Invest some time and money in improving your home during the holidays.
Many South African home owners will be receiving their annual bonuses in time for the festive season. Instead of blowing it all on a summer holiday, it’s wise to set something aside for home improvements.
Although downtime is essential and a holiday away can be a lot of fun, home improvements generally provide more lasting satisfaction. If the whole family is involved, a well-run DIY project can also be a good team-building experience, with everyone getting to share in the work - and the rewards.
Priorities
The two main factors to take into account are your available budget and the DIY skills of the various family members. Tackling projects that are too ambitious can be soul-destroying rather than rewarding, whereas going over budget will be defeating the object.
You also need to decide how much time you will have available to spend on the projects. Make sure you leave enough time for relaxation, so that you go back to work at the end of your leave well-rested and ready for the year ahead.
Funds
Your first task should be to decide on a realistic budget, as the figure you arrive at will largely decide the type of project you can take on.
Planning
Experienced DIY enthusiasts know that proper planning is essential for the success of any project. Once you have decided on a project, you need to spend some time working out your plan of action.
- Make a list of all the materials and tools you will need, and ensure you have everything to hand before you start. If you are going to put up shelves, for example, have all the shelves cut to size and whatever you need for attaching them to the walls.
- Decide in which order to carry out the different tasks for the project. For instance, if you are painting a room, you will first need to move the furniture away from the walls and put down drop sheets before getting the paint ready. Also have enough cloths and cleaning materials on hand for wiping up any spills and cleaning up afterwards.
Timelines
Before you start a project, calculate how long each phase will take to complete. Some projects can take less than a day whereas others may take a week or more. For longer projects it’s important to take time out periodically, so that you don’t feel as if you are back at work instead of on holiday.
Cost effective renovations
Property professionals are agreed that kitchens and bathroom renovations provide the best return on investment. So if your kitchen and bathrooms are looking a little tired, these rooms could be a good place to start. Total kitchen and bathroom remakes can be costly, but improvements don’t have to be too expensive to give these rooms a new touch. Projects like fitting new handles to cupboard doors and drawers, for instance, are fairly inexpensive, and many home décor stores offer stylish taps and light fittings that won’t break the budget.
One of the cheapest ways to transform any room is to use paint. In a matter of hours, a new coat of paint can make faded or dingy walls look fresh again – and changing the colour can create a completely different look. For a relatively small outlay, you can make a whole room look like new.
You can also use paint on:
- Floors. You can cover up a battered wood or concrete floor with good quality porch and floor paint. This costs about the same as wall paint, but is designed to stand up to foot traffic. Painting a floor is a cheap, easy way to get the look of patterned vinyl. You can paint coloured squares, or use a stencil to create more elaborate designs. In very high-traffic areas such as a garage, you can use tough epoxy floor paints.
- Countertops. If you love the look of granite but can’t afford the cost, try some of the coating kits that make melamine counters look like stone.
- Appliances. If your kitchen appliances are scratched or dented you can change their look with appliance paint. This specialty spray paint sticks to metal and can stand up to heat and wear.
- Metal surfaces. With a can of spray paint, you can change the look of light fittings, furniture, even cabinet knobs and handles. You can give a damaged finish a new touch, or remake a dated fixture in a trendy finish, such as brushed stainless steel.