How to make renovations without money: economical apartment renovation

• June 20, 2019
• Repair Tips
• Marina Lobacheva

Repairs in residential premises must be carried out at certain intervals. This is due to the fact that old finishing materials quickly fail and therefore cannot be used for their intended purpose. But the owners of the apartment and house may not have the funds necessary to carry out repairs. Therefore, they have a question about how to make repairs without money. Some work can be done with your own hands, and you can also use rental tools. There are several tips that can help you achieve budget-friendly renovations that don’t cause a significant blow to people’s family budgets.

Carrying out general cleaning

Are you planning a renovation? It’s difficult to do this without money, but it’s possible. First, you need to thoroughly clean your living areas. To do this, various unnecessary things that are not used for any purpose are completely eliminated.

During general cleaning, you can see all the shortcomings of the home. As a result, a list of materials that need to be purchased for repairs is formed. Thanks to this list, you can decide in advance how much you will have to spend on repairs.

Using decorative plaster instead of wallpaper

Walls most often need repairs, since various drops and dirt constantly fall on the coating. Modern high-quality wallpaper has a really significant cost, so it can be replaced with affordable decorative plaster.

It is especially important to use such coating in a house where children or pets live. The coating is easy to clean from various contaminants, and you can also remove plasticine or even pen stains from it. It can be scratched without fear of causing significant damage.

The cost of decorative plaster is considered acceptable if you do not focus on famous brands. The application procedure is considered quite simple, so you can do it yourself even without any experience in this field. The result is quite an interesting wall decor, and the coating will last about 20 years.

Textured plaster is available on the market in numerous colors, so you can choose a material that is ideal for any living space. Additional patterns applied may vary depending on the tools used.

Do-it-yourself apartment renovation, where to start: work plan

Do-it-yourself apartment renovation, where to start - this is a question every homeowner has asked himself at least once in his life. As a rule, this upcoming event evokes positive emotions among those who have received or purchased their own housing for the first time. Those who have already dealt with the work of putting their apartment in order know how much trouble they bring, and how much effort they will have to put in to achieve the desired result.

Do-it-yourself apartment renovation where to start

But, if the time has come to renovate your apartment, you will have to be patient and a decent amount, the size of which depends on what type of repair you decide to carry out.

Types of apartment renovations

The renovation can be major or cosmetic, covering the entire apartment or its individual premises. But you should know that repairs in some rooms may be more labor-intensive and require greater costs and effort than work in other rooms.

Major renovation

Major work involves renovation from scratch in a new apartment or redevelopment with replacement or transfer of installed elements in an old home. The scope of work will depend on what changes it is decided to make in the apartment.

A major renovation involves a radical change in the appearance of the apartment

The total scope of work may consist of the following activities:

• Apartment layout. This may include demolishing or installing partitions, combining or dividing rooms, moving or widening doorways. If at least one of the listed actions is planned, then you should definitely consult with a specialist who will determine whether this process is possible. All repair work related to the dismantling or installation of walls in a multi-story building must be confirmed by the permission of the commission of the management organization.
• Replacement and relocation of plumbing fixtures, radiators, electrical sockets, installation of additional lighting.
• Replacement of windows and doors.
• Replacement of old ceiling walls and floors.
• Embedding furniture, if this process is included in the plans.

A major refurbishment of an apartment is a lengthy process that cannot be done in two days or a week, and the rooms will have to be emptied of furniture and all things, as they will interfere with the work or may be damaged by building materials. You may have to carry out repairs one by one in each of the living rooms; in this case, you will have to take care of purchasing thick plastic film to cover the doors from construction dust and dirt. But, as a rule, major renovations still imply that the family will have to live in another place for this time.

Redecorating

Cosmetic renovation usually involves replacing decorative trim in one, several or all rooms. It may be that after removing the old coating, you will have to make adjustments to the corners, surfaces of the ceiling, walls and floor.

Cosmetic repairs are usually limited to updating the interior decoration

When performing cosmetic repairs, preparing surfaces for new decorative materials can be called one of the most important processes. No matter how expensive the chosen wallpaper, linoleum or paint is, if they are laid or applied to uneven surfaces with chips, they will not achieve the expected effect. Therefore, in order for the decorative finish to look properly, leveling the surfaces using putty or self-leveling flooring is indispensable.

