If you’ve ever searched online for renovation materials, you will have undoubtedly been inundated with ads promising discount building supplies. Sometimes these internet retailers can offer amazing deals for the items you need to complete your renovation. However, there are some items that you may not wish to purchase sight unseen. Before you buy, consider the pros and cons of purchasing renovation supplies online.
Pros
– Price
With competition driving down online prices on items such as lighting, appliances and other fixtures and fittings, you are almost guaranteed to find a lower price when shopping at an internet retailer. Make sure you are looking at the full price, including shipping and sales tax, when comparing prices.
– Selection
With thousands of retailers online, you are sure to find a greater selection on renovation supplies than is available even in the most metropolitan area. Not to mention you won’t have to spend days driving around scoping out your choices. The ability to browse through a multitude of selections within hours from home is a huge advantage.
When should you buy online?
Any time you know exactly what you want but would like a better price and can wait a few days to have the item in hand, go for online shopping. If the item that you are looking for is not something that you need to see and feel before making a decision (ie it doesn’t need to be an exact colour), look for it online. Internet shopping is ideal for browsing all the possibilities that exist, because it is impossible for your local store to have it all. If you’re looking for a specialized item or a specific style for your renovation, online shopping can be a source of items that you would not find otherwise. Some items I have bought online for renovations include; kitchen sink, pendant lights, appliances, grout resurfacer, towel rails and toilet roll holders, toilets, home decor/accessories, TV and furniture.
Cons
– Time
While you can quickly look through a large selection of goods online, you will have to wait for them to arrive. That means that you will need to shop locally for anything that you need today. Though many sellers promise quick shipping, some larger items can take weeks. Build this time into your renovation timeline.
– Returns
If you receive an item that is not the quality, colour or size that you were anticipating when you ordered it, you will have a much more difficult time returning it and getting your money back in your pocket. While local returns require nothing more than a receipt, an internet purchase will require that you gain approval for the return, ship it back, and wait for your refund. Minimize this problem by reading descriptions carefully, asking for dimensions or clarifications before purchasing, and shopping with internet stores that you trust.
When should you opt out of online shopping?
Obviously, if you need something immediately, you are going to have to settle for what is available locally. If you are making a purchase for something that is important for you to see “in person” before purchasing it, you will need to bypass online options. Also, unless you are buying a brand you already know from a reputable seller, it may be best to make these decisions at a physical store. And finally, some large purchases, such as flooring or furniture, can be very expensive to ship and therefore make it unfeasible to buy online.
With all the home improvement shows on television, it’s hard to resist the urge to makeover your own home. But how do you modernise your home without blowing the budget? What areas should you focus on? What tricks do the experts use?
Well, here are 5 areas to focus on to really make a difference…
1) Painting (of course!)
The most predominant features in your house are the walls and flooring. They have the most significant impact on the overall aesthetics of the house, so it makes sense to consider updating them.
Look at the overall colour scheme of your home and decide on the colour and tone of paint you are going to use. Some colours have warm tones while other colours have cool tones. If you’ve got all cool tones in your house, it won’t complement the colour scheme to choose a warm cream colour as the primary paint scheme and vice versa.
Even white has warm and cool tones; just compare different whites on a colour chart and you will be able to see the variety of tones. It’s easy enough to paint the walls yourself, but make sure you prep the area well first.
2) Floors
Your flooring choice will depend in part on the type of foot traffic through the house, the climate and your budget. You also need to give some thought to the colour scheme in the house; going too dark or light can have a significant impact on the overall look.
3) Kitchen
The next area I would look at updating is the kitchen. If you want to keep costs down, you might be able to refresh the kitchen by just replacing the splashback, benchtops and taps. If you want or need to do more than that, you could buy a good quality flat pack and install it yourself or have a tradie install it for you. Then all you need to do is co-ordinate trades like plumbers and tilers as needed.
Of course, you can go the whole way and have a specialist kitchen company design and install the entire kitchen, but you will be paying a lot more for this.
