Three Decisions We’re Making During Renovation To Save Money In The Long Run
AD – This is a collaborative post but all thoughts and opinions on ways to save money in the long run, are my own
We’re about six weeks into our renovation project now. But it’s not all been smooth sailing. We had to self-isolate at home for 2 weeks as my dad was hit with the virus. Materials are taking longer to be delivered. And there’s a countrywide shortage of plaster. Although this isn’t me complaining, I feel fortunate that we even got the keys never mind have started this journey. I’ll be running through our whole renovation budget plan when we’re done, but here are some decisions we’ve made in the process which will save money in the long run.
Save money in the long run by going LED
With Luke being an electrician it’s only natural that he was going to make most of the decisions on lighting. Other than the aesthetic side of things, that will be all me. But he said from the off that we’d be having LED lighting throughout the house. LED lights can be slightly more expensive from the offset but in the long run, they work out much cheaper.
LED lights have a long lifespan so you don’t need to change them very often. You can save money in the long run like this and it means they won’t go at really inconvenient times. LED lights also have very low power consumption so not only are you changing the bulbs/ lights less, but it won’t cost as much electricity to turn them on. You get the same amount of light output from a 60-watt bulb as you do with a 10-watt LED bulb which is crazy.
Changing radiator positions
We’ve decided to change the position of some of our radiators to save money in the long run. It costs a lot of money to heat a home but sometimes where the heat comes from is not the most convenient place. There were a lot of radiators in the house we bought and they just didn’t seem necessary. Plus they took up space which is a prime commodity.
For example, we’ve downgraded from two radiators to one in our living room as one would be right behind our sofa. It didn’t seem practical to have a radiator which would be obstructed in the room. So instead we’ve moved the one we’re keeping to a more central position so it can heat the whole room. The original radiators were singles, but we’re changing a lot of ours to double. So they can heat more space and get warmer without using up much more electricity than singles.
Save Money in the long run by choosing decent flooring
Flooring, especially carpet is something which can wear down quite a lot. Especially in areas with high footfall like stairs and entranceways. We’ve not physically bought our carpet yet, but we have decided which one we want. And we’ve made sure to not go for the cheapest carpet by a long way. Yes, it might cost us a hundred pounds or so more per room but if it means it lasts years longer the investment is worth it.
If you can only afford the cheapest thing then that’s fine. But if your budget allows you can save money in the long run by investing in quality items for your home.
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14 responses to “Three Decisions We’re Making During Renovation To Save Money In The Long Run”
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Rhian Westbury
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Renovations can be so expensive so any little saving here or there can make a big difference. Not only do your suggestions help pinch those pennies but they also have positive environmental impact. Good going 🙂
Exactly, essentially it all boils down to using less gas and electricity which is better for the environment as well x
Renovations are expensive but by being sensible and looking at the long term it is worth it. We need to move radiators in our home which we will get around to at some stage
These are definitely helpful tips for renovating, especially the LED lights being the same brightness as the normal ones and it lasts longer. I will definitely keep that in mind for the future!
Great tips and it sounds like you guys have really thought about the choices you are making for your home. I hadn’t realised that about LED lighting etc so that’s really interesting! I also agree with the carpet when we changed the carpet in our living room we went for the best underlay and carpet we could and its faired much better than the cheaper carpet that was down before!
And good quality carpet feels so much nicer to walk on doesn’t it?! x
Those are some great tips to keep in mind. It’s better to invest in quality albiet pricy to make sure they last for quite a while.
Some great tips here. I do agree about getting LED lamps, as the modern ones are so much better than those available only a few years ago. My top tip though would be to buy a reputable brand. in the past I made the mistake of thinking I could save a few pounds by buying cheap ones with obscure branding, but they often failed within weeks or (at best) months. Buy cheap, buy twice, as a wise man (or woman) once said!
Thankfully as my fiance is an electrician we won’t be getting cheap dodgy ones haha x
I would definitely change the positions of our radiators if I could – would definitely save money! These are some great financial decisions you are making during your renovation.
It is so expensive to renovate, we are currently doing our house and deciding on the flooring too
We switched to LED lights a few years ago and we’ve still not had to replace any bulbs compared to traditional bulbs which I felt like I was changing all the time.
Yeah they last so well! I’m glad you’ve had a good experience with them x
I would love to move the radiators in our house as they are in such random locations. We moved to LED lights too although not sure they have saved much money