Having chosen a repair option that is suitable for a particular apartment, you can proceed to further work.

Drawing up a repair plan

The first thing that needs to be done is to draw up a plan of the apartment, which will display exact data on the area and height of the ceilings of each of the rooms, with or without partitions, in a word - in the form that the apartment should appear after the renovation work.

Careful planning of upcoming work always comes first

General rules for planning repairs

The design project should show the desired color of flooring, wallpaper, as well as at least an approximate arrangement of furniture. Using this project plan, it will be easy to calculate the necessary building materials and accessories for each of the apartment’s premises. Of course, it won’t be possible to take everything into account, but this will save you from some mistakes that are typical for unprofessional craftsmen:

• Taking into account the arrangement of furniture and various household equipment, you immediately need to determine the location and number of electrical sockets and switches.
• We must try to avoid shortages of certain finishing materials, since if they have to be purchased in addition, it will be very difficult to perfectly match the shades of the same tiles or wallpaper.
• Having completed a project in color, you can visually verify the correctness of the decorative coatings chosen in color and how they will harmonize with the shades of the furniture.

In the process of drawing up such a plan, many ideas for decorating the premises may appear, so it is recommended to make a project in several color schemes, and then choose the option you like best.

The plan can be drawn up using a computer program or on a regular A4 sheet. It must be carried out in compliance with the dimensions corresponding to the real ones, but on a reduced scale.

If the plan is drawn up manually, then having drawn it once, then you need to make several photocopies on which you can apply different shades or different furniture arrangements.

Having a graphic plan will allow you to “play” with finishing styles and furniture arrangement

You can draw up a plan of the entire apartment to see its full color scheme or make a design project for each of the rooms.

In addition, it is very convenient to put a stage number on each of the plans, and plan specific work on each of them. For example, on one of the drawings you can show the redevelopment of walls, on another - electrical wiring and placement of sockets, as well as connecting various devices, on the third - the future arrangement of furniture and color scheme.

Dividing a room into zones

To know where to start renovating each room, you need to determine what will be located in it.

• In a children's room, it is advisable to separate, if space permits, the sleeping area from the play area or from the child's activity area.
• The kitchen should be spacious, so it must also be properly divided into zones, defining a work and dining area, as well as the installation of various appliances.
• If you plan to divide or combine a bathroom, then on the first drawing you should measure and indicate its dimensions and arrangement of accessories.

The proposed redevelopment of the premises or their division into zones must be taken into account

• If you are planning to remodel a one-room apartment with the desire to divide it into two separate rooms, you need to measure everything very carefully both in the drawing and on site. In this case, you need to immediately determine the thickness of the partitions, since they also occupy a certain area.

Sometimes such redevelopment can also affect the hallway, since in some apartments it occupies a fairly large area. Here it is important to determine what kind of design the partition has that separates the hallway from the rest of the rooms. If it is capital, then you cannot touch it without permits.

• If it is not possible to divide the room with a partition for some reason, you can install a cabinet or shelving as a “barrier”. It is also worth noting on the plan.

Selection of materials for decorative finishing

In the next plan-drawing it is worth understanding the finishing material and its color, since the comfort of being in the room will depend on these factors. When deciding on a finish, you need to choose it wisely. Naturally, the safest for human health is natural material such as cork, wood, paper, ceramics and the like, however, some types cannot always be used due to the high price or inconsistency with the chosen design. So, what materials can be used for different rooms:

I want to make the children's room bright and cheerful. However, everything needs moderation

• Children's room and bedroom for adults. For rooms of this purpose, it is necessary to make maximum use of natural finishes that do not cause allergic reactions, are “breathable” and have soundproofing qualities. If a major renovation is being carried out, then before installing decorative finishing, the walls can be provided with a soundproofing layer - materials such as Texound, acoustic plasterboard, cork and others are suitable for this. When finishing walls and ceilings, it is best to use plastering and coating with water-based paints or pasting with paper or cork wallpaper. Today in construction stores these materials can be found for every taste and color.

