July 27, 2021
Are you overwhelmed (or just not sure where to start) with how to budget for your home project? I know this task can be tough, so I’m going to break it down for you here, and hopefully this can help out!
Mistakes
First things first, do you know the biggest budgeting mistake most of us make when planning for our room update (which almost ALWAYS causes us to go way over budget)?
We forget to account for the small pieces and decor in the room. 🤦♀️
When thinking about budget, you’d be surprised how many of us just think about the big furniture pieces, and spend our entire allotted budget on that. Then, when it comes to pulling the space together with smaller pieces and finishing touches, there isn’t much left! 🙈
That’s why you end up buying new furniture, then never get around to finishing off the room and truly love it, OR go wayyy over budget without realizing how your room update ended up costing so much. 💸
Believe it or not, the smaller pieces could account for 20% of your total room budget, so make sure you account for this up front before shopping for furniture!
Another mistake I see homeowners making is forgetting to incorporate freight and shipping costs into their budget. Depending on where you are shopping for furniture, you could see delivery fees of up to $400 per order or more (for larger pieces). My advice is to do some research into the stores you are considering purchasing from and see what their shipping and delivery fees are – that will give you an idea as to how much money you should set aside for these costs.
The Planning
First, you want to decide on a budget for furniture and decor for your entire home or project. I know that some people really have no idea where to start with a ballpark number, so I’ve put down some estimates below, based on projects that I’ve worked on. I’ve broken these out into budget-friendly projects, mid-range projects, and upper-range projects so that you can see what sort of value you are getting for the price:
| Room | Budget-Friendly | Mid-Range | Upper-Range |
| Living Room | $3k-$10k | $10k-$25k | $25k+ |
| Kitchen | $10k-$25k | $50k-100K | $100k+ |
| Dining Room | $3k-$8k | $8k-$20k | $20k+ |
| Bedroom | $1,500-$5k | $5k-$15k | $15k+ |
| Bathroom | $5k-$15k | $15k-50k | $50k+ |
| Home Office | $2k-$5k | $5k-$15k | $15k+ |
If you are renovating or furnishing your entire home, you will want to decide an overall budget, then break this down by room. Below are some things you will want to considering when deciding how you will allocate your funds:
- Think about if there are any rooms that will require more furniture, or more updates, than other areas of the house. Consider allocating a higher percentage of the budget to these rooms.
- Are there any rooms that you really want to include some “splurge” pieces of higher quality than the other rooms? Consider this when allocating your budget.
- Start to break down your total budget into each room of your house. You can use this home budget planning workbook to help!
Next Steps
Once you have your budget broken down by room, you can start planning for what you want to purchase for the space. I always start with the large furniture pieces, and work my way down to the smaller accents.
One thing my clients love is that I take their entire budget and turn it into the room of their dreams, which means they don’t even have to think about this part (plus, my trade discounts usually save them a TON). More time, energy, and money given right back to you! Now that’s a reason to celebrate. 🎉🎉🎉
If you want to learn more about my Virtual Interior Design services, check out our main website here! We’d love to help you transform your home into a place you love.
Have you ever had a project go over budget (I mean we all have, right?)? Comment below and tell me about it!
Want to save this blog post as a reminder of how to budget for your home project? Pin it!
