittings - You can get really fancy looking things from Dunelm and similar for very little and if you've got old-fashioned spotlights or something in a kitchen - just swapping them out for something more current will make the whole room feel more modern.

We painted our uPVC door. It was a bog standard white and it’s now a lovely teal blue. With a bit of internet research I discovered that if you prime uPVC doors with Zinsser 1-2-3 you can then just repaint with normal exterior paint. Yes, the primer is expensive, but it’s way cheaper than a new front door!
I bought some inexpensive but lovely linen curtains and voiles from H&M home, then had them taken up by the alternations lady at the local dry cleaners. I then hung them from a double track that I picked up in Ikea. They were so much cheaper than made to measure and look great!
We’re gradually going round the house replacing all the door handles with brushed brass ones from Heritage Brass, replacing the old tatty uPVC handles with new ones, and the ancient, old fashioned radiators with modern column ones. Door and window handles are fairly easy to fit once you’ve got the hang of them, and we buy new radiators exactly the same size as the old ones so that we can DIY the replacement ourselves without having to worry about changing any piping.

@Tupster ooo I do love the look of shutters and we have some very ugly light fittings to be replaced!! But like with taps, when I start looking at light fittings I find myself lost in a never ending list of options 😂😂 I somehow feel I need to look at them all before making a decision but the options go on forever!!!

@Fletzy great tip regarding primer. The prep is always the dullest but most important part of DIY isn’t it?!

Research is never wasted!

Even if you decide to get someone in to do something then really research what the job entails. That way you are far less likely to have the wool pulled over your eyes by someone trying to tell you that the flibberty-whinge-bracket needs to be replaced with something rolled in glitter.

The suggestion by @RunningThroughMyHead to trial the tile colour with paint is an excellent one.

@GnomeDePlume ”flibberty-whinge-bracket needs to be replaced with something rolled in glitter” really tickled me 😄

Basically refresh the en suite (which gets used every day) once every 3 years or so.

Re do the grouting on the tiles. Remove old sealant on the shower. Take the shower doors off and clean the scale off. Replace shower head if necessary and other seals such as door seals.

Shower looks like new after about a days work.

To make it last longer never leave standing water on the surfaces, always use a scraper to push the water off the doors into the tray and then push all the water down the plughole. This reduces the amount of scale deposits considerably and lowers the house humidity in the winter.

we had awful beige tiles in our bathroom but they were newly installed by the last owner. So couldn’t justify new ones

Dulux tile paint in white has been so flipping brilliant. It’s been 3 years and no flakes in our shower area at all!

Also we cracked a tile and replaced it with a white one of the same size and we can’t remember which is the actual white tile as the painted white tiles look exactly the same!!

’ painted over tiles, but unsure how good the coverage would be. We’ve currently got some beige/brown ones and my preferred would be white. Do you think it would be thick enough to cover well?’

if you use an all surface preparation liquid , the paint will adhere far better . Used to be known as liquid sander, which says a lot. The one I have used for years is Owatrol. It’s quite dear but a little goes a long way and it doesn’t seem to go off once opened.

We moved to a 40 year old house when our DC were teenage. Virtually the first weekend there the DC painted the tiles in their own bathrooms with minimal prepwork but using appropriate primer and tile paints. It turned out amazingly! Held up fine the 12 years we lived there.
Tip: for excellent adherence degrease the tiles and grout with an appropriate solvent. We painted white over dark brown . No problems.

Some excellent tips on here

1. Deep skirting for a more elegant finish to a room.

2. Amaco rub n buff to change chrome hardware to brass and vice versa

3. Caulk along ceiling and wall joins for a crisp finish

4. polypropolene ceiling roses (if age appropriate) for light fixtures.

5. dunelm industrial flex light fitting in desired finish which can then be matched with any pendant fitting at a later date for a bespoke ceiling light look

Thanks @Femmefatality 1 and 3 we have done and did the work ourselves which was another good one we are proud of ☺️☺️

4 and 5 are going on my ever growing list to look at! 😂

@Femmefatality are those Dunelm thingies adjustable? They’d be too long for us but they’re so good looking!

Does anyone have any cheap tricks to smooth out artex (non asbestos. It has been tested)

Each room has a different pattern 🤮 quoted £500 per room to cover and we got quotes from two separate people :(

They are adjustable, I have some long and some less than 3 inches. Best thing I did in my rooms.

@Femmefatality you genius! DH is ordering them now!! Thank you

1. Pridola (or Amazon, about £20 cheaper) stick on rechargeable wall lights to avoid wiring. Paint a pattern on the shade to make it more bespoke and tailored to decor (polka dots, stripes, rings etc).

2. frosted film for bathroom windows if can't afford frosted glass

3. airbeds rather than sofabeds for guest rooms

4)marble offcuts on top of cabinets/cupboards/furniture for bespoke luxury look

1. soil in plant pots of artificial plants to make them look more real

2. paint wall and ceiling same colour in hard to reach areas where it's difficult to do the cutting in

3. frame spare fabric in frames with mounts for bespoke art

We use the rechargeable stick on lights in wardrobes and deep cupboards (like under stair cupboard ) set to motion sensor so that the auto-switch on when we open the cupboard doors they are brilliant! Simple but are really useful!

Got our lounge Plug sockets changed to ones with USB in them

Installed a hot water tap from Qettle

Also watching for ideas!

OP, which brand of stick on rechargeable motion sensor light do you use? I have a coat/shoe cupboard in the hallway and have bought two of these now (about £20, Amazon, Chinese manufacture). Worked brilliantly at first, when I came to recharge the light after a few months, wouldn't recharge. Exact problem with both lights. Grr. Would love to try again because it's such a genius little innovation, but reluctant to throw good money after bad.

Oh, and Creative Cables also good for bespoke light flex and ceiling roses. I've swapped out plastic cable for fabric and plastic ceiling roses for ceramic in lots of our ceiling lights, and it unifies the decor and 'elevates' (sorry! designer-y word, overused!) nice lights that have been let down by cheaper plastic finishes.