7 Fast Tips for Anyone Wanting to Do a DIY Home Renovation

With the help of Leroy Merlin experts, we share how to easily do a DIY home renovation.

Plan

Start with measuring the rooms — accurate information about room and ceiling sizes, distances between doors, windows, niches, and protrusions is essential.

Then create a furniture layout plan. This affects the functionality of the room and placement of outlets, switches, and appliances.

Design: Julia Shmidt, Alexandra TaranovaDesign: Elena and Yaroslav Loskiny

This applies to both construction work and purchasing tools and furniture.

For example, a renovation expert, Andrey Lyamin-Borodin, recommends: "Choose finishing methods that won't take up too much time. For example, if the floor doesn't need to be changed and a small repair is sufficient, you can cut down on work time as much as possible."

Design of a two-room apartment in Moscow

Walls can be refreshed with a new coat of paint or decorative plaster. All you need is to choose the right shade, select a roller, and find about two hours of free time. By the way, special textured rollers with decorative patterns can easily decorate an accent wall.

You will need: Universal Dexell Pro brush, Leroy Merlin; Wall paint Luxens A, Leroy Merlin; Textured roller Pqtools with "Bamboo" effect, Leroy Merlin; Decorative coating Rolplast Boreas, Leroy Merlin

Save favorite interior photos

Once you've settled on a plan, think about the style. Even if you're doing the renovation without a designer's help, don't forget about aesthetics. Blogs, websites or inspiration galleries from building material and home decor stores can help.

Save your favorite interior collections and think about what you'd like to recreate in your own home. It will greatly help when choosing finishing materials, furniture, and decor.

Design: Quadrum Studio

After creating all plans, calculate the budget. When you know the exact room sizes, you can estimate how much material is needed. Add the cost of furniture, decor, and appliances as well — these become known once you decide on a style.

Design: Victoria Smirnova

You will need: Dexter Percussion Drill, 1500 W, 5 J, Leroy Merlin; Dexter Cordless Screwdriver, Li-ion 12 V, 1.3 Ah, Leroy Merlin; Dexter Electric Drill 650 W, Leroy Merlin; Dexter Circular Saw 4, 1300 W, 190 mm, Leroy Merlin

Sign up for masterclasses

Learning the nuances of renovation is easy, and the simplest and most budget-friendly way is to attend a few masterclasses. These are often held in large home improvement stores.

For example, at Leroy Merlin you can easily learn how to lay laminate, hang wallpaper, and paint walls. You can sign up for any masterclass on the store's website.

Buy everything you need for renovation

Order materials in advance to avoid long delivery times and delays. Just don't forget that you should buy materials with a 10–15% surplus — to avoid having to search for the right models later.

Design of a house in Timoshkino village, Krasnogorsky district

Choose simple and universal tools, such as portable devices with removable batteries. They're easy to carry when needed — especially if you don't live in the apartment where you're doing the renovation.

Design of a three-room apartment in Moscow

Dexter Battery 1.5 Ah Li-ion 18 V, for battery-powered tools, Leroy Merlin; Dexter Cordless Screwdriver, Li-ion 12 V, 1.3 Ah, Leroy Merlin; Dexter Cordless Percussion Drill, Li-ion 18 V, Leroy Merlin; Dexter Angle Grinder, Li-ion 18 V, 115 mm, Leroy Merlin

Buy furniture and decor

Pro tip: buy everything in one place to save time and money on delivery.

Floral Pot "Spiral", Leroy Merlin; Decorative Pillow "Zig-Zag", Leroy Merlin; Suspended Light Fresno, Leroy Merlin; Curtains on Eyelets "Manchester", Leroy Merlin

On the cover: Victoria Smirnova's design project