Before you start a DIY Project - Think Budget

Budgetary Advice Continued

• Do you think you have enough money to do the job?
  
  If not, can you take out a loan? If you are making improvements to the house, get a valuer to value your property along with the alterations that you are going to make, send it off to the bank and as you will be adding more value to the property, they generally allow you to borrow more money (assuming you can still comfortably repay the debt).

• Can you do all of the work yourself or a experts required?
  
• It is often more cost effective in time, materials and tempers to hire an expert in specialised areas. Sanding back a floor using hired equipment can take hours and hours and is extremely messy - call in the professionals who have commercial equipment and it can be a lot quicker, cheaper and easier on everyones nerves.
  
• Have you looked into the market prices for the things you want to do? Is your budget realistic?
  
  Go window shopping! Get prices on appliances, furniture, flooring product, light fittings etc. Can you save more if you purchase it all from one place, are there other ways to buy them? Can you buy them at auction, garage sale, friends of friends etc. Think about your time too. Sometimes it is cheaper to pay someone $25 an hour to paint the walls while you work and earn $35 for example.

• Will the changes you make and the money you spend be of value to the property or are you better off selling and buying a new one which suits your needs better?
  
  This is a major decision! People often become attached to a house but no matter how much money you throw at it to make it fit sometimes you just out grow (or the family leaves) a home. Your money could be better spent purchasing something bigger or smaller with less maintenance to do.
  
• List up the items that you want to change, and the new things that you want (your wish list!) in order, so that as the budget is set up you will be able to prioritize the work to fit the budget and time frame.
  
  Life can be a lot simpler if you tackle small projects at a time. Sometimes this method is not cost effective if you are employing people to do the work, but for DIY projects starting and finishing are most important. There are thousands of DIY'ers out there who have their whole home in pieces and the family has to live in a construction site. Not comfortable!