4) Bathrooms
The bathrooms are next on the list. They’re usually one of the more expensive areas to renovate, but you can get away with updating a few things rather than doing an entire renovation. The first thing you should get rid of is old style shower screens; they really date a bathroom. Install frameless or semi-frameless screens to give a clear, seamless look.
Replacing the vanity is another way to update the look. Timber vanities add softness and warmth to cold, sterile bathrooms so consider this as an option over the usual white vanity.
Hanging a beautiful pendant light or installing downlights over the vanity can often add the perfect finishing touch.
Don’t forget about the vanity mirror too; a replacement here can go a long way towards modernising the look of the entire bathroom.
5) Lighting
Last, but not least is lighting. Depending on what you already have in the house, ensure all lights have the same type of globes (cool or warm tones), then look for places to add feature lights. Underneath overhead cupboards, over kitchen island benches, over stairwells and in hallways are some places that may work well.
The one thing to keep in mind throughout your makeover is that doing more is not necessarily better. You’re better off seeking to do a few things really well, rather than aiming to do a lot but doing them badly.
A well-designed home has something that sets it apart from other houses in the street. It’s usually a combination of several factors that work together to create a bit of a ‘wow’ moment when you first see the house.
So how do you create the same thing with your own house? It’s not as elusive as you might think and usually revolves around three things: fences, focal points and landscaping.
Fencing
Have you ever seen a poorly framed picture? One where the frame detracts from the image rather than enhances it? The fence on your property does the same job as a picture frame. Get it right and you will have a beautifully framed property but get it wrong and everything will look a bit off.
A word of warning – just because a fence on the internet looks great doesn’t mean it will suit your property. Your fence needs to link in some way to the architecture of your house. I don’t mean you have to install something from the 70’s just because your house was built in that era, but you can take one element from the architecture and use it on your fence. It creates a cohesive look and provides an overall harmonious aesthetic appeal.
Focal Points
Creating a focal point is one of the secrets of a well-designed home. Focal points can be created through porticos, front decking, planter boxes, tile and timber features or paved areas. The purpose is to draw the eye in and lead the viewer to the entryway.
Some ‘front’ doors are situated at the side of the house. If that’s the case, it makes sense to create a focal point around that area. Focal points do not always need to be directly in front of the house.
Don’t go creating too many focal points around the property; it will look too busy and distracts the viewer. Decide what you are going to do as your main focal point and choose the best way to create it based on the architectural style of the house.
Landscaping
Landscaping can go a long way towards improving the aesthetic appeal of a house. Take a good look at your existing landscaping and decide what needs to go and what can stay. Are there areas that could be pared back? Are there areas that are a bit barren and could do with a few plants to soften the scene?
Try to choose plants that will visually balance the property. Balance does not always mean everything has to be symmetrical. Rather, it is about balancing the visual weight of things. For example, a dainty timber cottage will suit fine, slender plants whereas a heavy brick house would be better off with big chunky plants with thick, glossy leaves.
Your landscaping should work with the fence, the focal point and the finish and materials your house is made of. If plants are butting up against a charcoal colour or a dark brick, choose plants with a lighter colour so they don’t get lost in the background. If the backdrop is a lighter shade, choose darker plants.
A lot of landscaping can be done with grasses and non-flowering plants such as Cordyline or Xanadu. Non-flowering plants create a more structured design but will still add colour and variety if you choose wisely.
As the old saying goes, first impressions last the longest so have a bit of fun and create your own ‘wow’ moment.
If you’re struggling with what to do to your house front, our First Impressions Renovation Action Plan will give you a step-by-step design to follow – to really give it that wow factor. It’s amazing what you can create when you know how!
Homeowners wanting to do a makeover on their home before selling, often fall into the trap of the snowballing renovation. You know the sort, it starts with just doing up the bathrooms, but that makes the kitchen look out of date, so you have to do that too.
Then you realise that giving the kitchen a bit of love makes the colour scheme in the living areas look a bit tired, so the paintbrushes come out. Before you know it, you’re talking about ripping up the carpet and putting in new flooring.
