Home Improvement Tips - Micro House Renovation Ideas that won't break the bank!

We've pulled together some simple and affordable home improvement tips that will turn your average home into, well, something altogether nicer!

You've heard it all before - your home is the biggest and most significant investment you're likely to make in your lifetime. With that in mind, it's easy to see why we crave the comforts of a beautiful, cosy, and well-designed property.

The chances are, however, that you're not going to move into your dream house from the very first day. Rather, it's far more likely that you'll chip away at it over years or even decades before you get it the way you want it. For most of us, that means getting in a qualified domestic builder as part of the journey.

While bigger renovations - such as adding a new room to your property can have a dramatic effect- they're also expensive and don't always fit within our budgets.

So for that reason here are some affordable ways to revitalize your property without breaking the bank. 

Go Open Plan & Go Bright (Remove the clutter)

According to studies, open-floor plans are incredibly popular with new home buyers, so the more open space you can create within your house, the more modern you're likely to feel. Opening up internal space by knocking on interior walls can have a dramatic effect on any home. We see more and more of this in Ireland - with homeowners knocking walls between the kitchen and dining rooms to create lighter, brighter family areas.

Depending on the size and structural considerations, knocking an internal wall will be relatively inexpensive ( budget €5-10k). However, don't underestimate the preparation beforehand and the cleaning afterwards! You should always hire a qualified builder for this exercise as getting it wrong (like knocking down a load-bearing wall) can have pretty dramatic consequences!

But the truth is that for many, creating a lighter, more light-filled open plan space can be much simpler than undertaking a demolition. An open mind and a re-evaluation of how you use the space you have can also lead to great results. By clearing out bulkier furnishings like sofas and book cupboards, you can truly liberate a room.

Likewise, swapping curtains for roller blinds will deliver far more natural light in any room and create a surprising amount of space where the curtains once hung. Oh, and a lick of paint? Bright hues will transform any room and make it feel altogether like a new home!

Your Home Exterior - Curb Appeal!

Sometimes it's not the inside of your home that really needs to change - but the impact it has on the outside. One of the most affordable ways to renovate your home is to consider curb appeal, by re-doing the driveway, trimming that hedge or even committing yourself to a complete exterior paint job.

If you're renovating your home with the hope to sell it to a new family or buyer, then your aim should be to seek out a minimum €2 return on every €1 spent on decoration, repairs, and additions. To get the most bang for your buck, you'll need to invest in items that give your home a bigger "wow" factor, and external painting can be enough to give you a €10 return on every €1 spent! Get a painter's quote here.

Little Fixes, Deliver Big Results! 

Making little improvements around the home can make a huge difference - particularly when the small jobs you've been putting off for some time are allowed to add up. Our perception of our homes can amount to the frustration we feel by not getting those niggling 'fixes' completed. So for peace of mind (and a happy marriage), it's worth taking them head-on.

For niggling fixes the top 5 we see are - cupboards and drawers that don't close the way they should, leaking shower trays, lights that don't work, draughty windows, and creaky floorboards! But despair not, as for a fairly small outlay you can hire a qualified handyman to fix all of these annoying things! 

With that in mind here are 3 things you should consider replacing that will make an instant difference to your home:

• Update all your bulbs to natural hue LED bulbs. They will change the lighting and save a fortune!
• Change all plastic plug sockets to brushed chrome models with USB charging points
• Swap curtains for roller blinds - the lighting effect is dramatic

Before making a huge change to your property, don't underestimate the value of tackling the little things first. The chances are that completing a few small changes will prevent you from paying out for renovations you neither want nor need. 

So that's our tuppence worth for this instalment. But remember, for larger renovations please get professionals in to help. You can avail of our free tradesmen and builder quote service at any time. See the full list of trades we cover here. 

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