10 Ideas for Refurbishing Your Home

Looking for ways to spruce up your home or make your property more appealing to prospective tenants? In this article we explore 20 creative refurbishing ideas for homeowners on a budget.

1. Wiring, Plumbing and HVAC

If you’re planning a full scale refurbishment, it’s best to start with the important behind-the-scenes details that affect whether your house feels like a hovel or a home. These can be pricey fixes, but they’ll cost you a lot more later on if you allow problems to remain unchecked.

Make sure your wiring, plumbing, and HVAC systems are properly installed, inspected, and meet all minimum energy requirements.

2. Go Green

3. Brighten Up Your Home with Natural Light

Few things are as inviting as plenty of natural light in a home. If it’s in the budget, you can consider installing new windows or skylights. If not, “light tubes” (like those installed by Solatube or VELUX) can be cost-effective alternatives.

4. Apply a Fresh Coat of Paint

5. Use Your Space More Efficiently

Before you start knocking down walls to gain an “open feel” concept, consider whether simple reorganisation might not solve your needs. Replacing bulky storage units with sleeker models, filling unoccupied corners of your kitchen with more shelves, and installing space-effective cabinets could save you a major remodel.

6. Clean or Replace the Flooring

7. Mounted Lights Over Recessed Fixtures

Recessed lights cost a lot of money to cut, insulate, and install. They may also not deliver as much light as a wall- or ceiling-mounted light and may require more fixtures for equal brightness.

8. Repair Damaged Furniture

If you’re trying to let a furnished room or house, simple furniture maintenance will make your property more inviting. Reupholster, patch, and sand any piece that needs simple fixes. You might also consider replacing things like old lamp shades to give your space a modern appeal.

9. Purchase Discount/Excess Stock

If you’re doing a big job, such as retiling your kitchen or installing new hardwood floors, ask your contractors if they have any extra stock that they’re looking to unload. You might get great material at a discount price. Alternatively, you can sometimes purchase your own materials from wholesalers for a fraction of what new materials would cost you.

10. Small DIY Fixes

Small fixes around the home have a big impact when it comes to market appeal. Take time to perform simple tasks such as cleaning your gutters, greasing squeaky hinges, replacing outdated handles, re-grouting your bathroom tiles, and patching any dents or nail holes in your walls. Small touches like these are quick and inexpensive, but show that you put care into showing your house.

Refurbishing an Empty House

Refurbishing your house doesn't have to be reserved for your main home; if you’re having trouble letting out your empty house, the above tips might help you appeal to new tenants too!

Owning an empty house can be an expensive risk. It goes without saying that your vacant property won’t be bringing in any income, but there are other costs to consider too. Plus, houses that lack a permanent caretaker or tenant may also cost more to insure because they’re at greater risk of threats such as fire, theft, and vandalism.

If you’re looking for an effective way to attract prospective tenants, you can’t beat simple refurbishments that boost a house’s visual appeal or reduce a tenant’s bills.

About the author

James Cooper is a respected industry leader with over 10 years' experience in the home and property insurance sector. He works across a broad range of insurance product and policy development and delivery, including product development; customer sales and marketing; and P&L accountability.