Kitchen renovations

Depending on what needs to be done in terms of installation, appliances, fittings, and fixtures the average price of a kitchen renovation on ServiceSeeking.com.au is around $8,000.

Most of that is spent on cabinetmaking as well as appliances and electrical services.

You can save pennies by buying pre-fabricated kitchens; they are a fraction of the price of a custom built one.

Opt for timeless color palettes in neutral tones and save the interesting hues for the finishings or reversible additions like vases and tea towels.

Think about highly used sections of the kitchen; don’t scrimp on bench tops or storage – hard to clean cooking spaces or awkwardly placed storage cabinets could become the bane of your existence.

Experiment with interestingly tiled splash-backs as a way to inject colour into the project.

Bathroom renovations

Bathroom renovations are marginally more pricey, starting at around $10,000 for a basic fit-out.

Once again, this is totally dependent on whether you’re adding costs like resizing, remodeling piping or waterproofing or if you’re opting for less invasive refurbishments like tiling or painting.

Fixtures and fittings will use up the bulk of your budget for your bathroom renovation while bathroom tiling starts at just $30 per square metre.

General plumbing begins at $50 per hour and hot water systems start at $200 for the entire unit.

Always factor maintenance into every refurbishment; are you going to want to clean those white tiles every week or should you be opting for something patterned so you can slack off sometimes?

Invest in quality showerheads, well designed faucets and easy to clean tiling.

Always keep an eye out for bargains on tiles; you may find an opportunity to up the lux factor on your bathroom renovation for a sliver of the price!

Landscaping

If you’re giving your garden a makeover you can expect to pay upwards of $30 an hour for landscaping services.

Concreting begins at $40 per square metre while general gardeners and lawn mowers will cost you at least $30 an hour.

Native are always a savvy choice for an Australian garden; they’re water efficient and don’t need the high quality soil imports rely upon.

If you’re a low-maintenance gardener opt for potted plants. Try experimenting with different sized pots collected from markets or op-shops to mix it up.

The best gardens have a mix of hardscaping and softscaping. Remember to keep unity with the overall idea but mix it up with textures and patterns. Consider water features, vegetable gardens and winding paths to create interest.

Paint

Does your house need a fresh lick of paint?

Then you should budget at least $30 per hour for exterior or interior house painting.

Stick with tried and tested colour schemes and always buy extra in case the shade goes out of stock.

The Dulux Colour Forecast predicts colour combinations of emeralds with mustards and browns, taupes with dark teals and greys with charcoals and off whites for 2013.

Article sourced from realestate.com by Karina May:

http://www.realestate.com.au/blog/how-to-budget-for-your-renovation/