4 Best Home Builds Under $1000 | Great Home Ideas

The team shares the top 4 best builds for under $1000. Check outour best tips for transforming your home on a budget from revamping courtyards to redesigning bathrooms.

00:00 $1000 Front Yard Makeover
17:20 $1000 Home Makeover Challenge
38:46 $1000 Courtyard Facelift
45:37 $1000 Cosmetic Bathroom Revamp

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[Music] We all like to add value to our homes, and you might be surprised at how little you have to spend to do it. So, we’ve set ourselves a challenge with this three-bedroom home that is up for sale. Joe, Jason, and I each have $1,000 to spend. The reality is we want to see how much money we can make and the sale price. And even if you’re not selling, we’re going to show you lots of ways to add value to your place, too. Let’s go. You’re helping me, aren’t you, Joe? Nah, negator. James and Helen are the owners of this family home we’re about to spruce up. Since we’ve had Oliver, we are busting out of our house and we need a little bit of a yard and we want to have room to grow some veggies and for him to run around a bit more. Our real estate agent has valued it at about 630 at the moment. So, what have we got to work with? Well, it’s a fairly standard 1970s three-bedroom, one-b house that definitely needs some TLC. With a grand total of $3,000, the smart money goes on the front of the house. Curb appeal is number one, and that’s what we’re tackling first. Now, this is an entry-level house for this suburb. We’re not pretending it’s anything other than that. We’re not rellandscaping because we just don’t have the budget. We’re doing little jobs like this. The very first step that you come into the property, there’s a loose paver. It’s a dollar or two to fix, but it could make the world of difference. So, we’re going to concentrate on the front yard, clean the piles up, and work on these gardens because you know what they say, first appearances count for everything. I’ve cleaned it as best I can. I’m just going to put in dry to make sure it sits flush with its neighbors. All good. And now I’m just going to key it in a little bit, which means take out a couple of dozen little chunks in this existing mortar. So when I glue it, they got something to bite to. Two blobs of glue is definitely enough. Now you tap it down, but then just to speed it up, lift it up, let a bit of air get in there, and then tap it down finally. And a couple of tools. Position nicely. We’ll keep everyone off it while it dries. Hope it’s ready for some traffic. Light traffic. Oh, I better keep moving. [Music] If you want to make your place look better or make a few dollars when you sell, to me it is all about street appeal. You want to make your home more welcoming. Now, at some stage or another, the people who live here have actually added these shutters. But the house looks more streamlined without them. So, first job on my list, these have to go. [Music] Oh, there. Let’s see. Oh, there we go. That was easy. These old shutters certainly didn’t match the style of the house. And with them gone, it’s looking better already. Didn’t cost me a bean. [Music] There are three light fittings along the whole front section of this house. None of which match. This one doesn’t even have a cover. So, for the sake of $12, you can get a complete new kit. No electrician required. When you’re prepping your house for sale, look out for things that have only got a sentimental value. I’m sure all this means something to the homeowners, but to a potential buyer, it’s not just a zero, it’s a negative. Come on, mate. We’ll find your home. And another cheap fix is to paint the front door to match the trim. Joe, I’m bidding these pots unless you want them. Oh, no. I can definitely use those. Thank you. I reckon lick of paint on those. I’ve got a bit of an idea. It’ll brighten up this entrance way. It’s a great idea. How about we paint them the same color as the trims? That way they’ll all go together. All right. I understand it is then. [Music] Oh, okay. Well, that’s great. Good color, isn’t it? It’s such a great color. Yeah. What are you going to put in them? So, I’m actually going to stack them up and have sort of three layers of flowers. And I’ve chosen flowers that will sort of cascade down as they grow. So beautiful. So instant color. I love that. Who needs Hudgy? He’s so easily replaceable. Not happy. You heard it first. Now, for the little bit of effort that we’ve spent out here and slightly less than $120, I think it’s been well worth it. When money’s tight, before you spend anything, look at what you’ve already got and see what you can do with it. Now, this path letting the side down, but we can reuse the materials and make it look a lot better by making some steppers instead. Another little job done. And what did it cost? Couple of bags of sand and a bag of cement. $15. And to finish the whole thing off, give it a good clean with a pressure hose. And sometimes removal is just a better option than repairing. If I gave this little fence a coat of paint, it might look all right, but a potential bike could come up, lean on it while they’re looking at the house and realize how dodgy it is. So, taking it out doesn’t cost anything and it’s just going to open up this garden bed. These little sleepers are practical to step on to save you from destroying your veggie patch, but they’re laid poorly and they don’t look that good. And the compost bins, super practical. We should all have them, just not 3 m from the front door when you’re trying to sell your joint. Now we can concentrate on this garden bed [Music] wastist not whatnot. These guys can join their family around the side of the house. The best thing is I’m not going to throw any of this out. It is jam-packed full of worms and goodness for the garden. So I’m going to spread it out and our new plants will have the best possible start in life. [Applause] Now, we all need a service area, but it doesn’t have to look like this. You want to be noticing the beautiful bush that surrounds it. So, I’m going to clear it out. Just simply rake it up and make it look a bit better and fix up these stairs. They’re showing their age and they’re not very safe, but we can give them a good facelift and it won’t cost much at all. Treated sleepers for the stairs, timber pegs in the ground, and then screw it together. Then, just some blue metal. It’s an $8 sleeper and the blue metal cost six bucks a bag. So, for less than $50, we’ve really tidied this up. I wouldn’t do it at the front door of the house, but for a service area like this, it’s perfect. Potential buyers don’t want to come into the house and see all of you and your family there. They want to imagine themselves there. Now, we’re very, very lucky that the homeowners here, Helen and James, have neighbors who are good enough to let them store all these boxes in. Absolutely. But for you, that may not be an option. So, you might like to think about self storage. Doesn’t come