The next thing you know, your bank balance has plummeted, you’ve blown your budget, but you still haven’t got a property that will attract buyers.
So how do you avoid overcooking your renovation? Here are five tips to assist you in working out where to start and when to stop.
Start with the exterior.
Almost always. You might have heard it said that people are more inclined to buy if the kitchen or bathroom are done up, but I have a different perspective. (See my previous article Renovating to sell – Don’t listen to the Experts). What’s the first thing people see when looking for a house? It doesn’t matter whether they’re looking on the internet or physically driving around, the first thing they view is the exterior. If your exterior is uninviting, buyers won’t even bother to look inside.
Prioritise.
Do the ‘must do’ things first. If your exterior doesn’t need too much attention but your bathroom is atrocious, then it makes sense to spend a bit of money here. If everything is passable, spread your budget around by doing a light cosmetic makeover on several areas. This might be as simple as freshening up the furnishings, doing a bit of landscaping and painting the exterior trims.
Research.
If you’re not sure exactly where to spend your makeover budget, contact a few real estate agents and ask them for an estimate on your property and tell them what you’re thinking of updating. They should know what buyers are looking for and be able to give you a few ideas on where to spend your renovation dollars. Don’t be talked into putting the house on the market without doing it up; you might get a quick sale, but you won’t make the same profit as you would after a well thought through makeover.
Know who your ideal buyer is.
If you’re not sure, ask your real estate agent. It’s no good spending all your money doing up a trendy little main bathroom if your buyer is more interested in a well-appointed ensuite. If your most likely buyer is a young family, they’re probably okay with everything not being perfect, so long as functional spaces work for them.
Get a different perspective.
Approach your makeover from your buyer’s viewpoint and work out what they are most likely to focus on. There is a vast difference between renovating to sell and renovating to live in. You know all the quirks of your house, but a potential buyer is only looking at the appearance and functionality of spaces, so try and see things through their eyes.
Using these tips should have you well on the way to a successful makeover and financially rewarding sale. For advice from our expert team to get you the best make-over result and ultimately the quickest, most profitable sale, read more about our Pre-Sale Home Make-over design service here.
Using the wrong materials on your renovation or makeover can have an enormously negative impact, so here is my list of the top things to avoid.
Flooring
1) When it comes to flooring, you need to consider durability and comfort as well as appearance. It’s always best to avoid cheap laminate or timber flooring. They might look good on display (often in the big chain stores), but these products are usually manufactured using low-cost materials and construction, causing issues over time.
2) Avoid cheap carpet for your home – Cheaper carpets made of materials like polypropylene can have great durability which makes them useful for rental properties or low budget housing, but they don’t usually feel very nice underfoot. They can also have a shiny look to them and feel crisp and unnatural.
Better flooring choices include solution-dyed carpet, quality vinyl, vinyl plank flooring or good quality timber flooring.
Wall and Floor Tiles
3) If you’re tiling your bathroom, laundry or kitchen, the thing to avoid is low quality grout as it will result in problems in the long term.
4) Ensure you use the right colour grout for the area (I usually recommend a grout the same colour as the tile) and avoid white tiles on the bathroom floor at all costs!.
Cabinetry
5) If you decide to use 2-pac for your cabinetry, get it made up locally rather than buying straight off-the-shelf imported products. Often, the off-the-shelf products are made overseas, and it can be challenging to get an exact colour match should you need to replace part of the cabinetry down the track. Buying local means you are more likely to source the right colour without too much trouble in the future.
6) If your budget only allows for laminate cabinets, make sure you avoid laminate with a cheap or tape edging. It is not very hard-wearing and is susceptible to damage, especially on the doors. ABS edging (similar to PVC) is a more durable option.
7) Although vinyl wrap has a poor reputation, quality has vastly improved in recent years. When it first came out, vinyl wrap was applied using an adhesive that wasn’t very heat-resistant. However, much has changed, so if you avoid anything too cheap and buy a quality vinyl wrap, you will find it is much harder wearing than 2-pac. It also has some good solid colour options.
