Budget-friendly kids room renos
How to transform your kids’ room with budget-friendly renovation ideas to create a playful and imaginative space they’ll love.
How to transform your kids’ room with budget-friendly renovation ideas to create a playful and imaginative space they’ll love.
Being one of the first places your child can really express their personal style and their own personal sanctuary, a bedroom makeover can be a big deal to your child, but it doesn’t have to break the bank.
Functionality is also key –you’ll need space to store all their goodies, somewhere for them to study, and a spot for them to sit (or host sleepovers!) with friends.
Starting with a good decluttering allows you to ensure unwanted books, toys, clothing and other items are not taking up valuable real-estate. It’ll also give you the opportunity to take stock of what your storage needs will be and how your existing furniture can be put to best use.
Once you’ve got a clean space, plotting out your room can save you time when moving furniture about, and allow you to buy bits and pieces that will fit well into the space if you need to. Much as you’d expect, there are a wide variety of apps out there that can help you plot out your space and even see a mock up before you get started on your room renovation.
Bonus tip: if you’re getting rid of any old furniture, you may be able to add to your reno kitty by selling it.
Whether your children are still young and you’ll be doing all the creative thinking yourself, or they’re old enough to take part in the planning process, creating a vision board can give you a clear direction before you get stuck into the work or make a single purchase.
If they’re old enough, ask them to pick out pictures and colour swatches (hit up your local hardware or paint store for colour cards) to get a feel for what they would like to see – from colour, to style and theme, whether they’d like cozy or minimalist, and even whether they’d like loads of hidden storage or prefer plenty of spaces to display their things (or both!) 
Paint is an easy and relatively inexpensive way to completely change the look and feel of a space. More than just a change of colour on the walls, paint can be used to change up old furniture, create clever shapes on the walls using tape, or you could add in different techniques and paint effects (you don’t have to stick to the semi-gloss – try a feature wall in metallic, pearl or chalk.)
If you’re short on time, your walls need a significant amount of prep to cover damage or you just don’t trust your painting skills, hiring a professional painter can be a cost effective way to ensure a perfect finish. Interior painters in Australia charge between $10 and $30 per square metre, depending on your location, their experience and other factors.
Even if you’re not into the vintage look, op shops or second hand furniture stores or your local Buy Nothing group can be a treasure trove for up-cyclable extras.
Think oversized picture frames you can use to hang your kids favourite artwork or posters, a statement piece of furniture like a chair you can have upholstered, bookshelf or chest of drawers that can be customised with some neutral paint and new handles, sanded back and polished, or even or have a cabinet maker restore.
Big players in bringing together your room makeover, soft furnishings (from bedspreads and cushions, to window treatments, floor rugs, lamp covers and ottomans or beanbags) are key ways to create a cohesive design scheme or theme for the room.
Say you’ve got a budding astronaut on your hands; you can use solar system printed cushions instead of investing in a spaceship shaped bed and a space themed area rug and star wall decals instead of a costly and hard to remove full wall mural.
Thanks to budget-friendly shops like IKEA, all these finishing touches don’t have to be expensive (you can also snag cheap picture or poster frames while you’re there.)
As well as setting the colour tone for the room, the walls are a great place to reflect your children’s style, from framed artwork to posters of their favourite bands, movies or framed nature, animal or activity snaps (for example, surfing or hip hop dance photos or abstracts.)
If frames aren’t their vibe, but you don’t want sticky tape on the walls, try using twine and clothes pins for a more rustic look that’s easy to change.
You can also use the walls to hang practical design elements – coloured clothes pegs, key or school bag hooks, and shelves can be both useful and add to the overall theme you’re trying to achieve.
Keen to get started but need a little help? You can find wide range of trusted tradies near you on hipages.
House painting might seem like a pretty simple job until you give it a try yourself, as there can be more to it than meets the eye.
There are different surfaces, paints and materials to consider, all of which will impact on your final finish. Any painter will tell you that getting surfaces properly prepared for that first coat can be more important than anything else.
The cost of DIY house painting includes more than just paint, as you also need to buy brushes, rollers and other supplies. Expect to pay around:
When it comes time to hiring a painter, you need to make sure they are right for your job. Some questions to ask them include:
Currently, New South Wales, South Australia, Queensland, Victoria and Western Australia require painters to be licensed, so you should also check their licence is current before hiring them.
There are things you can do (and avoid doing) to ensure your renovation project doesn’t end up costing more than you planned.
Do:
Don’t:
Renovating on a budget can be easier than you imagine with these seven cost-saving tips to keep your finances on track.
Read more
You may not think painting is a very complex task, but there is actually more to it than you think – especially for larger, more complex jobs.
Hiring a tradie can also be slightly intimidating sometimes, especially if you don’t know too much about your job. The key is to educate yourself so you can work out of the tradie or business is a good match for your project. This can make all the difference between getting your job done on time and to budget, and not.
Look to ask your painter these 6 questions before you agree to hire them, and you are a lot likelier to have a better overall experience and finish.
Read more
