‘Fixer to Fabulous’ Stars Dave and Jenny Marrs Share the Budget-Friendly Trick That Can Make Your Kitchen Look ‘Completely New’
Home renovations don’t have to break the bank, say HGTV stars Dave and Jenny Marrs.
The Fixer to Fabulous couple has built their business around helping families turn their houses into places that truly work for their lifestyle. But even if you don’t have the budget for a full-scale overhaul of your home, you can still do some things to make a space look new without spending a ton, they explained.
‘Fixer to Fabulous’ star says paint is the ‘easiest’ way to refresh a dated space
Homeowners will get their biggest bang for their buck in “the spaces that get dated the quickest … your kitchen and your bathrooms,” Jenny told Showbiz Cheat Sheet.
“If you’re trying to just refresh a space, I think the easiest thing, obviously, is paint. It’s the least expensive. It’s the quickest,” the mom of five said.
Other surface-level upgrades can make a room look new without a lot of work.
“You can change out hardware, you can change out lighting,” she said. “Those kinds of things that are, you’re not gutting your kitchen, but you’re updating it.”
With a little more effort, you can get an even more dramatic result. The Marrs have partnered with a company “where you can actually change out just the cabinet doors, the fronts of the doors. So you paint the bases, put new fronts on new hardware, and it looks like a completely new kitchen as well,” Jenny said, noting that viewers will see that “affordable” process in action on one house featured in Fixer to Fabulous Season 8.
“There’s definitely things you can do [to] update without completely changing the space,” she added.
Attempting to DIY? ‘Start small,’ Dave Marrs says
But what if your space needs more than just a fresh coat of paint or new drawer pulls? Rearranging a bathroom or changing the footprint of a kitchen is a more ambitious — and more expensive — project. If homeowners are going to take that on, Dave urges them to “start small,” especially if they’re planning to DIY.
“Start on a smaller space, get your feet wet, and where you have a good feel for the renovation,” he said. “And then just do a space at a time if you’re going to do it yourself.”
For projects that are beyond your capabilities, you’ll need to bring in outside help. While hiring a pro will increase your costs, you can still keep expenses in check with some due diligence.
“Interview several contractors, get several bids, talk to people, get reviews from friends and family, because you really want to make sure you hire the right person if you are doing a bigger project,” Jenny said. “And that is one way you’re going to save money and make sure the project is done right.”
Fixer to Fabulous airs Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET/PT on HGTV.
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