From quick, affordable fixes to bigger upgrades that save you money in the long run
In the past two years, many of us have spent more time at home than ever. High use areas might be suffering from the wear and tear of the increase in home-based daily life. You may have had to rearrange your living spaces for homeworking or homeschooling and now need to reconfigure again. As spring rolls around, you might simply feel it’s time to freshen up your surroundings and complete those nagging jobs you’ve been meaning to get to.
Of course, home improvements aren’t just about making your house look nice. They’re often essential to the upkeep of your home, maintaining or increasing its value, all while giving you a cleaner, brighter, more functional place to live.
Whatever your reasons for tackling home improvements, keeping efficiency front of mind will help keep your costs down – both in the short term and for years to come.
The power of paint and colour
Home improvements don’t have to be drastic or expensive to make a big difference to your home and life.
Redecorating a room is one of the more obvious changes you can make on a fairly reasonable budget. But an even more affordable and less disruptive way to give a room an update is to embrace your main colour and bring it to life by going bold on the skirting and door frames, rather than repainting everything.
New curtains can have a big impact too, and together with some cushions or a rug that ties the colour scheme together, can transform a tired looking space into a modern or cosy haven.
Making the most of what you’ve got
The most efficient way to spruce up your home is to use what you already have. A good starting point is a ruthless clear out, getting rid of anything you no longer need or like. It might sound counterintuitive to get rid of things to improve your home, but freeing up space from clutter can feel like a refreshing start in itself.
Once you’ve had a purge of any extras, you may find you have space to rearrange the furniture. Or that shelves, a table or even a lampshade from one room would work better in another.
Likewise, there may be a bookcase or table you could revamp that would add a new focal point to a room. A sanding and a lick of paint or new drawer knobs give an instant new look.
DIY…with help from the internet
Most items in the home need a little attention every now and again to keep them running smoothly or looking fresh. Fortunately, even with minimal DIY skills, you can tackle repairs and general upkeep yourself and avoid costly charges from tradespeople.
When it comes to DIY though, guesswork isn’t advised. This is where the internet is your friend. From dedicated DIY YouTube channels to helpful articles with basic instructions, you can learn how to do most home and garden projects online and complete them successfully yourself. The costs stay low and the satisfaction is priceless.
Creating a more energy efficient homeAs energy costs rise, a big issue to consider is the efficiency of your home and how well it retains the heat that you pay for in your monthly bills. Draughts can be costly, and in an increasingly environmentally aware world, it’s important to keep energy loss to a minimum.
There are lots of upgrades you can make to increase the energy efficiency of your home. From blocking draughty gaps or replacing windows, to insulating your boiler, walls or floor, using smart heating controls or even installing solar panels, there are options for every budget.
Investing in green improvements to your home cost money initially, but over time will reward you with lower bills as well as knowing you’re doing your bit to cut emissions.
As an ethical lender, sustainability is hugely important to us. So, if you have a home improvement project in mind, we’re a greener way to borrow. From emergency repairs to larger renovations, our personal loans can help, with affordable repayments and no hidden fees or charges.
Find out more about our loans and use our loan calculator to see how borrowing for your home improvements could fit into your budget.