Tapware
8) Tapware needs to be of reasonable quality and installed by a competent plumber or it could end up costing you a small fortune over time. Installing cheaper tapware can result in three problems; Firstly, the water flow is often inadequate. Secondly, the products are not normally very water efficient, leading to higher water usage costs. Thirdly, cheaper taps often rust out and cause leaks. Unfortunately, these leaks are usually behind a wall, so it means pulling wall tiles off to reach them which is a big job and could cost you thousands. It’s not worth the risk just to save one or two hundred dollars at the outset.
Lighting
9) Electricity is not something you want to mess with, so don’t buy cheap light fixtures. The quality just isn’t there and it can become quite unsafe. Cheap or faulty fixtures will more than likely send your electricity bill through the roof too. If you need to cut back on something, buy less expensive light shades if possible.
Paint
10) Paint is another area where it pays to buy a quality product; it’s not that much more expensive and the result is always better. Poorer quality paint generally does not give a consistent look over large areas and can peel easily. It can also develop a streaky look and a different texture after washing.
Blinds
There are quite a few good off-the-shelf products in this area, but there are a couple of things to take into consideration;
11) Metal Venetian style blinds are susceptible to bending and, once bent, never look as good as new.
12) If you are buying roller blinds, go for a mid to dark grey or something similar rather than white as white gets grubby quickly. Also, ensure the blind mechanism is of decent quality so you don’t have to replace it after a few years.
I hope these tips help you avoid some nasty reno and makeover traps!
Did you watch the season finale of The Block? If you did, you’re not alone. The show has broken viewing records with their portrayal of a world of get rich quick renovation stories. Just how realistic is the example set by this season’s winners, who earned $335,000 for their 6 months of work?
Selling their renovated apartment block for $1.91 million dollars, this represents a 17.5% profit. Not too shabby, but also requires a huge up-front investment. It is not always possible for an individual investor to have this amount of cash wrapped up in one project. But that is only the beginning of The Block’s unrealistic picture of property investing. The show also does its best to downplay the fact that most of the contestants earned approximately $10,000 during the project, earning a wage that amounts to much less than minimum wage.
It is possible to earn six figure profits on renovation projects, but anyone considering renovating for profit should also be aware of the fact that it will not happen on every property. Before you invest your life’s savings into a run-down apartment block or even a singular house, consider some of the issues that can cause your profits to soar, or dwindle.
Your most important decision takes place before pulling out a sledgehammer or a single pail of paint.
Fully investigate any property that you are considering renovating. Know the neighbourhood: its features, selling prices and target buyers. While you will want to find homes with depressed selling prices, don’t make the mistake of assuming that an investor’s fortune is hiding behind every low-price tag.
Especially if this is your first project, don’t spend more than you can afford to have tied up for several months. Properties on The Block required almost $2 million of capital, so chances are that you will need to start smaller. Remember that you are not guaranteed to get it all back so invest carefully. Large projects mean significant holding costs (insurance, mortgage interest etc). Even when the project is complete, it will cost you money until it sells.
When searching for the ideal property to renovate, look for homes that need cosmetic improvements. Major repairs, like structural damage or electric and plumbing issues, can suck thousands from your budget with no visible results for your buyers.
Create a budget that allows for improvements that bring the property up to the expected level for its neighbourhood, and stick to it. Overspending comes directly out of your pocket as it lowers your potential for profit. Know what the ceiling is on the selling price for the neighbourhood and avoid making your property the most expensive home on the block. Buyers are hesitant to be the owner of the priciest home in a neighbourhood.
In order to impress buyers for a quick sale, hire professionals when necessary. You may think you’re saving money with your labour, but if the result is obviously the work of an amateur you will lose money in the long run. Hiring an interior designer (like Hotspace Consultants – wink wink!) and professional contractors may be your best investments.
