“I’m Micro-Renovating A 100-Year-Old House – 8 Things I’ve Learned So Far”

From Pinterest-induced depression to facing a realistic budget head-on, and from honing very green DIY skills to mastering the art of the second-hand find, The Handbook’s Astrid Carter has just stepped onto the property ladder. Here’s everything she’s learning while tackling a 100-year-old micro renovation.

Buying your first property is exhilarating and overwhelming all at once. It is one of life’s biggest privileges and a defining milestone, for sure, but one that fills you with a sense of achievement and lump-in-your-throat-what-have-we-done fear in equal measure.

While I am thrilled and feel very lucky to be in this position, we’ve taken on a 1930s house that has seen very little love for over thirty years. Some might say we’ve bitten off more than we can chew, but hey, it gets the blood pumping if nothing else. Thankfully, there’s no major structural work required, no immediate rewiring, and the roof is relatively new (thank goodness). But everything at the surface level? It has to go. Literally every room needs a facelift, and I’m tackling the lot with an addiction to Pinterest, a modest budget, and a healthy dose of pure delusion. It’s a term social media and many other amateur home renovators are calling ‘the micro renovation’. Here is everything I’ve learned so far.

1. Be realistic & know your limits

Instagram and Pinterest are incredible tools, but they can be tough on the old ego – especially when you came out of the womb with expensive taste. Most of the dreamy images I’m pinning and saving are the result of interior design studios, professional photography, and top-tier tradespeople. They are curated, lit, styled within an inch of their lives, but they’re certainly not real, lived-in homes, or renos done by someone with little to no DIY skills.

2. Set a budget (& stick to it)

This is the part everyone hates because it forces you to confront A) exactly how much you have, and B) how much things actually cost. And, let me tell you, those two things rarely align. I’ve started a spreadsheet for our priority rooms to keep me on track. Renovating on a budget is all about trade-offs. I’m happy to skip holidays and on-a-whim dinners out for the foreseeable if it means finally getting my dream bathroom.

3. Live in it for a while

When we finally got the keys, everyone said, “Oh, just paint everything white to freshen it up.” If you know me and my style, all-white-everything isn’t going to cut it. I didn’t see the point in wasting time, manpower (that’s just me and my partner), or paint on the walls I have grand plans once our ducks are in a row.

Moving in and simply living in the space takes the pressure off. It provides the breathing room to realise what actually needs to be done first. For example, we thought we could live with our lavender bathroom for a couple of years, but as we use it more, we’ve realised it has to go – not just for the aesthetics, but for the functionality too. It’s officially next on the list.

4. Make it feel like home (even in the chaos)

My advice? Layered lighting, cute cushions (even sale finds from H&M), and walls covered in your favourite prints make a world of difference to your mood while everything else is turned upside down.

5. Don’t let the things you love pass you by

As a champion of second-hand and vintage pieces, I love a good rummage at markets and salvage yards. I recently spotted a buttermilk-lemon pedestal basin that looked exactly like one of my favourite Pinterest finds. I had to have it. For now, it lives in the garage, but it’s the centrepiece of the future dream bathroom, and actually, having that has given me a clearer vision of what I want for the space. When you find the one, don’t wait for the room to be ready – buy it and build the room around it.

6. Take it room by room

It’s easy to get distracted when every single room needs work, but I’m sticking to the one room at a time rule. I started with my son’s room; removing 30-year-old wallpaper was no mean feat, but it felt manageable in a modestly sized space. Bar a few finishing touches, it’s almost complete, and I’m so proud that he has a space to call his own, even when the rest of the house is utter chaos. Luckily, at five years old, his design input was limited to “green and white,” which I was able to mix in with pops of red, charming and fun soft furnishings, and vintage furniture to make it feel stylish. but still very much like a little boy’s room.

8. Utilise what you’ve got (& who you know)

I’m incredibly grateful for the best friend who is a brilliant interior architect and a great sounding board, and my partner who can turn his hand to almost any DIY task. I know these are huge privileges that keep the budget on track. But even if you aren’t a pro with a toolbox, there are so many online resources to help you get stuck in.

We’re also very much working with what we’ve got – not everything needs to be new. We asked the previous owners to leave some furniture they were getting rid of, as we got the keys three days before Christmas, and thought it might be nice to have at least a sofa to sit on! While we won’t be keeping their ’80s floral three-piece, we lucked out on some incredible mid-century bedroom pieces that would have cost hundreds second-hand and are very much my style. We also inherited a massive, oversized ‘70s lamp. It might not be worth much, but I love it and the fact that it’s part of the wider story of this house.