Time-conscious renovation ideas

Painting

Painting is an easy way to renovate without being put out for long, but when planning your schedule allow time for the preparation. Time-poor renovators can make inroads by painting one room at a time or even one wall in a contrasting colour.

When painting one wall, choose your colours wisely as that’s where the eye will be drawn. But you can afford to be bold here, so don’t be afraid to try a colour you wouldn’t choose for the whole room.

Replace carpets

Check under a corner of that worn carpet to see if there are floorboards below. If so, rip up the carpet, then sand and polish the floorboards using an odour-free, oil-based stain.

Make your entrance

The porch, front door and hallway are the first things visitors see, so a weekend spent renovating these will make a huge difference in terms of how you feel about your home.

• Replace the front door or paint it in bold colours and upgrade the doorknob and knocker.
• Make a bare porch welcoming with a pergola, wicker furniture and potted plants.
• If the path leading to your front door is straight and boring, edge it with interesting plants or replace the entire path with curved gravel or stepping stones. Plant bushes to enhance the curves.

Bathroom blitz

There are ways you can upgrade your bathroom without losing access to it for weeks.

• Re-grout the tiles. Over time, tile grout gets dull and mouldy so if the bathroom walls are looking a bit tired, but the tiles are in good shape, just replace the grout.
• Clear the shower. Nothing ages a bathroom quite like a mouldy old shower curtain, yet it’s a fairly quick job to replace it. For an ultra-modern look, have a professional put in a glass or seamless shower and replace the fittings. If you’d prefer to make a quick change yourself, buy a clear plastic curtain and loop it onto the rods using equal lengths of waterproof ribbon in colours to match the bathroom décor.

A kitchen snack

Apart from painting or changing the window dressings, some speedy renovation ideas in the kitchen include:

• Upgrading the cooktop or oven.
• Installing new splashbacks.
• Many kitchen fittings are standard, so you might be able to replace just the fronts of the cupboards. Alternatively paint the existing doors and replace the handles.
• Get your kitchen sprayed by a professional resurfacing company. It can completely update the look of your kitchen and is cost effective.

Giving your home a facelift doesn’t necessarily mean you have to move out for months, or even be inconvenienced for more than a few days. Pulling up worn carpet, repainting, replacing old fittings or just cleaning up the yard can add value and make it a joy to live in.