cheap, though. For half a garage size, that’s about three square mters, you’re looking at around $300 a month. It’s pretty pricey. Cuz some things are definitely worth packing away like this, and others, in the case of this lovely pot plant worth keeping. With the rooms cleared out, these bright colors are starting to become obvious. So, by painting as many rooms as you can in a neutral color, you not only appeal to potential buyers, but you also make the place look a whole lot bigger. I really do believe that paint is the best way to add value to your home. To do this room, the bathroom, the toilet, and the feature wall in the lounge room. It set us back just $200. It’s a great value ad. Apart from first impressions, the two key areas potential buyers are most interested in are, of course, the bathroom and the kitchen. This one is in pretty good condition. It is small. What it needs is a declutter and a very good scrub. In particular, stainless steel sinks. They respond so well to a bit of elbow grease cream cleanser and a scour takes care of any tea stains. While you got the gloves on, do everything top to bottom. Things will not only look cleaner, but they’ll smell clean as well. Now, just for a few clever, simple props. I’ve saved money by hand picking some things from the cupboards. And I’ve also picked up a few bargains from the op shop, like this fruit bowl and these vasees. The secret is to not overdo it. You don’t actually want to make it feel lived in in here. It’s a showroom. The dining room in this place is pretty small, so we wanted to give it the illusion of more space by downsizing the chairs. We picked up four of these for just $10 each secondhand. What do you think of light fitting? Modern and fresh for just $5. So, the inside’s progressing, but out the front, Hudgy is still working on that allimportant curb appeal, and that means plants. When it comes to buying your plants on a tight budget, I probably ask you to think the exact opposite to what comes natural. I’m going to spend half my money on the plants, but this lot’s going to deliver plenty of bang for its buck. Things like these ferns, you’re paying for the size of the pot. So, that guy there retails for 20 bucks, but it takes up like a square meter in your garden. If you go and buy little plants in little pots, you need lots more of them to get the same impact. [Music] Even presenting the flowers where people are probably going to see them from is a good idea. So, they’re going to come up the stairs. I’m just slightly leaning them forward. And make sure you get rid of all tags. It’s good practice horiculturally, but it’s also good that people don’t know that you did it the day before they came. Dirty grout can be a real turnoff, so get a scrubbing brush right in between those tiles. Go over with a bit of bleach and then once it’s dry, over with a grout pen to whiten it all up. Poor old mirror. It has seen better days, but I haven’t got the money to replace it. A simple solution is to just glue on some timber to hide the damage. No one will ever know. The right color towels refresh any bathroom, as do thoughtful little accents. Put away your bathroom clutter. No one wants to see it. There is a pretty nasty crack in the shower screen. We can’t afford to replace it, but by hanging towels in front, it just takes your eye away from it. This is an old bathroom. There is no denying it. But with some nice little styling and a clean up, it looks so much more inviting. [Music] Now, this was three-year-old Oliver’s bedroom. And a great tip if you’re selling your home is to turn any children’s bedrooms into adult ones. Why? Well, the potential buyers instantly think the room is bigger than it looks. We’re going to turn this bookshelf upright and turn that into adult storage. We’re going to swap these bunks for a double bed. We’re not even going to buy one. We’re going to borrow one off a friend. We don’t need to paint in here. It’s a nice neutral color. So whereas before this was filled with books, we’ve picked up these fantastic little storage boxes for $5 each. Talk about minimum spend for maximum impact. We have got six Venetian blinds for all of the windows throughout the house. We’ve only spent $200. But what a difference it makes. If you do one thing to your house to really give it street appeal or just to jazz it up slightly, it’s mulch. This is like the icing on a cake. It can be a pretty ordinary cake, but if the icing is good, you’ll let it pass. These garden beds, we’ve planted them. They look a lot better than before, but they’re going to look a lot better when this is down. The mulch going now in this garden bed will really lift everything up, make these plants pop. The best thing about it, it was $60. The mulch area on the side of the house is doing nothing. So, we’re going to move the mulch and turf it. [Music] Now, anyone looking to buy who has or plans to have kids will want a patch of grass from the play on good. Just like you do on the inside of the house, you need to declutter the outside, too. For buyers, it’s all about potential of the space. But if you can’t see it, trampoline got to go. Well, the trampoline’s gone. And we can actually see the backyard. The plants, they look really good. And this is a trick that anyone can do. Gone, gone, gone. The plants can stay. But even the fact that there’s ladders here, you don’t want a potential buyer to come around and go, “Oh, there’s no storage in this house.” So, these guys are going as well. [Music] [Applause] [Music] And for the pricelessly sum of $20, I have it albeit slightly used outdoor furniture setting. Look, it’s not bad. You don’t just want to have it bare. You want to make it look inviting. You want people to come out here, sit and enjoy an alfresco lunch. So, a runner down the center, maybe a candle, set it up, play settings. Perfect. So, in other words, selling the dream. Selling the dream. That’s what it’s all about. We’ve been giving this three-bedroom home a speedy makeover before it goes up for sale. The idea being minimum spend for maximum impact. Now, inside, Tara and I have pulled our cash, which meant we had $2,000 to spend. We spent it mainly on paint, blinds, curtains, and furniture, bringing us to a total of just over our $2,000 budget. As for the outside, I spent half my money on the plants, the rest on turf, mulch, and the outdoor setting. Let’s find out what the homeowners Helen and James think. Wow. Wow. To what it was, it’s incredible. Looks like a new place. The shutter is gone. Yeah. It’s very, very modern now. It’ll appeal to lots more people, I think. Wow. Whose house is this? It’s like a different house. But you can just see by just minimalizing it just how much bigger it makes his space look. Yeah. Wow. Wow. So clean. Wow. This looks like a new magazine kitchen. It’s beautiful. Oh wow. All this room is gone. [Music] You happy? Terrific. It’s good that you two are happy, but now it comes down to what the real estate agent picks. Fingers crossed. How much value have