Culled from readers and editors over the years, here are 10 nuggets to help you renovate and decorate without spending a fortune. Taken together, they suggest both a timeline (plan ahead!) and an approach (listen to the house). Take your time. Seek advice from other renovators, reliable contractors, and a designer who can help you avoid pitfalls.n Old houses need renovation and system upgrades, which aren’t cheap. Still, an old house may offer other advantages. The quality of materials—hardwood, three-coat plaster, doublehung windows, wood wainscoting—means that elements last and are meant to be repaired, not replaced. An unfitted kitchen with multiple counter surfaces and a linoleum floor is more budget-friendly than most. Comfortably imperfect, layered with history, old houses take well to eclectic mixing.
