Remodeling a room can be a nightmare for your wallet, but you can get closer to a dream if you make the right moves. Sometimes, there’s no way to get around it: when you need to remodel a room, there’s no real alternative.
Even if it’s something as non-essential as a gym, the amount you’d pay for a subscription to your local gym would stack up far beyond the cost of a room renovation, and it’d happen sooner than you’d think. 
If you have a kid on the way, you’ll have to adjust one of your rooms to be a safe haven for your new bundle of joy. People find themselves needing to remodel rooms for reasons far beyond these. No matter what their motives are, there’s one thing that almost all of them have in common: they want to save as much money as possible.
It’ll come with a fairly hefty price tag in nearly all situations, assuming you aren’t tearing everything out & making a minimalist meditation space. It’s important to set out a budget in advance before you even think about ordering anything.
It’s also vital you take measurements of the room in advance. There’s no point in ordering that far-out treadmill if it can’t even fit through the door, or have a feasible location if it manages to get through.
On that same note, you should also make a note of the rooms around you. Would your kids be sleeping next door? Maybe it wasn’t meant to be your recording studio.
Even if you knew most of that going into this, you might still be a tad lost on where to go from there in your project. Thankfully, we think you’ve found the right article. We’ve been wondering about how one can re-purpose a room on a budget. So much, in fact, that we made a healthy bit of research on just that.
Without any further ado, let’s walk through some of the most important tips you can keep in mind when trying to save money on a room renovation.
Choosing Your Style While Maintaining Your Budget
Shop Secondhand
Some of those with finer tastes amongst you might turn your nose to this, but hear me out: if you can find the perfect couch for, say, 50% less than a new one would cost, with the only noticeable difference being that it’s slightly broken-in, what reason do you have not to get it?
If you pick the right couch, you wouldn’t have to tell a soul. Even we think there’s no shame in buying secondhand. In fact, it’s one of the most environmentally friendly things you can do as a consumer. Saving the environment AND saving money? Yes, no matter what Whole Foods tells you, it’s possible.
Pick The Right Paints
“Wait, but if I go for second hand furniture, won’t it look cheap?” Not if you pick the right furniture, it won’t. If you’re looking for a wooden table or nightstand, for example, picking a darker shade can give off an aura of luxury, no matter what it says on the price tag.
Play With Lighting
If you’ve spent a little too much time on Pinterest or Tumblr & saw some bedrooms you’d do unsavory things to spend a night in, you probably feel like obtaining that aesthetic on a budget is a fool’s errand. We have something to say about that, specifically, “we think some well-placed floor lighting could really spice things up.”
If you’re lucky enough to have spare outlets in the corners of your room, gracie them with floor lamps that give off soft light. It can go a long way in making that space feel that much more warm, comfortable & inviting. This might not just be for bedrooms, either. If you have a small breakfast nook you want to make more appealing, a corner lamp could make all the difference.
You can make your room brighter with something besides a light, as well. If you can find a sizeable floor mirror in your budget, place it to reflect the lights in your room. You’ll be able to take things up several notches.
Pick a Statement Piece
Have you’ve ever been to a thrift store that offers furniture & home accessories? If so, you know as well as anyone that conversation-starting statement pieces don’t have to be expensive. That doesn’t mean you should clean out the shop, but it means that you can comfortably do a lot for the personality of your room.
It’s up to you whether you choose an ornate or avant-garde lamp (maybe one of those corner lamps we were talking about). You could also get a mirror with some flair on the edges (maybe one of those-you get it) or a cute puppy figurine that you can put on your table. Whatever it may be, statements come in many forms. When you make your own, you get that much closer to turning your house into a home.
Make the Room Simple
Think Minimal
Before you even think about it, we are absolutely not talking about $5000 all-white tables with no defining features whatsoever. In fact, throw any conception you have of that entire trend, and read my lips: minimalism is buying less & buying used.
It doesn’t have to be bland, colorless, or boring if you can find the right pieces. You just have to stick with getting what you need. Just make sure no waste is created to enable your purchase.
Meditate!
So we were only half-joking (read: not joking) when we brought up tearing everything out for a meditation room. Obviously, not everyone can afford to clear out a whole room for an activity that can realistically be done anywhere.
That being said, if you can, and it’s between that & buying five workout machines you’ll use three times a year, it wouldn’t hurt to take the machines out of your Amazon cart (actually, just close the tab). Even then, if you have the right flooring, or can find mats in your budget, you can do your workouts in there. Also, you can have a nice, quiet space to relax in after you’re done. All in the same place.
Conclusion
We couldn’t cover everything here, but we hope that gives you a good start in planning your room remodel project. We’re here to help you on your next project! Schedule an appointment for a free meeting with our design consultants. Thank you for reading! If you have any more tips you think we missed, please comment below.