WHEN ACREAGE LIFE staff photographer Michael Raine and his wife, Kitty Lambi, wanted space for a new dining room, they decided to rearrange their floor plan rather than adding on to their 1962 split level. By removing a closet, they opened up a seldom-used main floor bedroom. Now, the layout flows from the kitchen to the living room to a spectacular new dining room. The 12 x 14-foot room appears spacious, thanks to a huge, salvaged plate glass mirror set in a customized, brushed steel frame. The mirror reflects light from garden doors in the adjacent living room. They kept the width of the opening under eight feet, to make use of readily available and lower-priced eight-foot board lengths. The new entrance features a dropped ceiling of 3/4-inch maple plywood containing directional, four-inch potlights. These highlight maple and glass curio shelving at either side of the doorway. Much of the interior maple was cut from two sheets of maple plywood. One-inch doorstop material yielded an inexpensive wood trim with a substantial, contemporary appearance. Adding verve are a stripey hardwood floor of 3/4-inch country maple planks, and vivid red paint. The project cost $1,200, significantly less than an addition. Home decorator Tami Nykiforuk also believes in doing more with less. As a home stager, she helps clients de-clutter and spruce up prior to selling properties in and around Saskatoon. Her tips apply to anyone who wants to breathe new life into indoor spaces. "It's about what you can do with what you have," she says. "You put in the labour and you get the result." Start with a few good core pieces of furniture, and then have fun collecting the rest at garage sales, flea markets and second-hand stores, Nykiforuk suggests. She refreshes a house by replacing bathroom fixtures and kitchen hardware, or adding chair rails to walls. This millwork adds richness and character, and makes ceilings appear higher, she says. If the windows are low enough, create window seats and add storage space beneath them. Nykiforuk's home is a work in progress, with ever-changing rooms. Recently, she created a loft bed for her 11-year-old son. "If you can't build out, you build up," she says. Now there is floor space for reading and playing, a corner for the pet hamster, and better access to a window and closet. Nykiforuk's husband helped her design and build the sturdy bed and ladder. He assembled and stained two-by-six pine planks. She painted the walls vivid tones graduating from lime green to deep blue, to complement new bedding. The room was completed within five days, for about $900. "Don't be afraid of colour," Nykiforuk says. "Colour is one of the easiest things to change." She suggests painting the front door a bold colour, and staining exterior brickwork. Setting a budget should be the first step in any home renovation project, says general contractor John Wiens, of North Ridge Development in Saskatoon. In his last home, in Medicine Hat, Alberta, he removed a wall between the kitchen and dining room to create a larger, brighter space. Including new laminate flooring, baseboards and paint, the project cost $700. Before starting any renovations, do-it-yourselfers should locate wiring and identify load-bearing walls, Wiens says. Contact the local municipality, too, to determine if building permits are required. New paint and flooring are essential, Wiens says. Piecing together odds and sods will lessen the impact of a new space. When planning a room, renovators should carefully measure the space and map it out on paper, or use a computer design program, Wiens says. "Just because it works in your head doesn't mean it will work in reality." Rental shops can supply specialized equipment such as tile cutters, while an electrician or plumber is just a phone call away. Wiens advocates comparison shopping. "A person doesn't want to cheap out too much; just go medium." Watch for sales at hardware stores, which also offer information on decorating and construction techniques. When he was rebuilding a bathroom, Wiens considered a retrofit service that lines bathtubs, shower bases and walls. On finding the fee was more than half the price of new fixtures, he went with new. He says that a retrofit makes sense, however, if a tight space won't accommodate new fixtures. Bathrooms are among the better-used areas of a house, so they require periodic upgrades and inspections for water damage. In Wiens's $1,500 bathroom renovation, he stripped the room to the studs, and discovered mould caused by a leaking toilet. He replaced the faucets, bought a pre-built cabinet, replaced the drywall, and set up a new tub and surround. He built a strong sub-floor, and then installed tile flooring, something he learned to do via a website. Do-it-yourselfers shouldn't be afraid to tackle such small-scale home renovation projects, Wiens says. "If you can paint and swing a hammer, you can just about do it."