Looking after your home or improving it has become an increasingly expensive business. Higher interest rates that started decreasing only recently, high inflation, unreliable power, and water restrictions have all added to homeowners’ expenses. Can you still improve your home if you can’t afford expensive professional contractors?

That depends on your DIY skills. If you’re already quite handy around the house and you have experience in painting and decorating, and perhaps carpentry and metalwork, there are many cost-effective upgrades that you can do in your spare time. If you don’t have much DIY experience, it’s worth learning some basic skills so you can improve your home and living conditions affordably. You have plenty of options – many websites and video channels teach a range of DIY skills online, and most bookstores and libraries also carry a selection of educational DIY titles.

Why DIY home improvement is a smart choice

DIY skills can make home improvements cost less, and at the same time the ‘sweat equity’ that you’re putting into your home by upgrading it yourself could increase its value. Features like outdoor entertainment areas, landscaped gardens or protected vegetable patches, a fresh coat of paint on the walls, and new floor or window treatments can all help the property fetch a better price if you decide to sell it.

Apart from being a smart money choice, learning DIY techniques can boost your confidence and self-esteem. Upskilling empowers you to handle a variety of repairs and home projects yourself, which can foster a sense of achievement while also making you less reliant on a contractor’s schedule and priorities. And if you develop expert DIY skills that are in high demand, you could even develop a side hustle doing home improvements for paying clients.

There are, however, some projects that you shouldn’t tackle as a DIY challenge. Seek specialised help for solar installations, architectural changes and new buildings, roof repairs and alterations, swimming pool installations, or any major changes to the electricity and plumbing infrastructure.

Budget-friendly renovation ideas

First focus on home renovations that will improve the value of your property. Create a long-term plan and you can tackle quite a substantial upgrade step by step, even on a budget. If you have the DIY expertise to do the work yourself, your only costs will be tools and materials.

Consider adding insulation around windows and doors, or double-glazing the windows, to lower your power consumption. If you have an artistic flair, with a bit of lateral thinking you could use upcycled materials in your home improvements to save even more on the costs.

Here’s a list of ideas that are easy and affordable:

Top DIY home projects to save money

• Repaint the front door and clean the exterior
  Rather than buying a new door, opt for a fresh coat of paint, a new handle and spruced-up trims. The entrance to your house will look brand-new and you’ll turn it into a statement of your personal style. Give your home’s entire exterior a good scrub and hose-down. You can rent a power washer for the job at affordable rates.
  
  
• Revamp bathroom floors and walls
  Retiling bathrooms can be expensive. Instead of installing new tiles, a good clean-and-paint job on smooth cement or plaster can achieve the same effect at much lower cost. If you use hard-wearing waterproof paint, stencils, and well-matched paint colours, you can achieve striking effects on floors and walls.

• Replace bathroom hardware
  While you’re sprucing up your bathroom, consider an inexpensive makeover of the taps, drawer and cabinet handles, towel rails, and mirror.
  
  
• Repaint cabinets
  You can completely update the look of your kitchen or bathroom by resurfacing and repainting the cabinets. This could involve a lot of work, but it will be a huge cost saving compared to having new cabinets installed.
  
  
• Hang new curtains
  A new look around the windows can transform a room’s look and feel. The secret is to find ready-made curtains with the right width and drop to fit your windows, because they’ll be cheaper than anything custom-made. This upgrade doesn’t take much DIY skill, but you will need the patience to browse through curtain options until you find those that fit your vision.
  
  
• Add some artwork
  It doesn’t have to be expensive art – just find affordable pieces that suit your decor and that you like to look at. Even if you’re not an experienced collector, look out for inexpensive original prints that please you. If you happen to buy early works by an artist whose career is going places, you could end up with an affordable art collection that steadily increases in value.
  
  
• Increase storage space
  An inexpensive closet organiser can help you declutter your cupboards. You can add some shelving in your garage, storage rooms or living spaces to keep everything organised and reduce clutter.
  

Using a personal loan for home improvements

Whether you need a slightly bigger budget to hire professional help, or you’re doing the work yourself, but you need some extra money for top-quality materials that will last longer and retain their value, a personal loan could be your solution. Choose a reputable, registered financial services provider who will tailor a loan to your personal circumstances and do proper due diligence on your credit history to make sure you can afford the monthly payments. Ultimately, you want to be able to renovate your home enough to increase its value, without the extra costs straining your finances.

We could help you upgrade your property with a Nedbank Personal Loan for home improvement – and you can even apply in-store.

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