we added to this house for it sale? Well, who better to ask than the real estate agent that’s selling this home, Mark Seymour. Good day, Mark. Lovely to see you. How you going? Good. Now, listen, you saw this house before we had a little makeover. I did. What are your thoughts now? The clothes line is gone as a bit of an eyes saw as you cuz that was the very first thing buyers saw. So, by redirecting that, uh, that has really made a difference. So, simple things that you’ve done by the the fresh wood chip and the easy to maintain lowmaintenance gardens. Also the gurning of paths and the house, tidying it all up, making it nice and clean and presentable. Now, what about the courtyard out the back? Yeah, great. So, you’ve reurfed that, which is really good. Um, it’s only a small area, but it is enough for a little toddler, you know, to run around in, which is good. And also the landscaping also around that also makes a huge difference. What are your thoughts in here? Oh, it looks really good, Joe. Decluttering all of that obviously makes the the room look bigger. Well, it is a big room when you take all that stuff out. It is. And and sometimes you’ve got to show buyers that we can smell the fresh paint. Everyone loves the smell of fresh paint and trying to make the home look like a show home. Um people are time poor and what people want is to move in, nothing to do. And will they pay to have that luxury? They will. They will. They they will pay more for that. Well, this is the moment of truth then. I mean, this is what you do for a living. So, tell me. I’m nervous, Joe. You’re nervous. What about us? What was the value of this house before? And what do you think is the value we’ve added? Yeah, look, the comparable properties were around that $630,000 mark, but I I do believe that you’ve probably added around the 30,000 plus. You’re kidding. No, $30,000. That’s not bad for a $3,000 span. Definitely. Well, the real proof is in the pudding. Or this case, the viewing with 160 couples going through. They received 10 offers and accepted a final figure of $673,000. Now, that is a huge result. By spending just $3,000 and plenty of elbow grease, we’ve added $43,000 to the value of this house. Well done by everyone and a few quick fixes that you can try for yourself at home. The best thing about it, we’ve had tens of thousands of dollars and sell it a quicker when it looks like this. Got to be happy with that. What could you do to fix up a kitchen for $1,000 or a backyard like this with only a grand in your pocket? Any room in the house can look a million bucks. All you need is some clever knowhow. And we’re going to show you how to do it. The catch is we’ve only got a thousand bucks each to spend. Nothing like a challenge. It’s pretty tight, huh? Definitely. And before we get started, we brought in Kim, a property valuer, to have a look at what we’re working with. When we’re finished, she’ll come back and tell us how much value we’ve added. We’ve chosen separate areas of an average home. One is the patio, which is also looking a bit drab. Off the patio and around to the kitchen, where my small pot of cash will be working hard to update a tired old look. But there is one room that we have to do, and that is this one, the family room. But the good news is, boys, we all get to do it together. Yeah, I’m allowed inside and we get an extra thousand bucks for it. That’s it. But enough chitchat, guys. Let’s get cracking. And Jace, make sure you keep your receipts, mate. No turf inside. Receipts for the tax man and shade tolerant buffalo. [Music] All right, the plan for the patio is to clear the whole area out. And you can see that it’s actually in pretty good nick. We’ve got a roof over our head and it’s not leaking. And the floor, well, it’s in good condition. So, I’ll be giving it a high pressure wash down. Now, the other problem is we can see straight into the neighbor’s backyard. So, I’m going to build a screen to create some privacy. Now, all of this is going to chew up a lot of my budget, but I want to make a table that’s going to be a good centerpiece, and I’ve got a fantastic way of keeping it under budget. Let’s be honest, for just $1,000, there’s not a lot I can do structurally to change this entire kitchen. But cosmetically with paint and color, I can do wonders. Now, I want to paint all of these cabinet doors. I know they’re made of laminate, and the good news is you can actually paint laminate. The way to tell is to open up a door and just check the colors. You’ll notice that the color on the outside is usually different to the one on the inside. And they also have this sharp edge strip. You can paint them in situ, but I prefer to label them and take them outside. [Music] Oh, one down. Few more to go. [Music] Right over the backyard’s neat and tidy, but it could do with some more garden. So, I’m going to spend a chunk of my cash on plants. As far as backdrop goes, our money doesn’t stretch to a new fence. So, I’m going to fix it up the best I can. Now, the reality with an old fence is if the nails have come loose, it means that the hole that was holding them in has expanded cuz the timber’s dried out. So, even though I’m banging them in and it looks good, it’s a short-term fix because the nails are going to work themselves loose the next time the wind picks up. So, you can rent something like this. It’s a fencing gun you need to put your eyes on just in case the timber splints. [Music] With a coat of paint, you won’t see all those nails and screws from a generation of repairs, and you should get another 5 to 10 years out of the fence. [Music] Okay, so with the kitchen doors removed, I need to deal with this bench. I know I said I could only afford cosmetic changes, but I can’t do anything with the current bench top except replace it. So, that will be my major expense. Chipboard soggy at that. This section of benchtop, it’s going to be super easy to change for a brand new one because you can buy them standard off the shelf. Now, this part of the table, not so easy because it’s been custom built. I actually quite like it. It’s a great little seating area, perfect for a small space, but I want to update it. So, let’s go for a wander to see if I can improvise. Oh, good day, Ed. Tant you mind, you’ll say? Ah, just on the hunt. Don’t mind, do you? What are you hunting for? A table top, maybe? No, you can’t have the plywood. That’s the base for my table. It’s perfect. It’s perfect for what I need. No, Tara. That’s mine. Is that yours? Yeah. Actually, you know what? This might work better. You can have that. Can I have that? Yeah. I don’t want that. Perfect. I don’t want that. Thick. Do whatever you like with it. Tara, can you give me a hand? Give me a hand. T, this is a challenge. Yeah, but you’re a nice guy. Everyone knows that. I mean, look at the smile. All right. I’ve ear marked you for later and the table. All right, I’m just painting out these aluminum frames in black. And because it’s only the trim work that I’m doing around