Living room decoration usually involves calm colors, designed in a certain style.

• Living room. For this room you can choose a wider range of finishes. Here, the floors can be covered with linoleum, laminate, parquet, carpet, cork and other modern materials.

What you need to know about linoleum?

Despite the fact that many new floor coverings have appeared, linoleum is not at all going to lose its position in popularity. Useful information about the types and rules for choosing linoleum is posted in a special publication on our portal.

To decorate the walls, plaster and painting, gluing with cork, paper, non-woven, vinyl, textile, glass wallpaper and other options can be used.

The ceiling can be plastered, covered with a suspended ceiling, a single or multi-tiered suspended structure, or covered with wallpaper.

A modern solution - a suspended ceiling!

In this matter, there are perhaps no limits to the imagination of creative owners. In a special article on the portal dedicated to self-installation of a suspended ceiling , you can find out a lot of useful information and even, perhaps, choose one of the options for decorating your own apartment.

• Hallway. Materials for the walls and floor of the hallway must be highly resistant to abrasion and easy to clean, since dirt and dust from the street first enter this room.

The floors can be covered with linoleum or ceramic tiles.

The decoration of the hallway should be dominated by materials that are resistant to abrasion loads and easy to clean

The walls are covered with vinyl wallpaper or covered with plastic, wooden or laminated lining.

The ceiling in the hallway should be made light, since this room most often lacks natural light. Therefore, a light-colored suspended ceiling with built-in lighting is perfect here.

• Bathroom. A combined or separate bathroom must have a moisture-resistant finish that is easy to wet clean and is not afraid of household chemicals. The traditional material for these rooms is ceramic tiles - they do not hide the already small area of ​​​​the rooms, and are also a durable, non-wearing and easy to clean material. Ceramic tiles are perfect for finishing both walls and floors.

Finishing a bathroom requires a completely special approach.
In addition to tiles, plastic panels have recently been increasingly used to cover bathroom walls, especially since today construction stores offer a wide range of this material.

The ceiling in the bathroom can be made of the same plastic panels, moisture-resistant plasterboard for painting, but the best option for a bathroom or combined bathroom would be a suspended ceiling.

Special requirements for the ceiling in the bathroom!

High humidity, high probability of direct jets of water - all this imposes specific requirements for finishing. How to decide on the type of ceiling in the bathroom - read the special article on our portal.

Color spectrum

An important role in the design of apartment rooms is the color scheme, as it should fully contribute to the creation of a comfortable environment. Therefore, this factor must be considered very carefully.

The harmony of the design of the rooms will depend on the shades being correctly selected to each other. In this process, you can rely on this table.

Table of recommendations for selecting colors for room decoration

To make the room light, you should choose soft white and beige warm shades. This is especially true for the ceiling surface, since its light color enhances electric lighting. Therefore, quite often in modern interiors the lampshades of lamps and chandeliers are turned not down towards the room, but towards the ceiling.

You always want to make a children's room bright so that its colors evoke joy and optimism. However, you should not get carried away; you must remember that the child will not only play in this room, but also relax, so it is recommended to decorate the recreation area in calmer colors.

A bedroom for adults should be conducive to relaxation, and therefore it is recommended to decorate it in pastel soft and fairly light shades, which will help you fall asleep pleasantly in the evening and wake up in the morning with an optimistic mood.

The color selection affects the psychological and physical state of the body, since if a person does not get enough sleep or rest properly, then his vital activity and immunity decrease, so you should take the selection of shades very seriously.

Dark shades in combination with lighter colors can only be used in a well-lit room, otherwise they will have a very depressing effect on the psyche, especially children.

Having decided on the materials and their colors, measure all the surface areas on which the selected finish will be produced. Next, a list of necessary materials is compiled, indicating their quantity.

Tips for purchasing materials

With the list compiled, you can go shopping for the necessary materials.

