Sarah Beeny is undoubtedly a seasoned property expert, becoming known for presenting TV shows such as Property Ladder and her own recent docuseries, Sarah Beeny’s New Life in the Country among many others. And that's not to mention the invaluable experience of renovating several of her own homes. So when she gives advice about where to save and where to splurge when renovating a home, we make sure to listen.
It's always a delight when experts manage to surprise us with their advice, as Sarah did with her budget kitchen idea in a recent interview with Ideal Home that just might save you from some kitchen renovation regrets and help save some cash for areas where it's more greatly needed.
Sarah’s tip neatly aligns with Kevin McCloud’s IKEA kitchen philosophy, in that you don’t have to spend a lot of money on the base of your cooking space. ‘You can always get away without a proper kitchen,’ explains Sarah. ‘You can just use bits of furniture that you can get so cheap!'
Sarah Beeny’s home renovation tips
‘You can buy second-hand furniture for practically nothing and then paint it all the same colour,' says Sarah. 'That way you could get a makeshift kitchen for probably £200. And it won't do forever but it'll do for a while.'
As for what to do with the savings? Invest in the key baseline of the home that you might regret cutting corners on. ‘Make sure that your wiring and your plumbing is done right,' she advises. 'Make sure you don’t have damp on the walls, have the plastering right, electrics right, get all of those base things right. And then worry about doing more expensive things later on.'
Those expensive things include the costs of getting new kitchen cabinets or curtains. The latter is one which Sarah has yet to pick and hang hers in her home.
‘The kitchen isn’t quite finished. We haven’t got curtains in there and I haven’t got round to that. And there’s quite a lot of rooms that haven’t got curtains in!'
Sarah Beeny is the author of several books about property, home renovation and DIY. Her most recent book includes stories up to and including her most recent project, as well as home renovation tips and advice based on Sarah's personal experience.
So even for Sarah Beeny, there’s always a little (or large) home project waiting around the corner that needs to get done.