the edges, I’ve only bought one liter of paint. That way, I don’t have a heap left over and I make sure that I stay under budget. With our budget for the kitchen, we have no choice but to paint the cabinet doors. So, I’ve taken them off because it makes for an easier and faster job. He’s watching every move we make. Now, what these doors need is a very light clean. Sugar soap wipes are perfect. Takes care of the grease. And once that’s dry, you can just give them a light scuff up with some sandpaper. Not too coarse, just enough to make them look like that. It just gives them a key, something for the paint to stick to. Now, here are our colors. Oyster linen is the color of choice for the doors. But first, I need to prime. [Music] [Applause] In the backyard, I’ve reduced the lord by clearing it out from around the trees and giving the grass a haircut. As far as the old te chair goes, I reckon we can bring it up to speed for next to nothing. This is Zach. He’s not work experience with me this week. This is a sanding block. All you need to do, mate, is just give it a rough sand. And by getting rid of the mission brown from eons ago, you’ll hardly recognize it. Good job, Zach. This is just weather shield we’re going to use as an undercoat. Bright white. Put the drop sheet down to protect the lawn. We don’t want white all over the lawn. Count of three. Three. Knock yourself out. Paint with the grain just like you sanded. While our kitchen cabinets dry, it’s back inside. I’m geared up ready to attack these tiles. And the fact that half of them are held on with tape, I don’t think they’re going to give me too much grief. All of the woodwork in the kitchen’s getting painted out, too. And the good news is I’m using exactly the same primer as I used on the laminate doors, therefore saving a little bit more money. [Music] There are just so many whites to choose from, it’s hard to get just the right one. So, here’s one way that I do it to make sure that I get a perfect color combination every time. If you head to the counter where they mix your colors, they’ll often have one of these, a fan deck sitting behind. Just ask to see it and pick out the main color for your room. In our case, it’s oyster linen for the cabinets. So, I found that on this strip. Then, work your way a few shades lighter to the lightest tone. In this case, it’s white duck quarter strength. That’s the color I’ve used for my walls, and I know it harmonizes perfectly with my cabinet doors. Hey, it’s my table. It is your table. What’s the plan here, Taz? Well, I like the breakfast bar, how it steps down. I like the fact that you can sit around it. It’s just round and oldfashioned and it doesn’t match my bench top. So, I’m thinking we could employ this, sand it back, stain it, make it beautiful, but it needs to sit on that leg. Will it work? Yeah. Well, it will definitely work. Perfect. I’ll just cut a U-shape around it, and it can sit straight on that existing leg. To tell you the truth, the lawn here is not great, but it’s not bad either. And with our tight budget, I need to work with what I’ve got. So, I’m going to give it a fertilizer. going to go with one of those liquid clickons. Now, the tip is water the lawn first, get the soil open and accepting of the nutrients you’re about to put on it. Spray it on and keep an eye on and even give it a water later on that day or maybe first thing the next morning. In 2 or 3 days, as green as this lawn is now, it’s going to be a couple of shades darker. [Music] Okay, boys. Time for a team chat. We need to talk budget. This is where we kind of get, you know, serious. Sounds very serious. Okay, so here we are. Living room. Yeah. $1,000 between us to spend. I actually need some of the money from here to put into the kitchen cuz the kitchen’s expensive, as I’m sure you’ll both appreciate. Where you going with this, Dave? I’m not being funny. I’m serious. It’s expensive. The kitchen’s the biggest room. I suppose I can tone down what I do. I did dream of turfing in here, but I’ll forgo that. I’ll tone down the indoor plants. You can have my leftover money. Okay. So, we lose the turf, unfortunately. So, what have you got to do here? You’re a generous man, Aussie. Well, it’s just up to you. I’ve got to do this entertainment unit, and it just depends how simple you want it to be. Simple. Very simple. We will give you our leftover money. Are you happy? Yes. See? Happy. And we do less. Happy. Win-win. Win-win, I say. So, I get more and you do more work. All right. The $1,000 challenge is well underway. And I said I wanted to make a table that will be the centerpiece of the area but stay under budget. And my trick for that is to use recycled fence palings. Now you can get these anywhere. Fences are screaming for you to take them off their hands. I’m going to be using a belt sander first to dress these up and you’ll see the beautiful color reveal. [Music] Hey boys, how you going? Hello. I spent a large chunk of my money on what’s in the back of this truck. Now, the backyard was neat and tidy, but it was pretty boring. So, spending five or just over 500 bucks on the plants make a big difference and turn into something that’s inviting. [Music] On top of the 510, I’ve spent another 300 bucks down at Bunnings. I got these beautiful little AA panthers. Guess what they’re called? No, not Dad Dance. They’re called Twister and they pop in front of that black fence. In the kitchen, everything we plan to remove has gone and our big ticket item is ready to go in. Here it is. My one bit of luxury for this kitchen. my splurge on brand new bench tops. Now, these did take up a little more than half my budget. I’ve had to do two runs, but they tie in beautifully with the floor, and they’re going to make this old kitchen look brand new again. [Music] All right, that’s the palings cut and sanded. What I need for the base is a simple ladder frame, which I’m building out of tree to pine. [Music] All right, I’m ready to put some legs on this table. And for that, I’m using some 90 by 90 treated pine. You’ll see that I’ve done a check out here. And that’s so it just locks into the corner. I’m going to be using some 100 mil bugles to put it in and also adding this angle piece which will just lock everything together and keep it nice and square. Once the table top is on, we’re ready for our fence tailings. [Music] For the palings, I’m not just going to be laying them in a straight line. I’m going to be doing a pattern. And that pattern is herring bone. So, I’ve marked my line, which I’m going to be working to that will give me even cuts on each side of my table. Now, depending on what you’re using, the width and length of the material will determine where that line goes. Once I’ve laid the pattern, all these are being glued down. And you can see I’m starting in the middle and working my way out. The boards are down and this table’s looking great. I’m just trimming up the edges and next I’ll be dressing the sides. [Music] So, in the backyard, my thousand bucks won’t stretch to cover any hard landscaping, but the plants are making a massive difference. Our biggest one-off investment is this tree, and it’s one of my favorites. It’s called October Glory. I’ve planted these in cooler climates, like down in the middle of Melbourne, and in the middle of winter, the whole plant looks like someone sprayed it bright red. And when all the plants are low in this garden and you got big tall neighbors nearby, you need something to draw your eye off. [Music] Wow, that looks awesome. You like it, mate? I love it. In fact, I love it so much. Do you reckon you could do a little version for me to go on top of a, you know, the old laundry concrete troughs? Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. So, it’s probably 1.2 2 by about 500 m about you can’t measure it up. Yeah. Best thing about it is materials are free, aren’t they? Yeah, they are free. That’s what I’ve been saying. But wait a minute, you and Tara, do you understand this is meant to be $1,000 challenge? Yeah. Yeah. So, it’s free. So, that’s great. Why is my label always for free? What’s going on here, mate? There’s no I in team, but there is an M and an E. Thanks, brother. See you back. I tell you what I can do. Stop these presenters coming through this door. if I need any extra work. Now that I’ve got rid of Jace, I’m just sanding the edges and then I’m ready for filling. I’m filling the table top with powdered putty mixed with black oxide. That will bring the detail out in these fence palings. I should have called Eden to get this mixed up for me. He would have done a better job. And the old laminate doors are as good as new. There are 21 door handles in this kitchen. Now, had I have gone out and bought brand new ones at around $10 a pop, over $200. So, by staining the old ones and reusing them, they look fantastic and I’ve saved a couple hundred. A bit of paint and elbow grease. Take a look at it now. [Music] Oh, there’s some weight in this table. You’re using your muscles. It’s just a m I love this so much. I want this as a floor. It’s turned out nice, hasn’t it? This table has been a labor of love. Some recycled half fence palings. Who would have thought? So, let’s hope we can dress it and have it looking tip top in no time at all. I reckon we can. I’m stoked with the backyard. A big difference thanks to 800 bucks worth of plants. And that old laundry tub that we found around the side of the house, while Adam’s used his fence ping’s idea to create a table top. Just got to level it off and wait for ads. Hey, James. A good timing. Hey, good timing. Uh, weatherproof. It’s not the same pattern. You do have to seal. Look, I didn’t have time to seal it for you, okay? But, uh, I’ll leave that up to you. Wow. They’re old fence pailing, so you know they last outside. Thanks, brother. Enjoy. I will. Have a seat, Zach. You burn it, too, mate. See, I told you working hard’s hard work. [Music] We’re not finished yet. There’s the sitting area to go. Whilst I get painting, Ads is helping with a new entertainment unit to replace the old bulky one. To assemble the entertainment unit, I’m keeping it nice and simple. I’ve got a top and a bottom that are exactly the same size, and then three supports going right through. And I’m just going to be gluing and screwing it all together. [Music] [Applause] Now, for the legs, you could buy them from the hardware store, but obviously I’m working on a budget and Tara doesn’t want me spending too much money. So, I went searching and I found some pine in the shed, which I’ve just cut up. I’ve dressed the timber and they’re going to work an absolute treat. Now, the only trick is with these screws, obviously, they’re not long enough to go through, so I’m just putting a little pocket in them. That way the screw comes through the edge, but you just don’t want to go too deep, otherwise you’ll come through the other side. Well, that’s the build done. Now I can hand the bat over to Tara or the entertainment unit. I think she’s going to add some color which will really make it stand out. The room is looking fresher already. And for the vintage chairs, I’m making some new box cushions. It’s just a matter of working in panels using the old cover as a template. Okay, so this is the back panel with the zip. Make sure it’s working. Yep, that’s good. Now I’m going to sew two panels, one on either side to the zipper panel. The top and base is actually one piece of fabric. It goes over that front panel and to the underside. [Music] Once you’ve sewn it in place, we will have one very neat and tidy cushion cover. [Applause] [Music] Adam’s off cuts from the dining table have come in so handy. I put together a coffee table and to give it a tray top look, I’ve added some baffles. All up, the whole thing cost just $10. To tie this in with the rest of our look, I’m using this key color. It’s a deep almost black. It’s like a brown black. This one’s called Black Japan. I think I’ll paint the entertainment unit that Adam’s built for me as well. And with no money left in the kitty, I’ve made my own artwork from royalty-free images which I framed. And it’s amazing what a difference a few indoor plants can make. This one is a Kentia pump. One of the absolute best. It goes well, don’t you think? I like the theme and I love the room compared to what it looked like before. This is brilliant. You’re you’re very clever. Thank you. I didn’t get a lot of help from you, but I’m appreciative of the Well, I water and fed the lawn, so then I had to mow it. So then I had to water it and feed it again so I can mow it. Moment of truth. Let’s go do the numbers. You’re cooking the books. Never. Danny, she’s got all the receipts. Yes. Thank you. Now, did we all come in under budget? What’s the big chunk of your budget? That’s probably it’s looking like my screen. My total comes to 731. See what I mean? 7:31, please. 89. Jeez, that’s good value. As for the garden, well, the plants were the big spend, but I’m still under the grand mark. $28 to spare. Beautiful. Okay, so all up for the family room, $832. And the kitchen brings me to grand total of well over 1,000. Well over a,000. So actually it’s not bad. 117. So the money that I asked you guys to spare me 200 bucks. I came in. So I actually am under. All up we had 4 grand to spend. I’d see what what number. Yeah. So all up we’ve spent $3,652.74. Wow. So we’re under Yeah. But more importantly, that means we’ve got 34726 left over for a party. Yes. Woohoo! Dinner it is. Unreal job well done. High five. [Music] Now, we provided all the hard yaka, so we haven’t factored labor into our costs. But that’s the same as any DIY projects you might do at home and where we all save money. We can see we’ve made a vast improvement on the look of all four areas. But have we actually added to the bottom line of this place? Hello. Oh, how we go. Well, you know, visually it’s just an amazing job. It’s um that the kitchen is the heart of a home. You walk in that hallway and you actually get the full impact of all