The purchase of materials should not be accompanied by attempts to save on quality

• It must be said right away that you should not purchase everything you need for repairs on spontaneous construction markets, where, although the prices are lower, no one will give a guarantee of quality. Counting on such “savings”, sometimes you have to pay double or even triple the price. Cheap material applied to walls or laid on floors is unknown how it will behave, and you may still have to soon replace it with a high-quality one. And this is not only unnecessary expenses, but also wasted time and effort. Cleaning surfaces from new low-quality finishes is an extremely unpleasant task, as the mood will be completely ruined. Therefore, it is recommended to purchase building materials from a trusted seller who can provide quality certificates for all products.
• You need to purchase material with a reserve of approximately 15% of its total calculated volume. This approach will help you do your work calmly, without fear that something will be missing. By the way, you can immediately clarify whether the store accepts the remaining surplus back - this approach is often practiced.
• When choosing products based on quality, you should inspect them very carefully, and also study the certificates that you need to request from the seller. For example, when purchasing materials such as ceramic tiles, laminate or wallpaper, you must check the product lot number on the packaging - it must be the same, otherwise products in different packages may differ significantly in shade and even in quality. This difference can sometimes be noticed only during the work process, by combining piece pieces or canvases from different batches side by side - this point can also complicate the process of high-quality repairs.
• You need to take the choice of new doors and windows very seriously, since replacing them later will be quite difficult and expensive, since this process will certainly affect recently renovated surfaces.

A reliable entrance door is a guarantee of safety and comfort

The front door not only protects from uninvited “guests”, but also ensures that a comfortable microclimate is maintained in the apartment. It is not cheap, and in order to avoid mistakes when choosing an entrance door , read the useful information in a special article on our portal.

• You need to carefully choose bathroom accessories. You should not succumb to fashion trends and purchase plumbing items made from newfangled materials, as they may not always be suitable for specific cases. First, it is recommended to study their characteristics and calculate all the pros and cons.
• Heating radiators are also carefully selected. Nowadays, you can find these devices made from various materials on sale, but not all of them are suitable for installation in a central heating system. When purchasing radiators, you should rely not only on their operational capabilities, but also pay attention to the manufacturer and the availability of a quality certificate.

Useful information about heating radiators

These heat exchange devices cannot be selected only from the point of view of their appearance - it is necessary to take into account their operational capabilities and thermal power, depending both on the area of ​​​​the room and on some other important criteria. All this can be found in a special publication on our portal dedicated to the choice of heating radiators.

• A few words need to be said about the compositions that will be necessary for treating surfaces before installing finishing materials on them - these are various primers and antiseptic solutions. Such products will create better adhesion between materials and protect walls and ceilings from mold stains.

Once the necessary materials have been purchased, the repairs can begin step-by-step.

Stages of repair and construction work

Comic diagram clearly demonstrating the stages of repair

Surface preparation

One of the most important stages in carrying out any type of repair is the preparation of surfaces, since this will determine how neatly and firmly the finishing materials will adhere to the walls and ceiling. The preparatory stage includes such activities as cleaning surfaces of old coatings and repairing detected defects that may have appeared during the operation of the property.

1. The first step is to remove old wallpaper or paint from the walls.

Wallpaper can be removed in several ways, depending on how tightly it adheres to the wall:

• Using a spatula, which is used to pick up the canvas and carefully remove it completely or in large pieces.
• If the wallpaper is glued securely and does not want to come off, you need to wet it with water using a roller, and carry out these manipulations several times. When the paper gets wet, it can be easily removed with a spatula.

Cleaning walls of old wallpaper

• The third option is suitable if vinyl wallpaper that is sufficiently resistant to water is securely glued to the walls. In this case, they can be steamed using a special device - an iron or a steam generator. If you don’t have such a device, but you have an iron with a steam function, you can use that, but you can’t put a metal surface on the vinyl. It is brought at a distance of 100÷150 mm to the wall and treated with steam. After this, the old decorative coating should move away from the wall and it can be carefully removed with a spatula.

The paint coating is removed using a hair dryer or a sander with a brush attachment installed.

2. Next, you can move on to cleaning the ceiling. If the ceiling plaster has cracks and chips, and there are no plans to make a suspended ceiling, then the old whitewash, and sometimes even the plaster, will have to be removed. This process is quite labor-intensive, and it is also carried out using water, which is first used to soak the surface, and then remove the old coating with a spatula or a grinder with an iron brush.

