Decorating on a Dime, Part 2

If you watched the fantastic Renovators show last year you may remember that they banged on (if you'll forgive the building pun) about the 20-Per-Cent Renovating Budget Rule. For example: If you buy a property for $1M, then you shouldn't be spending any more than $200,000 renovating it.

With all due respect to the judges, I can't imagine how any renovator could make a profit margin using this rule. We bought our house for $400,000 a little over a year ago. (An incredibly cheap price for Melbourne property.) If we'd spent $80,000 on renovations, we wouldn't be looking at much profit at sale time!

I suggest you try to stick to a 2-Per-Cent Renovating Budget. It's a painful prospect, I know, but it's the ONLY way to renovate. In the past 12 months, we've spent no more than $10,000 on renovations, and that includes: paint, tradesmen, new carpet, a new deck, a new ducted heating system, new curtains/drapes for 10 rooms, new exterior window awnings, updated fittings and even all landscaping. (Excludes furniture and mortgage repayments.) We've updated a five-bedroom, two-story, 16-room house on half an acre of gardens on a meagre 2-per-cent budget, rather than a 20-per-cent one.

It takes a LOT of DIY, but you can do it too. I promise!

BEFORE: THE ORIGINAL BACK DOOR

The deck was so rotten it was a wonder we didn't all fall through on Inspection Day. The furniture belonged to the former owners. Lovely. I think this paint colour is called "Baby Vomit Pink". I may be wrong. But it looks suspiciously like it.

As you can see, our real estate agent Michael is high-tailing it outta there!

AFTER: THE NEW BACK DOOR 

With a slap of French grey and cream paint, some greenery (hydrangeas, wisteria and jasmine), a vintage wicker chaise and some leftover charcoal fabric whipped up into drapes (which need to be ironed, sorry!), this is now a cute entertaining courtyard.

BEFORE: THE ORIGINAL FORMAL ENTRANCE HALL (DOWNSTAIRS)

There were 9 rooms of this pine panelling. I kid you not. NINE! I hadn't seen this much pine since I lived on the edge of a Scandinavian forest.

AFTER: THE NEW FORMAL ENTRANCE HALL (DOWNSTAIRS)

Some Kate Spade-inspired colour, some hand-made ottomans covered in black-and-white Ralph Lauren houndstooth, two vintage Belgium posters featuring leaves (from one of my favourite Melbourne stores Izzi & Popo) and a cheap Ikea striped mat...

So easy!

BEFORE: THE ORIGINAL BACK ENTRANCE HALL

The layout is confusing, I know, but this is the entrance from the deck and the carport, and we use it all the time as it's easier.

Look at that – more pine! I think I have a pine headache coming on...

AFTER: THE NEW BACK ENTRANCE HALL

More Kelly-green colour (inspired by our garden), a colonial style table and chair, another cheap Ikea mat, and a few metres of black-and-white lino at $44/m thrown down on some masonite base.  (If we'd followed the 20-Per-Cent rule, we could have afforded black-and-white checkerboard tiles. But lino it was... )
Note: Some people think checkerboard lino should be laid on the diagonal. But you don't have to. In this case, it would have clashed with the diagonals on the walls.)

BEFORE: THE GARDEN LIBRARY (DOWNSTAIRS)

Oh my, look at that. More pine. 

The old owners had teenage boys and they used this room as a gym/car-repair workshop. 

It STUNK of car grease, sweat and teenage boys.

AFTER: THE GARDEN LIBRARY (DOWNSTAIRS)

After four coats of paint and a LOT of air freshener, this is now the garden library and my office.

(Sorry about the blurry pix; had puppies jumping around my feet. This was not a very professional shoot!)

BEFORE: THE OLD TOP BEDROOM

The furniture belongs to the former owners. (I think they'd already moved a lot of stuff out when we bought it, and these were camping lilos.) Those at those vertical blinds. Mm-mmm.

AFTER: THE OLD TOP BEDROOM

– New paint (Barrister White – a softer white than Antique White USA, and less cold on the eye).

– A newly painted set of drawers (semi-gloss black, which is a better finish than full gloss).

– Some vintage bits (a black folding screen made from old shutters bought from an old French chateau).

– And some favourite photographs, including some from one of my most-loved fashion photographers, Bruno Benini.

{Will post photos of the front of the house, the living areas, the kitchen/dining and the garden later this month. Promise I won't post any more photos of pine! Or, indeed, of these spaces.}