Depending on the size of the home, redecorating is the gift the keeps on taking because the expenses mount rapidly as the scope increases. Invariably things can be found (floorboards, ceiling molding around the edge of the room that needs repairing or replacing) that cost more than anticipated and it takes longer to complete as a result. To combat these issues, effective planning and good budgeting are necessary to do your best to control the scope of the project and how costly it will become.
Here are some reasons why budgeting matters and how you can use it successfully.
Making Design Choices Based on Your Budget
When you have a budget for the cost of redecorating a kitchen, then you can decide where you wish to spend more. Perhaps a countertop replacement would be wonderful, but the new tile is something you’ll just have to say no. Alternatively, perhaps you want to modernize the en-suite bathroom, but that will require you to make cheaper fabric choices for the bedroom curtains and change the shade on the lamp and not the lamp itself.
Once you have a budget for a redecorating project, you can make choices based on the available funds. When you’re shooting blind, you’ll miss every time and most likely overspend too.
Painting a Room with a Choice of Finishes
The costs of painting a room vary depending on the square footage that needs to be painted. You can try to do it yourself, but the finish on the walls won’t look very smooth or attractive and you’ll probably regret it. Paying for a professional is worth budgeting for to get a smooth paint finish that looks like a professional actually completed the job.
The wall surfaces may need sanding down and cleaning off before painting the walls. A primer coat may also be a good idea and cost more in primer and the labor to apply it. It’s a good idea to get a quote to see how much the painting of a room will cost so that the budget is accurate in this regard. Then you can plan around the other aspects of the room that you’re redecorating and see what you have left for furniture, lighting and fabric changes which you’ll find appealing.
Maximizing What You Already Have
When you know that you have a restrictive budget or are including a couple of expensive new pieces of furniture, which reduces what’s left in the budget for the other areas, then you can take a realistic view of things. Are there parts of your home that can stay as they are or get a basic cosmetic touch up rather than a major change?
Perhaps the dining table doesn’t need replacing after all and with some attractive, affordable linen and placemats it can look new again? Making the most of what you already have in the home cuts down on what you’ll need to spend to get the rest of your property up to the standard that you’ll be happy with.
Having a reliable budget for your redecorating is important because it’s a solid place to start. There are always 20+ choices for everything, including new bathroom clothes hooks, sofas, and everything else. You need to know what you can spend to avoid running out of money halfway through the project. When you skip the budgeting stage, a redecorating project can get off track.