the work that you’ve been able to do. So, you know, the light, the colors, all on trend and would appeal at, you know, an investor level or at an occupier level, which is very much what the target market is here. So, most importantly, have we added any money to the joint? I do believe that you have. It’s um you know, from a a holistic point of view, it’s only a portion of the house, but actually, I would say that it’s probably added about $40,000 $50,000 to the to the actual price given that the the sections of the house that you’ve been able to do are are the parts of the house that people live in. Yeah. Yeah. So, the flow areas all into your outdoor space and then out into your backyard. So, you know, hight traffic areas that get a lot of work and that people actually want to be able to Well, thank you for that. That’s such a bonus at the end of it, I think. Well done, guys. You did an amazing work. Unfortunately, her bill’s 35,000. And here’s my space. Yep, that’s a courtyard. And a pretty bland one at that, except for the two little garden beds that have a splash of green. And if you think about it, this is prime real estate cuz the house is wrapped around it. Got all these walls and windows. And I reckon you can make this a really nice space. But at the moment, it’s a bit of a wasteland. Let’s meet the owners. Hello. Hi guys. Hello mate. How you going? What’s your name? Oric. Oric. Nice to meet you. And you must be an angel. What’s your name? Jana. Jana. How are you? Hi Linda. How you going? What would you like to have out here? I would love a water fisher. That would be awesome. What would you like to have out here? Make it a bit light and lots of grass. I think I can do that. And what about you, beautiful? I want some plants and flowers. Well, you look so pretty that I’ll have to make that come true. Now, remember, I’m not exactly flush with funs. All right, so I got a plan. I’m going to lift up some of these pavers, create a circle, and put down a lawn, add to the garden beds, plus bring some more plants and flowers in, and then work with these walls just to brighten the whole place up. And there’s a water feature, too. [Music] Right. First job, marking out the circle of the lawn and getting rid of the stone. Stones up. I’ve just got this little bit of rubble in the sand to go, but it will be perfect to lay my turf on when I clean it up. Next thing I’m going to do is tackle this back fence. Now, if I was to replace it, I’d spend more than $1,000. So, what I’m going to do is build a screen in front of it. You’ll still see bits of it, but the screen will draw your eye more. The bulk of this is treated pine because it’s cheaper to work with. And I’m going to dress it up with some Merbau slats. They get screwed on after I’ve stained the tree to pine. And to make my money go further, I’m using one liter of stain, which is going to do the screen, some stairs, and some benches. The screen’s in, and there’s enough leftover wood to make some art for the wall. Here’s a lesson on how to make stairs uninviting and impractical. You got three different heights. You’ve got 90 mil coming out the door. Then you move on to about 180 and that’s about 70. So you need to concentrate when you’re walking down the stairs. So what we’re going to do is rip them out, put a nice wide step in the new steps treated pine, and we’re just continuing the rise to meet the floor of the house. Much safer. It all gets finished in the same stain. We’ve made some projects. And at the moment, I’ve spent around 300 of my thousand. Now, we’re going to start with some seating because I can’t afford to buy it. I’m going to make it. So, for my benches, I’m using some treated pine. It’s cheap and easy to work with. This sleeper is 150 by 200, and they’re about $9.50 each. I need seven of them to make my two benches. I’m going to cut them in half. There’ll be zero waste. I’m going with a natural stain. It’s ebony. That makes me ivory. And together, we’re in perfect harmony. [Music] So, I’m making the bench with one leg because it’s going to lean on those existing garden beds and dress them up. Construction simple. You just layer it up like lasagna and stain it up to match. [Applause] [Music] Tada. Jana wanted flowers. Jana will get flowers and two flowers that I struggle to pronounce the names of. So I’ll have a crack cross the sephilum desert flame and the second one is called elegance but it’s a chrysanthemum and haven’t been able to say so little since I was 12 years old on a tight budget. I’ve spent about 265 bucks on plants and mulch and the biggest purchase was this ornamental pair. Now they max out at about five six meters tall and they only get a couple of meters wide. So, they’re very tall and skinny. Look, a bit like me. [Music] Probably the thing I’m most excited about in this little courtyard is the water feature. And here it is. What a beautiful pot. It cost me hundreds. Oh, hang on. It’s the old barrel from a cement mixer or a concrete mixer. No, I’m not knocking up concrete. I’m just filling in the base of this because I want my water to be actually less than 300 mil because then it’s legal. Anything deeper than 300 mil, I’d have to fence this off with a pool fence. The little pump cost 120 bucks, which is a bit of money, but it’s solar, so I don’t have to get an electrician to put in an external power point. [Music] That little bench I’m sitting on. Two of them 115 and 55 cents. Plants and mulch 265 7 plus my two $94.33 [Music] which means ladies and gentlemen I got nearly $56 left over. [Music] I reckon we’ve achieved maximum impact for minimum spend. Now let’s see what Linda and the kids think of it. Come, mom. Come, kids. Wow, that looks awesome. Very, very nice. Wow. What do you think? Good. Good. I got the flowers over here for you just to keep you happy. That can be your own little garden bed. You can look after that. That’s beautiful. What do you think the water features made out of? Looks like a cement mix thingy. It was cement mixer thingy. Exactly. And they’ve got these two great big benches that you can move around. And they’ve only got one leg on them, so they tie your existing walls into place. That awesome though. Thank you. You guys did an awesome job. Thanks. Thank you. Still got money in my pocket. I have a happy family. Adam, Tara, I lay down the challenge. Try and beat that. [Music] This bathroom, well, it doesn’t look as though it’s seen a whole lot of love since it was first built back in the 80s. It’s sound. It’s waterproof. It’s certainly clean enough. It doesn’t need a complete rena. What I do think it needs though is a fresh, bright, new look. And we can achieve that for under a,000 bucks with a few coats of paint. There’s plenty to work with in this space, so I’ll brighten up the whole room with a coat of Lexican quarter. And then add a pop of color with Diplomatic to complement the floor tiles. New brass tapware to time with a shower screen and some timber accents will add warmth. When you’re painting a bathroom, preparation