The “weak” places of the old plaster must be cleaned

If a suspended structure is to be installed, then it is not necessary to remove the coating from the ceiling - it will be enough to treat the surface with an antiseptic and strengthening primer.

3. The next step is to remove the covering from the floor. However, when making cosmetic repairs, sometimes this process is not carried out, especially in cases where the floor is in good condition and is quite satisfactory to the owners.

Often you have to resort to dismantling old floors

4. After removing old coatings, cracks or other fairly large defects will definitely be found on the walls and joints of planes. They need to be sealed, otherwise they may show through the new decorative finish.

To do this, small cracks are expanded, primed and sealed with cement mortars, putty or sealant. Wide cracks or crevices, which sometimes appear at the joints of surfaces, can be filled with polyurethane foam.

5. After cleaning the walls, the electrical cable is laid out if it was planned to reinstall the sockets. To run cables in some rooms, you may have to cut grooves in the walls to hide the wiring in them.

6. If the heating circuit is being replaced, then while the walls are cleaned, markings are made for brackets for radiators, and holes in the walls are also prepared. This needs to be done on walls without finishing, so as not to spoil it later.

Replacement of windows and doors

The process of removing and installing these interior elements is usually carried out by specialists, since this is quite labor-intensive work that requires certain skills and precision, and special tools. Therefore, if you do not have such work experience, then it is better not to take on such work yourself.

It is recommended to entrust the replacement of windows and entrance doors to specialists

This recommendation especially applies to window frames, since their quality installation determines how protected the apartment will be from the cold.

It is also better to entrust the installation of the front door to qualified specialists, because the safety of your home will largely depend on the reliability of its installation.

Interior doors are installed at the final stage of work, so this work can be postponed for now.

Dismantling and installation of partitions

The next stage is the dismantling or installation of the partition, if it is planned and permits have been obtained for this work. Both the construction and demolition of the wall can be done independently.

How difficult is it to build a lightweight interior partition?

If you know the technology and carefully carry out the work, you can completely cope with such a task on your own. How to construct a plasterboard partition , and what materials are needed for this - this information with detailed instructions can be found in a separate publication on the portal.

You can also dismantle the partition between the bathroom and toilet yourself if it is built from brick or plaster boards. For this process you will need a hammer drill, a sledgehammer and, possibly, a grinder with a metal disc - if the partition is reinforced with a reinforcement grid.

Demolition of a partition to create a combined bathroom

This is not to say that this work will be easy, but as a result you can get a fairly large room in which it is quite possible to carry out the planned redevelopment.

Aligning the ceiling and walls

When the windows and doors are installed, and the repaired cracks and gaps are completely dry, you can proceed to priming work. This process is simple, anyone can perform it - the main thing is to carry it out carefully, without missing a single section of the surface. The primer is applied with a roller, and hard-to-reach areas are treated with a brush.

Then, after the primed walls and ceilings have completely dried, they need to be leveled. To do this job, you need some experience, so before diluting a large amount of putty, you should try your hand at a small area of ​​the wall, applying a little solution.

If the walls have a fairly smooth surface with minor flaws, it will be enough to use a putty compound. But in the case when the surface has large distortions, leveling will have to be carried out by plastering along the beacons. However, if the space of the room allows, then leveling the walls can be done with sheets of drywall.

A very labor-intensive, but very important stage - leveling the walls

Whatever technology is used to level the surfaces, after the layer of plaster and putty has dried, the walls and ceiling should be primed again.

The ceiling requires perfect alignment if it is not planned to be covered with a suspended or suspended ceiling.

How to properly level the ceiling surface?

The process of leveling the ceiling for painting is quite complicated and requires special skill. Therefore, if you decide to do this work yourself, you should pay attention to the recommended article on our portal.

The process of leveling surfaces also includes finishing slopes on window and door openings. They can be decorated with plasterboard, plastic panels or plastering.

Leveling the floor

The next, fifth stage, is leveling the surface of the floors. This process in an apartment can be carried out in different ways - this is a self-leveling mortar, a dry screed, or installing the floor on joists and then covering it with plywood or other sheet material.

All these processes can easily be carried out independently, after carefully studying the technological instructions, which can also be found on our portal.

