Redecorating

Just wondering how much we all spend every year on redecorating.
Anyone approaching 30 grand a year doing up their flat in 12 months.
Apparently some people find this is not enough and have to top it up a bit.

I'm guessing it might be like painting the forth bridge to cram in that kind of money, and more, in 12 months.

 

We bought a new home 18 months ago and HAD to do a few things to make it livable.

- The wiring and meter-box was over 60 years old so we had to replace some that was accessible (8.000€).

- They had an old carpeted floor on the second floor we wanted to replace with modern washable flooring (2.000€).

- the panoramic windows in one room were 50 years old, damaged and didn't close properly, so we had them changed to modern 3 pane isolated windows (3.000€)

- blow-in insulation between the original double walls with expanded glued polystyrene (2000€)

- the stairs to the third floor children rooms were wobbly, had no handrail and wouldn't survive any safety standard inspection. Also it was ugly (3000€ - not yet done)

- Completely remodeling the third floor to make room for two children's bedrooms with new windows (2500€), insulation, floor and walls (2500€). Both work in progress

- the garden was mainly moss and rhododendron so after removing lots of it and planting some proper trees and bushes it now looks more like I want it (1000€)

And a lot of small stuff that goes here and there.
So, yes. I can understand people paying lots of money to make their homes livable.

BUT, and that's a big hairy BUT - I don't get people that have to buy new furniture every other year because the old one isn't to their taste anymore. Sure of you have the money, then go for it. But even then I think it is a waste of time and effort and only shows they don't have anything else to worry in life.

 

I don't think that lot adds up to 30 grand, so you could do an awful lot more and then some, and still be able to do all again next year.
If your name was Boris Johnson.

 

@pete
Sadly I don't have enough people that want to support my plans for a pool house with sauna and an added butterfly refuge with tropical plants.

And there are big differences in wether you want to plaster your living room with marble and teak wood or you shop for more affordable flooring.

 

We buy stuff we like for the house, we don't pay £600 for a roll of wall paper etc, but if someone else is paying why not we have worked hard when we were young and saved up to do what we want to do

 

It is my opinion that it is a "British thing" to redecorate frequently ... the paint needs redoing, don't like the wall paper any more, there are newer/better kitchen appliances (large and small).

We had our cooker with lovely eye-level grill plus under hob large grill in England for 23 years ... would have brought it here if the electrics were correct! Think we just had the one fridge/freezer. We are on our original cooker (electric) and hob (3 gas/1 electric) since we renovated the ruin c2000. We are on our second fridge/freezer but the first one is in the shed as a backup. We are on the third washing machine and the tumble drier we brought from the UK ... but it is used on high days and holidays and not even then!

They don't bother so much in America either. We only owned our last home there for two years but it came with all appliances.

It is different here as new homes come with your choice of whatever and most used homes come furnished so purchasers often want to change. I am not just talking about foreigners ... there is a lovely home near us for sale fully furnished and the owners are Portuguese wanting to move up North. We have bought and sold three furnished properties here. Often cars are included. I left one with the apartment on the Isle of Wight.

 

It's a "British thing " that I am yet to master.

 

Decorating is not my favourite hobby, in fact these days we get a decorator in to do it.
I could never understand, Michelangelo painted the Sistine chapel over 500 years ago, why do my ceilings need redoing every 3 or 4 years?

 

I think there seems to be some confusion in terms? Redecorating is a completely different thing over here. Redecorating is cosmetics such as paint, furniture, etc. New wiring, cabinetry etc, over here is called renovating.

I can't see spending $30K Canadian every single year just redecorating, let alone renovating. Yes, my kitchen cost a bit more than that and it is a low figure because very little of the work was contracted out (I still get a taste of drywall dust just thinking about those days spackling, sanding..) but this was over 5 lustrum ago and everything still operates well and looks okay. And yes, if I was to finish the cellar, it would cost plenty because it is has full 8 foot ceilings and is a large area, but that also would be one time project. (Well, I already have 78 sheets of wall board down there that have been there for 30 years waiting to be used so partly paid for already )

 

I wholeheartedly agree with you here Lori ... but some folk don't know the difference.

Ha, we spent £25,000 to BUY this house as a ruin ... it had no mains water but had electric and a phone line, all of which needed to be done from scratch. The terracotta tiles on the floor were laid onto earth (as was our cottage in the UK). We have 5 meter tall ceilings in the lounge, foyer and two bedrooms so lots of concrete was needed ... even ceilings are concrete here and three of our rooms are Eucalyptus beamed. There was no kitchen (now a large one fashioned from the donkey shed) and two bathrooms were added taken off the end of the very large living room. We have a loft over the two bathrooms. We have a terracotta tiled roof. The chicken run is now a 20 square meters detached second living room. I think we spent £35,000 on all the renovations/rebuild.

Consequently I cannot comprehend spending that on redecorating!

 

Yes, @Victoria I remember you lived over here for a bit so you understand the building codes and why we have to have proper cellars that extend well beyond the frost line.

I suppose if I won the lottery, I'd be having a few renos done inside whilst playing with landscapers outside. And spending lots of money at the nursery

 

So if you suddenly had £30,000 of some one else's money to spend annually redecorating, what would you spend it on.?

 

I'd be creating a sky-lighted loft and some built in cabinets in lots of rooms!