Would you be put off by the sight of a crumbling, weed-infested, desecrated building? It may have been someone’s residence in a bygone era but it certainly wouldn’t fit many people’s idea of home. It doesn’t have to remain like that, though. A run-down building may, in fact, be your ideal opportunity to seize upon an existing structure and touch it up just the way you want it.

The good people at Chic Furniture and Gift, a UK-based online retailer of shabby chic furniture, have put together this fantastic house restoration guide for anyone thinking of giving some love to a neglected property. While it is the perfect way of letting your interior design mind run wild, it also takes plenty of thought, money and patience to get it exactly how you would want. Just as you wouldn’t simply sit an exam without studying for it first, you can’t click your fingers and say ‘Hey, I’m gonna restore this old house’ without giving it the necessary consideration.

As well as knowing what work needs to be done, you’ll also need to ensure that you have the budget for undertaking a house restoration project. Any interiors expert will tell you that whatever amount you think you’ll need, add 20% to it and that’s what you probably will need. How much it will cost will depend significantly on how much work you’re willing to invest – in this case, it is almost always a case of ‘you get what you pay for’.

Restoring a home is no laughing matter, but once you carefully map out precisely what you want and what you need to get it, plus how much the entire project is going to cost, it has the potential to be incredibly satisfying. Don’t just take a wrecking ball to a dilapidated old house; put your stamp on it and turn it into a place that you would be proud to call home.