is absolutely key for a job that lasts. Most bathroom ceilings tend to have mold. Luckily, this one is clean and dry, but it does have loose and flaky paint. The other really important thing to remember is to choose the right paint for the situation. So, I’m using a kitchen and bathroom paint. This one has a mold inhibitor. It also has a special barrier protection which allows it to be wiped down easily. [Music] Now, I want to tell you about the paint that I’m using for this vanity unit. It’s a brand new product from Dulux. It’s very exciting. It’s part of their Renault range. It’s called a tile and benchtop paint. And this paint can be tinted to thousands of different shades. Now before you use this product, do follow the instructions and make sure you thoroughly clean the area. So you use sugar soap and mold killer. Then sandpaper the area to keep the surface. There is just one final step with the preparation and that is to use steel wool. What it’s doing is putting tiny little scratches into that laminate surface and then wiping over with a dry cloth. You’re going to give it the best possible chance. Now, you need to know that this is actually a two-part process. You choose the paint color of your choice, and then after the paint’s done, you actually go over with a clear top coat. You’ll notice there’s a little tube inside. This is actually a catalyst. I’ve chosen Lexican quarter strength to tie in with the walls. Squeeze it all out. Once you’ve put the catalyst in, you have 10 days working time. So, basically, you can do one coat this weekend, and you can finish it off next weekend if you choose. This is a water-based paint. It’s durable, and you don’t even need any primer for most surfaces. I’ve gone with a small microfiber roller to apply this product. It gives you more control and is really good for smaller spaces like cupboards and benchtops. The top looks fresh and crisp in the Lexican quarter, but to contrast, what I’m doing is the doors in diplomatic. It’s a lovely deep shade and it picks up the blue in the floor tiles which I’m keeping. Okay, so now we’re on to the tiles. The prep for these is pretty much the same as the bench top, but I do strongly recommend treating for mold. Grout is super porous and attracts mold. Then once the grout and tiles are completely dry, use the same paint as the bench top. [Applause] Really pleased with how the bench top and the doors have come up. What I’ve done is applied two coats of color to each, allowing 8 hours to dry between each coat. Now, this is the final step. It’s just a clear coat in a satin finish. [Music] [Applause] [Music] To rejuge the old mirror without having to replace it, I’m building a very simple frame. Then make sure that you use glue and small nails to pin it all together. A dash of color will always make a frame look more interesting. So, I’m starting with the same shade of blue that I used for the cabinet doors, but I want to go one step further and give it some bling. And for that, I’m using gold leaf. So, I’m just putting a little bit of glue on one section at a time. And then when it’s dry, go over the top with the second coat. And when it’s just sticky, then you can apply the gold leaf. Now, this is a metal. It will tarnish. So, you will need to seal your frame off with something. You could use varnish, but I’m going for slightly tinted brown wax just to age down that gold and make it not so bright. [Music] When you’re doing up an old bathroom, one area I definitely recommend you spend a bit of money on is the tap wet. Now, my inspiration for the brass came from the old shower screen. So, by tying everything together, it gives us a more deliberate look. Timber is such a great way to introduce warmth and texture to any bathroom and stop it looking clinical. If you know that unused space above the bath, you could put a couple of picture frames there or you could do a whole shelving unit instead. This one is very simple. It’s just a backing panel of this utility timber and I’ve cut down some shelves to size. These simply get glued and screwed on. If you love a soak in the tub, a rack across the bath is such a good idea. It’s a real little luxury. This one though has a very special little feature. It has a hinged book rack, so when it’s time to sit in the bubbles, you can just pop it open and read away. That’s the hard work done. So, now we can get this hung on the wall and add all of the other finishing touches that will give this bathroom character and bring the whole thing together. It’s like a brand new mirror. Very fancy. [Music] Doesn’t this look amazing? I promised you a bathroom makeover for under $1,000. All up, the building and paint materials in this bathroom came to $850. For me, the standout is of course the tile and the benchtop transformation. All in all, tick tick. Job well done. Just how much of a bathroom Renault do you reckon you could achieve with a budget of $1,000? Well, that’s the challenge I’ve been given. Now, lucky for me, the owner here is pretty good on the tools, so that should help keep cost down. Now, Karen has had a go at doing her bathroom. She hasn’t got very far. Karen’s a single mom of two growing boys. At the moment, they all share one bathroom because Karen’s own bathroom can’t be used. So, she’s sorely in need of a bit of space to call her own. Hello. Hi. Oh, hello. Welcome. Oh, you’re here to sew the rest of my pants. I’m definitely not here to sew your pants. Are these your work pants? No, that’s my son’s pants. Oh, wow. We needed another pair for the day and just found out. So, you’re just like me. Before school, it all happens. Is it magic? Rush, rush, rush. busy lady. So, tell me about your bathroom. Me and a girlfriend had a crack at doing the bathroom and it’s not working. It’s just a bit beyond you. I need your help. Okay. So, what needs doing specifically? Uh, well, I’ve had a blue tongue come up through the pipes. So, I need to somehow refill the toilet cuz I haven’t used that in probably about 5 years. So, can you help me? Absolutely can. Should we take a look? Yes. Come and have a look. Guys, keep eating your breakfast. All right. You got to get ready for Yes. Eat up. We’re going to go in about 5 minutes. I got to show my mother’s a nag. Yeah. Come on. Here it is. Wo. Do you love it? I love it. Yeah, I love love at first sight. Yeah, I don’t at all. The sink is fantastic. It’s a dual action sink, but only one works. Oh, okay. So, single action. And the shower, you can’t even fit under that. That actually about my neck height, so I can never wash my hair. These tiles here, what’s the go with those? Well, I actually found those. There was someone had renovated obviously their bathroom. It was all on the side of the road next to a girlfriend’s house. I think it would be enough to cover the floors. This is going to be my haven. Let’s make it happen, please. With a budget of only $1,000, we can’t afford to change the layout or do a complete rip out. So, we’re going to save everything we can, replace