What to update and when: Darren Palmer's home improvement timeline

If you’ve bought yourself a fixer-upper, you can’t do everything all at once. Even if your place is in good shape, there are things you’ll want or need to do to get the best from your home.

Before you move in

Create a fresh palette. You don’t need to do a perfect job: hire a giraffe sander for the walls and ceiling, then spray with an airless rig and you have a white canvas to work from. In the past I’ve also painted the whole place and laid new carpet over old. Replace toilet seats and shower heads.

Six months

Install window coverings. Ready-made blinds are great if your windows are standard sizes. Sheer and blockout curtains add texture and can also be done on a budget.

Wallpaper gives interest to smaller rooms such as powder rooms or bedrooms. Paint can be applied too and you can even create a few “feature walls”. It’s also a good time to pick out a few elements in your interior for feature paint, such as highlighting doors in a contrasting colour. My own are navy, but charcoal, black or even colours add interest for a fairly minimal effort.

Every six months, change your decor for the season; rotating between pieces stored from the last change and add a few new pieces.

• Related: Darren Palmer’s guide to interior trends in 2018
• Related: The best new items on the interior design scene
• Related: The Instagram account dedicated to the ugly interiors

One year

Start to look for things that are important but haven’t been a big priority, such as tapware and bathroom accessories, and door handles. These simple upgrades can breathe new life into an otherwise well-tiled bathroom, or jazz up those colourfully painted doors.

You might want to also look at updating switches, power points and maybe home tech. The functionality and perceived value of an automated home can pay dividends if you sell.

This can also be the time to invest in feature lighting. An entrance can become more interesting, staircases more dramatic, artworks better highlighted and island bench or dining table more grounded, with the right choice of feature light.

Two years

While you might not have the cash or equity to borrow against for a full replacement, you can refresh your kitchen by installing a dishwasher, replacing benchtops and cupboard fronts, or giving doors a new finish. Upgrading appliances can be costly but can lift the perception of expense and improve your daily experience.

Refresh or replace flooring in living rooms and bedrooms.

Later, look at changes that aren’t massive structural works but have architectural benefit, such as adding a fireplace, changing cornicing, or restoring heritage elements.

Five years

Think about whether you need to update your layout. Assess if your home needs more space; if you can get more by moving rooms around or opening up spaces.

Adding a verandah or sprucing up your gardens will always add value.

Ten years

Do a full refit of bathrooms and kitchens. This is also the best time to assess these spaces; looking at whether they’re in the right place, and whether they can be improved through better planning and inclusions. Get it right and they’ll last you a further 10 years.

Look at other opportunities to improve value and amenity; for example by adding a pool, another level or revamping the cladding.

HomeSpace by Darren Palmer (Murdoch Books, RRP $39.99)