Own housing periodically requires updating. The difficulties associated with this are simple and clear - often it is simply a lack of budget. In addition, the lack of knowledge about a particular technology makes you think about inviting specialists. Nevertheless, the best way to save on apartment renovation is to choose budget finishing over expensive ones and do some of the work yourself.
Budget renovation rules
Before deciding to carry out a budget apartment renovation yourself, you should familiarize yourself with the upcoming difficulties that are sure to arise at many stages of the work. What are they:
- Apartment owners must have enough time to carry out budget renovations. Especially if you have no experience in laying communication lines, plastering, or installing plumbing. Repair work is timed to coincide with vacations or special days are allocated for this. Spontaneity harms the final result and delays the process. If you hurry, you will make people laugh!
- It is important to correctly assess the situation of the apartment before renovation. Budget painting will not solve problems with the floor and walls if the screed or plaster is in poor condition. The same applies to communication wiring. You shouldn’t count on costing a pretty penny for budget repairs in an apartment with your own hands. Inexpensive decorative materials will become a rational purchase if the rough finishing is done with high quality.
- It is necessary to monitor the prices and assortment of nearby construction stores. The latter is important, since the cost of delivery sometimes amounts to an impressive amount. You should not get carried away with a very cheap product - a construction field, an unplowed field for counterfeits.
- your estimate carefully . This will save you from overuse of material and waste, respectively.
- And lastly, you cannot skimp on generally dangerous communications. Gas and electrical equipment is installed exclusively by city service specialists. Otherwise, the lesser evil is non-working devices, the greater is the misfortunes associated with this.
Where to begin?
So, having decided to independently renovate the apartment on a budget, having assessed their own strengths and means, they begin to work. Here is an algorithm of actions, following which time is spent rationally:
- The desired plan . The position of communications - heating radiators, electrical sockets - depends on it. If you like, the space is divided into zones - recreation, active life.
- Old coatings are removed from all surfaces - floor, walls, ceiling. If the windows and doors will not be replaced, then they are also cleaned for the upcoming finishing. To work, you will need a hammer drill, dissolving liquids, spatulas - depending on the raw materials being dismantled. It is recommended to immediately saturate the walls with antiseptics - mold is common in apartments, and besides, this possibility is no longer expected.
- They place a new concrete screed on the floor - without it it is impossible to create an even floor covering, partitions, or cover the walls with high-quality wallpaper.
- They arrange communications - electrical wiring hidden in the walls, sockets and sockets brought to the surface. They install plastic water and sewer pipes and change the heating system. If provided for in the plan, frames for plasterboard partitions are arranged.
Now the room has taken on the appearance of a rough finish. Solutions vary depending on the previous condition of the apartment. It is important to keep in mind that during the renovation, residents must have the option of an “alternate airfield” for at least a month. Especially when the apartment is small.
Bathroom renovation
As we have already noted above, most often the reconstruction of a bathroom involves its expansion at the expense of the corridor. In this case, the bathroom can acquire a completely modern look, providing residents with complete comfort.
There may be thousands of options for designing the so-called “wet zone,” but remember that according to the law, it is strictly forbidden to move washrooms into residential premises or move them at the expense of the kitchen space, as this may interfere with the performance of gas equipment.
Related article:
Photo of a small bathroom renovation. Choosing an interior style, designer advice, piping layout, floor waterproofing, space zoning, lighting design, finishing materials - in our publication.
Stages of budget renovation
Now the prepared apartment is finished with inexpensive materials. For flooring, planks and multi-layer plywood are chosen - it is environmentally friendly, inexpensive and beautiful, with appropriate processing. In wet rooms you cannot do without tiles - consider substandard or broken ones offered in stores. It's always inexpensive or even free.
For walls - traditional wallpaper or painting. The ceilings are whitewashed and painted. Drywall gives an unusual look to a city apartment. Arches, portals, and partitions are made from it. Doors and windows are painted and subjected to many design techniques - aged, decoupaged, decorated with frosted or mosaic glass inserts. So, the work begins:
- It is generally accepted that finishing begins from the ceiling. This is incorrect, since in the future construction dust rising to the top will settle on it. Removing it later will become problematic. Therefore, they start with the walls or floor.
- Vertical surfaces - walls, window slopes and ceilings must be leveled. In the future, they will allow you to perfectly evenly cover the area with wallpaper or paint without visible differences. Requires a base and finishing mixture to work.
- The floor is poured with a finishing screed, having previously installed beacons and reinforcing mesh. Setting time depends on the thickness and consistency of the solution. The finished surface can be used only after 3–4 weeks.
- Determine the level for installing the logs - a step of no more than 60 cm. For plywood even less - up to 45 cm + transverse lathing. Lay the boards, knocking them towards each other, without gaps. For plywood, the flooring is made in a checkerboard pattern.
- Paint the walls or cover them with wallpaper. The most budget options are thin paper ones. But the quality is appropriate. Try making your own decorative plaster - it requires an inexpensive finishing mixture and tools to create a pattern or texture. For example, a “bark beetle” will be obtained by smoothing the solution with a grater wrapped in coarse sandpaper. An interesting option is decorative plaster using film. Effective strokes are created with a regular spatula. After drying, the walls are tinted and secured with acrylic varnish - this will make them spectacular.
- Now it's the ceiling's turn. High-quality whitewash is no less relevant than other decorative materials. If you don’t want the mundane, then making a suspended ceiling with your own hands without using special equipment is also budget-friendly. Installing a slatted ceiling made of mirror slats will not only add effect to the room, but will also visually expand it.
- Lastly, the floor is painted or sanded. The last option will highlight the beauty of the tree.
The renovation is complete. All that remains is to give the room a finished look - install lamps, arrange furniture, lay carpets. Sit on a soft sofa and calculate how much beauty cost you without the participation of professional craftsmen.
Cost of European-quality repairs
After the project is approved, the total cost of European-quality repairs is calculated. And you need to be prepared for the fact that the amount will not be small.
Another characteristic feature of these works: European-quality renovation of an apartment is almost impossible to do with your own hands.
Design decisions and materials used may require not only specific skills, but also special equipment and tools. Buying them for a single use will be too expensive and irrational, and you’ll hardly be able to find them from friends. In addition, the slightest incompetence can result in large financial losses. Therefore, to carry out European-quality renovations in an apartment, it is recommended to use the services of large construction companies that have the necessary equipment and qualified specialists.
USEFUL INFORMATION: Choosing a tulip washbasin, prices: how to install a sink with a pedestal (video)
Do-it-yourself budget apartment renovation: before and after photos
We bring to your attention options for budget renovation - before and after photos. Perhaps among them there will be one worthy of repetition.
