Smart, simple renovations that will add value to your home
Brisbane couple Roisin and Zac bought their first home in 2018. New to renovating, they made their Geebungalow Instagram account to keep family and friends updated on their home improvements – and caught the attention of budding renovators across Australia. Fast forward to today, the couple has amassed more than 50,000 followers, and are working on their second renovation project in Toowoomba – not bad for a couple of first-timers!
We’ve teamed up with Roisin and Zac to bring you some smart home renovation ideas that will add value to your home.
A lot of buyers are looking for low maintenance, move-in ready homes – this means presenting a well-finished house at the time of sale can get you a great price.
After selling our first renovated home, these are a few things we did ourselves to help save us money and add value to our property’s final sale price.
Painting
There isn't much that will make an impact as quickly as a fresh coat of paint. I truly believe that with time and patience, anyone can paint their own home.
Painting can take time but if you’re willing and able it can save you tens of thousands of dollars whilst adding value to your home! We’ve painted the interior and exterior of our homes both times and it's a really rewarding feeling.
The trick to a quality finish is all in the preparation. If you take the time to fill all the cracks and holes, give everything a good sand and tape it up carefully, you’re halfway there.
Landscaping
Having a beautiful space to spend time outdoors goes a long way to selling your home in a country like Australia. We did a lot of the landscaping ourselves by teaching ourselves some basic skills like tiling, block work, and rendering. There are so many resources online these days to show you how to have a go at these things yourself.
There are of course things you need to leave to the professionals like building retaining walls and elevated deckings, but there is a lot of money to be saved in labour when it comes to landscaping.
When it comes to landscaping our front and backyards, we did all the manual labour ourselves – this included any digging, pouring gravel, planting, and laying turf.
Does a pool add value to your home?
If you want to achieve the Australian dream of your very own pool in the backyard, be sure to do some research. See what’s on offer from other homes around your area to determine whether a pool will add value to your home without over-capitalising.
Focus your budget on creating functional spaces
Now this isn’t a DIY tip but more of a point on where to focus your budget to maximise the sale price. You’ve no doubt heard it before, but kitchens and bathrooms sell homes. Try to focus on making these spaces as functional as possible – think about how you can make it more convenient for a future buyer. Include the following renovation ideas:
More drawers than cupboards in your kitchen renovation.
Drawers are more expensive than cupboards when you’re planning a kitchen renovation; however, they are much more functional for everyday use.
Cabinetry to the ceiling.
While this depends on the height of your ceilings, maximising cabinetry in rooms like bedrooms and your kitchen can add much-needed storage in an otherwise dead space.
Face-level storage in the bathroom.
Bathroom storage is often forgotten but installing a shaving cabinet mirror with built-in storage is a great way to add function that doesn’t impact the aesthetic of your bathroom renovation.
Quick wins for first-time renovators
Renovating can seem overwhelming, but there are plenty of little fixes you can do that will make a world of difference, no matter your level of experience.
Give your kitchen a fast facelift
Consider replacing the hardware on your cabinetry, or painting cabinet doors for a modern, fresh look, or even installing a new tiled splash back. Cosmetic changes like this can really add a lot of impact without large investments of money and time.
Prioritise a home office
Having a dedicated office space is now a part of our modern lifestyle, and that means it’s a huge value-add for buyers. Putting your home office together can be as simple as converting a spare room, or as DIY-friendly as adding a modern shed in the backyard.
Focus on your flooring
Flooring can be a huge feature in your home, and when it looks tired or worn it can really let the entire look of your home down. If you already have timber floors, consider updating them with a professional polish. And if you don’t have timber floors, you can also consider updating your look with laminate floating floors that are low maintenance and budget friendly.
Bring the harvest home with a veggie patch
More Australians than ever are getting into the dirt and growing their own vegetables. When it comes to adding value to your home, a veggie patch isn’t just a quaint, homely idea anymore – but something that savvy, future-looking Aussies are seeing as a huge draw card. For some it could even be a non-negotiable.
If you’d like more useful advice on home improvements, or want to follow Roisin and Zac’s renovation journey, you can follow Geebungalow on Instagram!
Ready to make some home improvements?
Our Renovation Hub has all the helpful tricks and tips for you to successfully fund your renovation.
