Quick Renovation Fixes

Five Simple & Quick Renovation Fixes

When it comes to renovations, there’s a tendency to think of ‘big’ jobs. Ones that require lots of time, money and often a builder or two. But these things cost money, so whilst you save like a pro, here are a few quick renovation fixes.

Before we start, the mum in me wants to warn you that whilst all these tasks are possible for you to do yourself, you shouldn’t undertake any of them without the correct tools, knowledge and safety equipment. If you’re in any doubt, please consult a qualified person or better yet, get an expert in to do it. Each of these jobs is nice and quick, so even if you do have to pay, it won’t be big bucks.

Five Quick Renovation Fixes

1. Strip. Fill. Paint.

What kind of list would this be if I didn’t start with the obvious one – a lick of paint! Whilst it’s tempting to just paint over any wallpaper or old paint, it’s worth giving your walls some TLC first. If you’ve got paper, consider stripping it off rather than painting over it. If you’ve got paint on the walls (or you’ve stripped paper), give them a quick wash down with Sugar Soap to remove dirt, grease and sticky residues. Some carefully applied filler will help hide any chips or cracks, just sand it back to smooth once it’s dried. Then the fun bit; a coat of paint. There really is nothing faster and more satisfying than a fresh lick.

2. Replace Skirting Boards

One of the first things I look at in a home is the skirting. You may not notice it consciously but it can make a huge difference to the feel of a room. Both of our homes have started with a thin skirting board; it’s usually chipped, coated in a thick layer of paint and generally unloved. Replacing skirting boards isn’t difficult, you can specify them easily and get rapid delivery from SkirtingsRUs. However, the job does require a level of proficiency with woodwork in order to cut them to size. It’s also a great way to hide unwanted cables or pipework, choose one with the cable space pre-cut in and make easy work of tidying up those eyesore cables.

3. Update Sockets And Light Switches

You may not think it but plastic sockets and switches often yellow with age. You’ll also notice than more modern switches tend to be rounder and more tactile than their older counterparts. A quick visit to your local DIY superstore will show you the wealth of switches and sockets available, as well as advice on how to change them safely. Due to the obvious safety concerns, make sure the person doing this job is competent!

Quick Renovation Fixes

4. Fit New Doors

All of our houses have been fitted with pretty horrific dark brown, single panel doors. They overpowered the hallway making it an even darker space than it naturally is. We’ve chosen to replace our doors with a four panel style painted white, but even if you can’t replace them, painting them a lighter colour will instantly brighten your space. That and refreshing the door handles with more modern styles, a simple job that can make a world of difference.

5. Freshen Your Grout

Let’s not forget the tiles; kitchen, toilet, bathroom… wherever you have tiles, the chances are the grout’s gone grey and dirty after years of abuse. Freshen your grout and restore it to sparkling white by using a grout restorer. You can create your own grout restorer using a baking soda and water mix if you fancy taking a more natural route.

15 Comments

  • Laura dove 29th August 2017 at 10:32 am

    Fab tips. I always think of renovations as being expensive and stressful but this shows you can do smaller jobs to make a big difference.

    • DevonMamaOnline 1st September 2017 at 9:26 am

      It’s so easy to make little changes that make a huge difference.

  • lucie 29th August 2017 at 2:43 pm

    We freshened our grout in the bathroom and it made such a difference! the whole bathroom looked cleaner and brighter!

    These are some great quick fixes!

    • DevonMamaOnline 1st September 2017 at 9:20 am

      Grout is the devil – you forget how nice it looked in the first place and suddenly, it’s all scabby looking!

  • Debbie - Hello Deborah 29th August 2017 at 6:29 pm

    Great tips. I’m on a mission to convince my husband to update the sockets and light switches at the moment. I want them to match things like the curtain rail and light fitting.

    • DevonMamaOnline 1st September 2017 at 9:19 am

      It makes such a huge difference to the place – we’ve updated all of ours apart from three and I’m ITCHING to get them done this weekend!!

  • Alice 30th August 2017 at 9:13 am

    I’ve been using the Annie Sloan chalk paint and YouTube videos to change things in our home recently. Xx

    • DevonMamaOnline 1st September 2017 at 9:17 am

      I need to paint the bottom of our kitchen table – I’m hoping it’s relatively easy to do!!

  • Kirsty 30th August 2017 at 12:39 pm

    I completely agree with the grout point, it’s something you overlook, but we freshened up all of the grout in our new house when we moved and oh my lord the difference it makes! Some great points here☺️☺️

    • DevonMamaOnline 30th August 2017 at 12:54 pm

      Such a huge difference – I wish I’d done ours sooner!

  • Sky 30th August 2017 at 12:51 pm

    Hi Hayley! these are some great tips for a quick renovation, I would just add that for those who have wallpaper, perhaps it’s time to replace it if they already decided to do some renovation work. Although some materials used for wallpaper are more durable, it’s still important to replace it when necessary.

    • DevonMamaOnline 4th September 2017 at 10:02 am

      Great tip Sky! Wallpaper hides a multitude of sins as well!

  • Nadia 31st August 2017 at 10:10 am

    What fantastic tips! We need to do so many of these once our rewire is complete. I can’t wait x

    • DevonMamaOnline 1st September 2017 at 9:17 am

      It’s an exciting time isn’t it?!

  • Nicola | Mummy to Dex 6th September 2017 at 7:33 am

    Great tips and not many that I’d have thought of. I can’t wait for us to own our own home so we can get cracking on some of these jobs.

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