Ways to Modernise Your Home for Under £250

Looking to upgrade your home without breaking the bank? In this blog, we’ll look at how you can modernise your home with approaches costing less than £250 each.

Let’s dive in!

1. Retile a Shower

For starters, you may be interested in retiling your shower as a way of revitalising your bathroom on a budget.

Between the labour and supply costs, having a shower retiled will often cost about £250. As with some other examples listed here, it can cost more.

That said, by opting for affordable materials (e.g. ceramic or porcelain tiles) or/and undertaking the work yourself so long as you know what is involved, it’s generally possible to retile a shower for £250 or less. If doing it DIY, expect the work to take several days.

2. Front Door Painting

By repainting your front door or having it repainted by a professional, you can refurbish the external look of your home.

This not only offers a visual enhancement for your front door while giving it a new lease of life but can improve the first impression of your home to visitors. This can act as an initial upgrade while also enhancing the kerb appeal.

3. Statement Rug

Having a statement rug added to your living room is another affordable way of modernising your home. Of course, statement rugs may have some old-fashioned connotations, there are a wide range of modern options on the market.

Some modern rug design categories include geometric patterns, nature-inspired designs and minimalist style.

4. Floating Shelves Installation(s)

The installation of one or more floating shelves can also go a long way to making your home look and feel more modern without breaking the bank.

Floating shelves can provide a modern, minimalist storage addition to one or more spaces in your home where suitable.

You can install floating shelves DIY once you are sure of what’s involved and consider all safety requirements.

For example, you’ll need to consider whether you are at risk of coming into contact with electrics when fitting a floating shelf to a section of a given wall. You can use an electronic stud finder to perform this work.

That said, if unsure about any aspect, consult with or hire a professional to install your floating shelves.

Fitting one floating shelf is likely to cost about £70 DIY or somewhere in the region of £250 when hiring a professional. As for several floating shelves, such an instalment will probably set you back between £140 and £280 DIY or about £400 to £550 if hiring a professional.

5. Declutter Your Home

You can also modernise your home by decluttering it, in turn creating a more minimalist space and potentially bringing more modern additions to the foreground.

In order to declutter your home, you’ll want to set aside sufficient time while keeping in mind that decluttering can sometimes take longer than expected. Whatever the approach, be sure to take plenty of breaks and eat and drink well to keep your energy and hydration levels good.

6. Smart Thermostat

Note: You cannot install a smart thermostat DIY where electric work is required. A qualified electrician is needed legally and for safety reasons. Attempting any electric works DIY can be dangerous and even prove fatal. If unsure whether or not electric work is needed, check with the manufacturer or consult with a qualified electrician.

A smart thermostat installation is one of the home modernisation approaches that may cost more than £250, however, there are plenty of solid options on the market that can be installed by a professional for under £250 (labour and supply costs included).

Some of the most popular smart thermostat brands in the UK are Tado, Nest, Hive and Ecobee. In general, there is a wide range of smart thermostats on the market with some being more affordable than others.

Ideally, you’ll want to opt for an option that is budget-friendly but still known for offering good value for money. Some standout examples include the Nest Thermostat E, Emerson Sensi Wi-Fi Smart Thermostat ST55 and the Tado Smart Thermostat V3+.

7. New Door Handles

Adding new door handles or door knobs throughout your home is another approach to modernising your home for less than £250.

This sort of work can generally be done DIY once you know what is involved. The DIY cost is likely to fall around £30 to £100 to have several door handles replaced, though when hiring a professional is needed expect to pay somewhere between £120 and £280 in total.

8. Garden Solar Lighting

Among the many types of outdoor lighting available, garden solar lights are a great low-cost option.

Not only can standalone garden solar lights generally be set up DIY and for a low supply cost but given that they are powered by sunlight, no running costs are associated other than the price of replacing batteries (if applicable and required).

Some garden solar lights will come with replaceable batteries while others won’t. If the batteries are running out, check carefully with the manufacturer’s instructions as to how you should proceed.

The average cost of a garden solar light is usually around £5 to £25. Most households will require about six to twelve solar lights for their garden meaning that the total cost may land somewhere between £30 and £300.

9. Outdoor Water Fountain

Having an outdoor water fountain installed is another way to modernise your home’s outdoor space.

Of course, to consider a modernisation aspect you’ll want to look into up-to-date yet affordable water fountain designs.

10. Dimmer Switch Lighting

Note: It’s essential that the correct dimmer switch and appropriate light bulb/lighting fixture is installed to prevent a dimmer switch proving a fire hazard. Hiring a qualified electrician to perform this work is required all the same.