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Waiting for a Better Time to Sell? How to get a new home without getting a new home

Jennifer Manson, Home Style

With uncertainty in the property market you may be looking around your current home and thinking "It's not so bad after all!" Here are some tips for transforming your home with ease.

Make the rooms bigger without moving walls

People don't take up space, things do. If you are feeling short of space and adding rooms is not an option, consider storing some items semi-permanently in the garage or lending them to friends so that you only have the furniture you need. Clear, easy walking paths make rooms feel larger and empty spaces can make it easier to breathe.

If the room looks bigger it feels bigger: lengthen the views by opening curtains, getting rid of net curtains and cutting back foliage so windows are clear and place a garden seat where you can see it to draw your eye out. Hang mirrors and pictures of landscape views.

Repurposing rooms

If children are struggling with overflowing rooms, consider giving them the largest bedroom and moving into a smaller one yourself. Children use their rooms far more during the day than adults. You could also put two children into one bedroom together if they want to be and give them a separate playroom - this way the toys stay in one place and the bedroom can be more ordered and calm for sleeping.

Make maintenance a priority

It's easy to delay acting on small niggles but taking care of them quickly feels great and keeps you on top of things. Getting a door handle fixed won't cost much and it can improve your experience of life every time you move around the house.

When you notice something that needs doing, keep a positive mood and create a mental picture of what it will look like or feel like when it is repaired - this is the fastest way to ensure you will take the action to get it done.

A coat of paint

I always recommend a neutral palette so you can change mood on a whim with accessories - or you could ignore me and go wild with colour!

Let children choose their own room colours - maybe get them to help you paint: my own children loved doing the skirtings and lower part of the walls while I stood on the ladder. Be prepared to repaint in 3-4 years once they are in the next phase of life.

Use the opportunity with the room empty for painting to do a sort out before things go back - with the fresh paint children will be feeling proud of the room. Help them arrange things the way they want them and take a picture with it looking perfect to refer to next time they do a tidy up.

Small pleasures

Give yourself something small for the house. Most of life is about feeling you are moving forward, whether in small or large steps. Frame a photograph you have taken yourself or have a canvas print made of it.

Treat yourself to something that catches your eye - a beautiful throw or blanket for the end of your bed, or to wrap up in when you are watching television or reading in the evening.

Use the roof space - a good old English Loft conversion

If you have a good pitch to your roof it may be possible to make a room or two in the roof space without needing resource consent - skylight windows bring in heaps of light and add to the sense of adventure. Children especially love the fun of different levels and eccentric corners to rooms. Lower eave space can be used for large storage areas making a vertical wall to the lower part of the room.

Outside

Look at the outside of the house. It might not be the time to repave the driveway but a couple of bright, attractive pots on either side of the front door will keep your focus positive, and visitors', too.

Get back to the joy of gardening if that's something you like, or invest in a few hours' worth of garden labour so you can enjoy your beautiful grounds over a social weekend lunch.

For renovations from small handyman jobs to major builds and roof space conversions in Christchurch, Jennifer Manson at Home Style recommends Wheelers Renovations Ltd, www.wheelersrenovations.co.nz

Jennifer also specialises in Pre-renovation consultations, to advise on the most cost-effective ways to achieve the results you want from your home. Call 03 3519369 (+64 33 51 93 69 from outside New Zealand) to arrange a consultation.