As seasoned renovators and owners of a growing carpentry business, we thought we’d bring you a few money saving tips to help you renovate without blowing the budget:

  1. Facebook Marketplace! Make sure you check out Marketplace for discounted but often near new items you need, and DEFINITELY use it to sell items you’d otherwise discard. We’ve sold the sinks, taps and doors that we’ve removed from our home for a little extra cash, and even listed our old bath for free, saving us costly tip fees.
  2. Don’t throw out leftover materials – either see where you can use them elsewhere, sell them on Marketplace or return them to the place you purchased them from for a refund if they’re still in good condition.
  3. Be up front about your budget with your tradies – they may be able to suggests tweaks to the job scope that will save you money, or aspects that you can safely DIY, such as taking rubbish to the tip yourselves or doing the demolition (being conscious of safety issues like asbestos and electrical wiring of course!)
  4. Shop around – Get at least three quotes on everything you plan to hire a tradie for, so that you know what a job should roughly cost. Beware basing your decision only on price, however; make sure you’re comparing apples with apples, that your tradie is licensed and insured, and comes highly recommended.
  5. Look into simpler options for updating the look of your home such as painting old tiles, respraying baths, changing over handles on outdated kitchen cabinets or laying laminate flooring over your old flooring. These small touches can make a huge difference overall.

There are so many ways to update the look of your house without spending big dollars. What are some of your top tips for renovating on a budget? Share them below!