Use of self-leveling building compounds

One of the methods for leveling the floor surface is the use of special building mixtures. The technology of self-leveling floors is described in detail in the corresponding publication on our portal.

If you are not sure that you will be able to efficiently cope with such work on your own, then it is better to turn to specialists.

Decorative wall decoration in living rooms

The next step is finishing the walls - covering them with wallpaper or painting. These works are not so complicated, and can be done on their own, so you can save money on them.

If the decoration will be done with wallpaper, and it has a certain pattern, you need to immediately calculate its step so that the pattern matches perfectly on the wall.

Wallpaper will probably never lose its popularity

Before cutting the canvas, the wall is marked vertically and horizontally. The lines are drawn using a colored cord along the ceiling and one of the corners. The first wallpaper will be aligned along the vertical outer line, and subsequent ones will be oriented towards it and the upper horizontal color stripe.

You can paint the walls yourself, but be especially careful.

If you plan to paint the walls, then it is carried out using a roller, which is placed on a special rod for convenience.

Wallpaper glued and dried on the walls is framed along the top line with a foam or paper border, which completes the overall design of the room.

Installation of flooring in rooms

The process of laying the flooring must be carried out very carefully so as not to damage or stain the decorative finish of the walls. If linoleum or carpet is laid on the floors, then before fixing it with glue or under the baseboards, it is laid out and left for about a day so that it straightens out. Canvases of this material are cut in length, approximately 10÷12 mm less than the length of the room, and in width they are laid 5÷7 mm from the wall. Such gaps are necessary for free thermal expansion of the material.

Linoleum laying process

It should be noted that any material laid on the floors must have such gaps. So, when laying laminate, special inserts are used, which are removed only after the covering has been laid over the entire area of ​​the room.

Finishing work on the floor is completed by installing skirting boards

The installation of the flooring is completed by installing the skirting boards.

Installation of interior doors

Interior doors are installed at the last stage of work, so as not to make a mistake in the height at which the door will be installed, since the leveling layer and floor covering will raise the floor and change the floor level.

Rules for installing interior doors

If you still want to save money, you can try installing interior doors yourself . To do this, we recommend using the tips posted in a separate publication on the portal.

In listing the stages of work, the issue of carrying out renovations in the bathroom was deliberately omitted. This event has its own nuances that must be considered separately.

Bathroom renovation - a specific event

This room has a lot of features that need to be taken into account when carrying out repairs and decoration. in detail about renovations in the bathroom .

This is the approximate procedure for preparing for renovation in an apartment and carrying it out step by step. It is quite understandable that the homeowner wants to do this at minimal cost, relying on his own strength and abilities. But you should still soberly assess your capabilities - it is possible that the optimal solution would be to turn to specialists.

At the end of the publication, there is an interesting video with expert advice on carrying out the initial stages of renovation in an apartment.

Video: where to start renovating an apartment

Installation of suspended ceilings

If the ceiling has numerous irregularities and problems, then the procedure for leveling it is a complex and expensive process. Additionally, you will have to hide various wires if they are not hidden in the ceiling. Under such conditions, the ideal solution is the formation of suspended ceilings. If you are planning an economical apartment renovation, then this method of finishing the ceiling is considered the most acceptable.

The advantages of using suspended ceilings include:

• their installation is carried out within a short period of time;
• You can perform the procedure yourself if you have a heat gun at your disposal, which will save money on labor costs for experienced installers;
• there is no need to carry out costly preparatory steps represented by leveling or cleaning the base of the ceiling;
• there is no need to cover the ceiling with plaster or primer, which saves a significant amount of money;
• a suspended ceiling is considered not only attractive, but also safe, since even if flooded, water will not get into the apartment, since the canvas can easily withstand a significant weight of water.

The cost of such a ceiling is considered low, since craftsmen usually charge only 250 rubles per square meter. Therefore, even with a small budget, anyone can afford to install such a structure.

Types of apartment renovation

Apartment renovations can vary. If the last renovation was done not so long ago, if the furniture is still functional and looks good enough, then you can probably get by with a cosmetic renovation. With this option, engineering systems and global changes in the apartment design are not affected - only the design changes. Cosmetic renovation is when you just want to refresh the interior of your home: change the wallpaper, update the floor, paint the ceiling.

