A mother from Adelaide, with six children under the age of six, has revealed how she turned her home from its original state into one that’s brimming with style – and on a budget, too.
Krechelle Carter, 27, who blogs under Eight At Home, not only manages a hectic household of eight, but she’s also a dab hand at interiors and home styling.
Ms Carter recently shared how she and her husband Dave, along with her father-in-law, had been working their way through their formerly un-renovated home ‘bit by bit’.
Krechelle Carter (pictured) has six children under the age of six and shared how she renovated rooms of her home on a budget
Ms Carter worked with her husband Dave (pictured) to renovate their home ‘bit by bit’
Ms Carter revealed her dining room, now a sleek white-tiled affair, was once ‘originally cream and mustard and covered in lino’.
She explained how she and her handy husband kept renovation costs under control by doing some of the hard work themselves including demolishing the room.
While the pair tackled this on their own, Ms Carter did admit that she brought in some professionals for a few of the more difficult construction tasks.
‘Leave the big stuff to the builders/experts – especially when it comes to engineering!,’ she said.
The busy mum explained how her and her handy husband gutted the room first before getting in professionals to reconstruct.
Bargain finds including free chairs from Gumtree have turned this room into a stunning family environment
Giving the room a rustic feel in keeping with her aesthetic, Ms Carter said she covered the walls in shiplap, which is a kind of wooden board often used for constructing sheds, barns and other outdoor buildings.
The thrifty mum, who previously shared how she feeds her family on a strict budget of $200 per week, also offered some insight as to how she decorated the family room with a blend of re-purposed Gumtree finds along with IKEA and Kmart accessories.
Ms Carter wrote that those thinking of renovating in a similar fashion to always consider buying second-hand furniture and to ‘check Gumtree under “give away”.
‘When you pick up items off Gumtree (especially when the people are demo or renovation) let them know that you’re interested in a certain style or era- that’s how we scored the second set of French doors!,’ she explained.
The South Australian mum previously revealed she feeds her family of eight for $200 per week
And if shopping from reclamation yards and antique stores, shop for more than one item and push for a hefty discount, she recommends.
‘The first time I went to buy my chandelier they said $500! Not on my watch guys!,’ Ms Carter added.
Showing how her house came together over time, Ms Carter also shared before and after shots of her lounge, one she said she renovated while she was pregnant.
Ms Carter also shared before and after shots of her lounge, one she said she renovated while she was pregnant
Tacking the complex job in a similar manner, Ms Carter said gutting the room first was necessary before bringing in the builders to reconstruct a wall (pictured before)
The lounge room post-renovation has been decorated in a modern way by the budget conscious shopper
Describing the project as ‘beyond confusing’, she wrote: ‘the old owners had built a ceiling of mesh panels half a foot lower than the actual ceiling which was just lovely and old and with cornices.
‘There was a cupboard covering one of the lounge room doorways when we moved in behind a curtain.’
Tacking the complex job in a similar manner, Ms Carter said gutting the room first was necessary before bringing in the builders to reconstruct a wall.
After a paint job which made it look like ‘a blooming new room’, the floating floor was ripped up to reveal pine floorboards that were sanded and stained.
Ms Carter previously revealed her budget-conscious mindset means the family do all they can to save money.
‘We are not rich. We have a mortgage and a renovations loan and bills, bills, bills,’ she admitted.
‘There is a lot of planning that goes into our lives and budgeting is essential,’ she concluded. ‘But the organisation of it all makes it less stressful.’