Most people think that they need to be loaded with cash in order to afford the house of their dreams. But it isn’t necessarily so.
A modest budget can get you pretty far when you’re shopping in the right places and have a few DIY tricks up your sleeve.
Amanda Bray and her husband were able to renovate their home and turn it into something they truly love for just $23,000.
The stay-at-home mom from Ballarat, Victoria in Australia was able to save tens of thousands of dollars by shopping at Kmart and the Big W.
According to Daily Mail, the average home makeover in Australia costs between $75,000 and $105,000.
But Bray saved up her money for two years and decided to forgo designer stores and use their own muscle in order to renovate their home for a fraction of the cost.
“My husband did all the demolition side himself and helped any tradies where he could,” Bray said. “Anything you can do yourself just put in the hard yards and get it done. It will save you a lot of money.”
You also need to put in some time. Bray’s renovation has taken two years to complete since much of the work was done themselves while careing for their two children.
The bulk of their $10,000 budget was spent in the kitchen.
The Brays kept the layout of their kitchen the same and demolished the old one.
It was redesigned with lots of extra storage.
They also added about $96 worth of decor which included a $30 salt and pepper shaker from Aldi, a brown set from Kmart for $8, and some DIY labeling for $2.
They scored a super cute serving board for $10, a vase for $6, a canister for $4, a tray for $16, a teapot for $8, and plate for $2.
All that stuff came from Kmart.
“Lots of simple, cheap items can be turned into something totally different with a little bit of ‘TLC,'” she said.
The also did some work in the lounge room which cost about $8,500 and one month to complete.
The bulk of that cost went to the fireplace they always dreamed of.
They say it was “worth every penny.” The decor in this room cost about $393 and mostly came from items that were on sale.
“Never pay full price for items at the more expensive shops – wait as most have sales regularly,” Bray said. “Sometimes too much affordable decor can look a bit tacky so just make sure you mix it up.”
While that rug might look expensive, it was only $29 from Target.
This room also has a new reading corner that includes a blue Occasional chair from Kmart, $49, a throw, a glass tray, and some fake flowers.
The Brays also did about $1,000 worth of work to their dining room.
There used to be a long sunroom behind their dining room and kitchen but that was lost during the renovation.
“We knocked out a wall to make the dining room bigger and to give the space some more light. We also made the space behind the kitchen into a study/walk-in linen closet,” Bray said.
They put about $241 worth of decor into this space.
The Brays’ laundry room was also renovated for about $3,500
“We only originally had one bathroom in our house,” Bray said. “Our laundry was quite large so to utilize the space we decided to make this space into a second bathroom and a laundry.”
The kids also made at well during the renovation.
They got a $1,000 playhouse for their backyard.
“Decorating your house does not have to cost a fortune there are so many affordable shops to buy amazing decor items to brighten up any space,” Bray said.
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