A major renovation of an apartment involves replacing engineering systems, leveling walls or floors, remodeling (demolition or installation of new walls in the apartment), making changes to the water supply system and other communications. Simply put, a major renovation is the complete demolition of the entire old structure of the apartment, replacing all systems with new ones, installing new equipment and completely replacing all the finishing - walls, ceiling, floor, doors and other things.

The difference, of course, is in price. On average, major renovations will cost 30–35% of the cost of the entire apartment in an old building and 20–25% of the cost of an apartment in a new building. Old houses are much more complex in this regard, since they often have to deal with communications and their replacement. Redecorating, of course, is much simpler, easier and cheaper - its cost depends on how expensive materials you will purchase and how many rooms in the apartment you will renovate. But to have approximate guidelines, you can use the following table:

• construction, installation and finishing works - 40%;
• materials - 25%;
• furniture and appliances - 25%;
• design project - 5%;
• unforeseen expenses - 5%.

If desired, you can find finishing materials and furniture to suit any budget.

Linoleum for flooring - an economical option

Of course, any person wants to live in an apartment that is beautiful and well renovated. But at the same time, many people think about how to make repairs without money. In any case, you will have to spend some money on purchasing materials. The work itself can be done with your own hands, but materials for forming floor and wall coverings will have to be purchased.

For flooring, cost-effective renovation ideas include the option of purchasing linoleum. It is considered the most inexpensive material for forming a complete floor covering. For a small room, you can find a single canvas that is laid out on the floor surface and then carefully smoothed out. Only after this its edges are fixed with a plinth. You can choose linoleum in any color and texture, so even if you have a limited budget, you can create the optimal design in any room that matches the tastes of the owners.

The cost of linoleum is considered low, so you won’t have to spend a lot of money on such finishing. It is more affordable compared to other flooring materials. Therefore, its purchase is more profitable compared to the purchase of laminate, tiles, parquet or solid boards.

Hiding the toilet cistern in the wall

Wall-hung toilets are truly beautiful and unusual plumbing fixtures that save limited space in the toilet. But their cost is considered too high. Therefore, if you are planning a budget renovation with your own hands, then you can simply hide the toilet barrel in the wall of the room.

Under such conditions, an attractive appearance of the entire room is ensured, and the space visually increases. You can hang a cabinet or attach shelves to the free space.

Make an imitation fireplace

A fireplace is placed in the living room or bedroom when you want some rearrangement and new ideas, but a major renovation is not planned.
Fitting a fireplace into the interior with the help of cladding and finishing is easy, and the effect of the update is amazing. You can make an imitation of brick, blocks and drywall. Or you can go the simple route and take an old wardrobe or chest of drawers. If you remove the paint, sand and prime the surfaces, and then lay them with decorative stone tiles, you will get a ready-made fireplace for which you do not need to assemble a casing.

Life hack: you can put a mirror as a back wall. If you light candles in such a fireplace, the effect will be amazing.

Share your life hacks for economical cosmetic repairs!

Installing spotlights instead of conventional chandeliers

When renovating a kitchen or hallway, people always think about what lighting fixtures to use. To save money, it is advisable to install spotlights instead of conventional chandeliers. This is due to the following reasons:

• the cost of spotlights is much lower than the price of modern and beautiful chandeliers;
• their installation is considered a simple process that anyone can handle;
• with the help of such small lighting fixtures you can focus on any important parts of the room, as well as illuminate the work area or the place in front of the mirror;
• such lamps are installed not only in the stretch ceiling fabric, but even in interior items;
• they can be replaced with LED strip;
• wires are hidden behind the ceiling structure or in special boxes;
• LED lamps consume a small amount of energy, so the owner of the premises will be able to save on paying for consumed electricity.

Due to the above advantages, the use of LED lamps is considered justified when implementing inexpensive repairs.

Optimal wall decoration

In order for an apartment made using inexpensive finishing materials to look attractive and interesting, you need to pay a lot of attention to the decor of the walls. You can purchase inexpensive plain wallpaper or even use textured plaster. Only after this can you start decorating the walls.

