Home Remodeling Price Shopping: Keeping Expenses Low

A major improvement is often a costly process, so home remodeling price shopping is a necessary task for anyone contemplating a large project.  Here are a few guidelines on where you can cut corners and still get a good result, and where you definitely need to pay for quality.

Paint Projects

First and foremost: paint. Do not cut corners here. Cheap paints are chalky to the touch and will come off with scrubbing and everyday wear. While no paint is invincible, higher-priced paints are really built to last, and will reward you with gorgeous color for years to come.  To cut down on this cost, however, look for sales or promotions at local home improvement or hardware stores. 

Savings Right Under Your Feet

One great place to save in a remodeling project is in the flooring. Consider the room you’re refurbishing. Is it going to get constant traffic, or is it gently used, like a guest bedroom? If there’s not a lot of wear and tear, you can get great-looking results with some of the second-string laminates–or even with peel-n-stick vinyl tiles. There are woodgrain peel-n-sticks that have the texture and feel of wood for less than 75 cents a tile, and Home Depot’s Trafficmaster brand even has a series of waterproof peel-n-stick vinyl planks. They all look great at a fraction of the cost of hardwood floors or carpeting.

Watch Those Moldings

Got your heart set on fancy moldings?  Consider combining cheaper moldings to create the look of an ornate lintel, crown molding or door frame. In some situations, it is possible to mimic items like fluted trims by gluing strips of less ornate moldings in a creative way. With a fresh coat of paint, the cheaper version can even look like a period addition to the home that been there for decades.

Check Your Supplies

There are many resources for home renovation supplies that will save you money. First, although mom-and-pop stores are an endearing throwback to a gentler time, their prices can’t compete with the big-box stores. If you’re on a budget, go big, and patronize your neighborhood store for smaller needs. One excellent source of reasonably-priced home hardware is HOBO (Home Owners Bargain Outlet), a bare-bones chain of stores featuring closeouts and remainders of such items as flooring, carpets, vanities, spas and related incidentals.  

Lumber Liquidators is a similar source. Also, of course, watch for weekly sales and promotions at home stores, discount stores and job lots stores.

Consider a Handyman

Finally, for those routine renovation jobs you feel are beyond your skill, consider using a dependable handyman rather than a plumber or electrician, if feasible. For major jobs, of course, professionals are the way to g, but changing out a sink or toilet, installing a garbage disposal or hardwired light fixture are well within the skills of general handymen, who often have lower rates. There are now networks of handymen who are bonded, give free estimates, accept credit cards and guarantee their work – all at a fraction of the cost of one of the “pros.”