So you bought a home, and you got an excellent deal because the décor is a little dated so you put aside some money to fix it up, but as you begin to search out costs for renovation you begin to realize that your budget is sorely lacking and you won’t be able to complete all the jobs on your wish list.

What do you do?

How do you continue to renovate your dream home while keeping to your budget? Here are some cheap and dirty design tips to help you on your way.

Firstly determine what this renovation is for; resale or for your life in the house? If resale isn’t happening for several years you might want to consider how the products you are choosing will date over 5-10 years.

Everybody knows that kitchens and master suites sell the home but be careful of super trendy products that will not show well in 10 years.

When you buy a new home make a list of the immediate things that bother you about a home. A recent client had me visit her home and one of her priorities was the lighting, it was all very dated and didn’t flow with her style at all.

She had purchased a few lighting fixtures but could not change out everything. There were many trac lights and bathroom fixtures so I suggested she take down the brass fixtures and paint them white, this helps the lights to blend into the ceiling and will not break the bank for a few cans of metal spray paint.

Paint is always the answer, it is the least expensive way to clean up an interior, dark doors and trim can be painted in a creamy white and tile and ugly countertops can also be covered over with the right prep and primer.

These are inexpensive ways to give your home a short term boost. I suggest painting anything vertical as paint on any floor service is not usually a good idea. You can paint over unwanted detail such as wood paneling or wallpaper and visually perk up any space or décor item with paint. If you are crafty or creative you can re-purpose end tables, lamps, wicker and yes even bathtubs with different paint finishes.

If you are faced with ugly floors and cannot budget a replacement, throw down an area carpet. Area rugs can be the perfect solution even over existing carpet.

If you have an odd-sized room you can buy a roll end or order regular carpet and have it bound to the room dimensions which gives the illusion of new flooring for just a few hundred dollars.

My best suggestion to you my readers is try your best to finish one room completely instead of trying to spread a budget thin over an entire house.

You can have everything you want, eventually. Walking into a fully finished bathroom will feel so much more fulfilling than walking through room after room of partially completed projects.

Most kitchens can be a different vibe and feel than the bathrooms so you can safely complete the design of the kitchen while planning ahead for the flow throughout the rest of the house. In the meantime employ your creativity and you will soon be feeling completely at home.

Most kitchens can be a different vibe and feel than the bathrooms so you can safely complete the design of the kitchen while planning ahead for the flow throughout the rest of the house. In the meantime employ your creativity and you will soon be feeling completely at home.

Kim Meckler is an interior designer in Red Deer with Carpet Colour Centre.