To decorate the walls, you can use paintings, clocks, photographs or various accessories. You don’t have to spend a lot of money to create such items, and at the same time you can create a cozy and comfortable atmosphere in any room.

If you use an inexpensive option for wall decoration, you can get truly updated rooms that will surprise you with their beautiful appearance.

Preparatory stage

Even before starting work related to finishing the premises with new decorative materials, it is necessary to prepare the foundations. To do this you will need to remove the old coating:

• Dye. Removable using drill attachments in the form of metal brushes. You can use special solvents.

• Tile. Removable using a hammer drill. To do this, use the “Impact” mode and a special lance attachment.

• Wallpaper. Removed manually using a scraper. To facilitate the process, it may be necessary to heat the coating with a hair dryer.

Important point! Dismantling work is one of the most difficult from a physical point of view. They can greatly increase repair time. It is better to entrust such work to specialists with the necessary knowledge.

After dismantling, pay attention to the base. It must be smooth and free from cracks and potholes. If there are defects, they are repaired using putty. To level the surface you will need cement mortar.

Creation of frameless furniture

If there is no financial opportunity to purchase interior items, then you can make frameless sofas or armchairs. To do this, purchase dense fabric with which polymer balls are sheathed.

To create such furniture, you can use leather, fabric or even fur. If a person wants to figure out how to make repairs without money, then he must prepare for the fact that many actions will have to be performed with his own hands.

Design project of an apartment yourself: programs for the designer

In order to successfully plan the interior design of a room, and especially an apartment, it is not enough to come up with some ideas in your head or sketch them out on paper.

If only for the reason that it will be difficult for you to imagine how all this will look in reality. Therefore, the next stage according to professional canons should be the design project of the apartment. But this is only if you decide to actually transform your home in accordance with some new design concept that you came up with.

If you don’t have such plans, then you can skip this point without regret.

But if you still decide to try arranging furniture on your plan and look for the best interior design option, then you can use programs for designers, of which there are a great many.

Currently, there are visualization programs that allow you not only to carry out planning, but also to develop a stylistic concept, arrange furniture and even add the necessary decor.

Scheduler programs exist, both professional and freely distributed on the Internet. There are more than ten popular programs in total, and one of them is called Interior Design 3D.

Here is a list of the most famous designer programs:

• Astron design
• Interior design 3D

• Autodesk homestyler
• Sweet home 3d
• Ikea home planner
• Google sketchup
• Floorplanner
• Planoplan
• PRO100
• Planner 5D
• Roomle
• FloorPlan 3D
• SketchUp
• Homestyler

Most of them are free. In the rest, only the demo version is available for free.

Many of the presented planners are Russified.

If you are confident enough to use a computer, then learning how to work with a scheduler is not very difficult. And even if your plans do not include developing serious design projects, then it’s worth trying to visualize the interior, if only because it is a very exciting activity.

Artificial aging of existing items

Country style is considered quite popular, and making such a design in residential areas is quite simple. To do this, you can find various old things that are artificially aged. With their help, any room can be decorated.

Additionally, you can use different aging techniques for old floor or wall coverings. In this case, housing that was not renovated due to lack of financial resources will be updated. It will create the feeling that high-quality repair work has been carried out.

Expert advice

How to make repairs without money? To do this, it is advisable to use expert advice:

• all work will have to be done with your own hands, even if you do not have the necessary skills;
• you need to choose only inexpensive but high-quality materials;
• You should not throw away old things, as they can be used to decorate the premises;
• Wallpaper can be easily replaced with plaster or paint.

Instructions for installing certain coatings can be easily found on the Internet, so it will not be difficult to understand the rules of this work.

Laying out electrical communications, performing plumbing work

Source: mir-remonta59.ru
The most difficult process during repairs is the wiring of communications and electrical systems. In this case, you won’t be able to do it yourself. Errors when installing wiring yourself can lead to a short circuit. Therefore, such work is entrusted to professionals. They will conduct:

• Laying water pipes.

• Installation of heating and ventilation systems.

• Development of a sewerage system.

When designing any engineering system, specialists will carry out the necessary calculations that will help avoid force majeure situations.