Written by: Admin_SheEvo
As I write this we are in the midst of creating the plans for renovating out home in Marseille France. To say it has been a constant juggle is an understatement. Especially because both my husband and I have very clear ideas and opinions on what we want everything to look like. Add to that the fact that we need to stick to a budget and the whole process becomes even trickier. With that being said, I have been thinking a lot more out of the box with our renovation. As second time home owners who have renovated a home before. Doing it for the second time we have learnt some things.
On top of that as our first home is in South Africa and our second (the one we are renovating now is in France). The costs, style, feel and environments are completely different. In our first home we were young, somewhat naive and really had no real clue about how to do things. This meant that we often just paid someone to do the work for us. A luxury that we paid for as two recently engaged working professionals.
Now with a toddler however things are a little different. Not only is labour in France a lot more expensive. But our finances are different too. Which is why we have had to do a lot more planning and a lot more compromising than before. Here are some ways we are looking to save money whilst creating our dream home.
- Shop second hand: One of the great things about France is the large second hand culture. With tons of online shops and platforms for selling unused and unwanted products. We are looking to purchase a few elements for our renovation second hand. Pieces like tiling, cabinets, light fixtures and so much more.
- Reuse: One big idea I had when we moved in was to completely change our doors. But as our budget is tight, I’ve settled on reimagining what we already have. From painting existing doors, to using pieces of wood that are already in the space for shelving or simply deep cleaning our existing flooring. This is a great way to save a lot of money and time.
- DIY: I love a good DIY moment and the sense of accomplishment that comes with it. Which is why for smaller projects around our home, we are relying on ourselves to do certain things. This includes painting the walls, deep cleaning existing floors, and removing paint from unwanted places.
These are just some tools, tips and tricks I am using and hope you find them useful when looking to update your space on a budget.