what we have to, but still, we’re going to give our bathroom a brand new look. All right. Now, we need to talk style and design. What do you love? Well, I’ve actually got these to show you today. Okay. So, that’s what we’re building the whole bathroom on. Yes. Okay. So, that’s the I love the natural look. Sort of rustic vintage. This is you. Yes. Cuz green’s the color of the year. So, everyone’s going mad this year for green. And it’s in everything from like an emerald green to peacock right down to a sage green. Watch. This is going to become the color for the next 12 months. And I’ve got the first bathroom with it. It’s going to be in all the magazines. You’re going to go, I’m there. Seeing as Karen loves combining old with new, the look we’re going for is contemporary vintage. Using a sage green color with some accents of black will give a modern edge to our bathroom, and a feature crackle effect paint will age the new vanity nicely. [Music] I love these old mirrors. So, I’m going to keep this and do something with it. Do think I might give it a dust, though. [Music] Now, when you’re redoing a bathroom, the first thought immediately is, let’s redo the tiles. But, you know, you don’t always have to start from scratch. And in fact, if you can save these old tiles, all the better. It’ll save you a lot of money, and they’ve got good character. So, what I want to do here is try and salvage as many as I can. So, I’m going to do a little bit of clever patchwork. This wall over here obviously needs some tiles to infill to make a complete wall. So, I’m sacrificing the ones in the shower. If I can get them all off, all well and good. And what I’ll do here to replace them, well, I’ll show you that a little later. There’s one gone. [Applause] Now, if you’ve ever been unsure about green, just think about how you style it. You know, if you put it with timber, it takes on a bit of a country farmhouse kind of vibe. but with crisp whites, lovely chrome, maybe a bit of black. This will have that beautiful contemporary edge that she’s after. She’s going to love it. A few missing tiles is something many of us can relate to at some time or another, and it’s not a big job to replace them. I’ve been able to salvage these ones from the shower recess, and I’ve just cleaned up the edges. Now, what normally causes the tiles to fall off in the first place is water damage, or in this case, glue failure. So, this was probably put on in the ’60s. You know, it’ll only last for so long, but glues have come a long way. You can actually buy them premixed or you can mix them up yourself. It’s up to you. And if you’ve got a bucket and a T, it’s not a hard job. You could do this this weekend. [Music] Yep. I’m tiling on top of tile. If you’ve got ugly floor tiles and you can’t live with them anymore and they’re clean and sound like these ones, well, why not tile over these? So Karen found these amazing tiles in the council cleanup. So really what we’re doing here is giving her a brand new floor for the cost of a bag of adhesive. It’s not bad. Now, what I do need to do, of course, is finish off this shower recess and also go shopping for a basin. So, I’m heading out. [Music] It’s all about saving money. So, what I’m going to do is keep Karen’s existing mixer tap. It’s almost new and in great condition. So, what I need is an above counter basin, something with a hole cut out ready for the tap. I think something like this will do the trick nicely. and at only $93. Well, you can’t argue with that price. So far, I’ve lined the floor and painted and reused the shower tiles to patch the hole on the wall. Now, next on my list is to create a brand new vanity out of this pine console. I found this console for just $50. It’s an ideal width and also height for a vanity unit. The only problem is it’s just a little bit too long, so I’m going to cut it down to size. [Music] Now, I want to give this a vintage timeworn kind of appearance. I’m going for a crackle effect. And a great little shortcut is to use this. It’s a pretty new product. It’s called Duramax Crackle Effect. You choose whatever base coat color you like. I’m going for white. Just give it an all over spray. And then when that’s dry, you can go on with your top coat color. Now, it comes in two shades. You can go for black or for white. I’m going for black for a really strong contrast. It’s going to work well with our green walls. It’s amazing how fast the aging process begins. It’s such an authentic looking crackle. [Music] Next, the bench top goes back on. Now, I’ve opted to keep this just plain black. It’ll contrast well with the white sink. I need to drill a hole for the waist in the sink and also a hole for the tap. Then everything just gets a good coat of sealer. Now, this will help to protect the paint finish and also make it stand up to water. Now, remember the old mirror that I found in the bathroom? Well, this old frame was on the floor. So, what I’ve done is painted it black to coordinate with the vanity unit. Now, I’m combining the two to make a brand new beautiful mirror for the wall. You can buy this acrylic shower set off the shelf from Bunnings for less than $150. So, it is really good value and pretty quick and easy to install. This is such a great thing for a shower recess cuz look, there’s no grout lines, easy to clean, and we’re all about the practical. [Music] So long as your wall is clean and sound and dry like this one, you can stick this stuff directly on. Now, I’m just using an adhesive here that is also a sealant in one. So, it’s really good. You don’t need to buy two different products. You just put plenty of it onto the back, stick on the sheet, and then you can seal off the edges. Add your shower. An easy makeover for just $300. to convert our old table into a beautiful vintage vanity. 200. [Music] The plumber to fit everything off 250, paint 100, and our other bits and pieces $100. Which brings me to a grand total of $950. That’s 50 bucks spare change. Pretty incredible for a bathroom Renault. [Applause] [Music] Oh wow. Oh my gosh. Look at the bench. My tiles. I can’t believe they actually go so well together. That looks incredible. The mirror and Oh my. Hang on. Hang on. I’ve got to flush the toilet. [Music] Oh my god. A flushing toilet. No more blue tongues. I love that. That is amazing. A little bit of new, a little bit of old, totally clean, no grout, toilet shower. I can get in the shower. Before it was like there, I think, and I had to do that action. Not that anybody wants to know that, but anyway, I love it. I love it. Okay. Well, Karen’s happy. Bye. She’s happy. See you, love. Thank you so much. This is amazing. Like really amazing. My own little space. I love it. Well, you enjoy it. You’re a hardworking lady and you’re a busy mama. Yeah. Keep being busy and keep up the DIY. You’re awesome. High five to that. Enjoy. I don’t just get a high five. I get a hard I love it. I absolutely love it. No. Very cool. See, makes it all worthwhile, huh? Yeah. Oh, it does. [Music]