With the cost of living peaking, inflation at a high and soaring interest rates, the idea of doing a home renovation can be daunting, to say the least.
However, Three's latest show ‘Budget Battlers’ is aiming to show that even DIY dreams can still come true.
Jess Eva and Norm Hogan, favourites from The Block Australia, host the series, where they tackle renovating a home from top to bottom in under a week, and on a $10,000 budget.
The Breeze’s Mike Puru caught up with the pair to chat about their new show and even managed to grab us some handy reno tips of our own!
Jess and Norm’s Top 10 tips for renovating on a budget:
1. Garlic Clove Grout Cleaner
Your tiles don’t need replacing - just baking soda, vinegar, and crushed garlic for a natural bleach alternative that smells like pasta night. Let it sit, scrub it in, and shock your tiles back to life.
2. Cardboard Headboard Illusion
Wrap cardboard boxes in linen napkins or leftover fabric, glue them into a panel grid, and stick them behind your bed. Add a diffuser and some mood lighting — it’s giving boutique hotel with zero commitment.
3. Salt Texture Paint Hack
Add sea salt or sand to old white paint and slap it on with a sponge for a textured plaster look. Suddenly, your bathroom is a Mediterranean villa, even if it’s actually a rental in a dodgy part of town. .
4. DIY Plant Wall (aka Salad Bar Chic)
Attach kitchen colanders, sifters, or old mugs to a board or fence using hooks or cable ties. Add soil and herbs. Suddenly, your sad side yard is an Instagrammable vertical garden.
5. The Zip Tie Chair Reinvention
Have a metal or wire chair that’s more ouch than ooh? Weave zip ties across the seat and back in a criss-cross pattern — black-on-black for modern vibes, or go rainbow and let your inner child have a party. It’s comfy, graphic, and way sturdier than it looks.
6. Use Mirrors as Light Amplifiers
Hang mirrors opposite windows or behind lamps to bounce light and make small spaces feel larger and brighter. Bonus hack: Antique-style mirror film turns cheap glass into Parisian perfection.
7. Bring Timber Back to Life with Olive Oil + Vinegar
Revive tired timber furniture using a DIY polish made from equal parts olive oil and vinegar. Rub it in with a soft cloth - you’ll be amazed how rich and nourished it looks in seconds.
8. Mismatched Chairs, Meet Unified Paint
Got a bunch of old, mismatched chairs? Paint them all the same bold colour. Suddenly it looks curated, not chaotic - like you meant it.
9. Paint a 'Fake' Headboard Directly on the Wall
Use masking tape to section off a rectangle, arch, or curve behind your bed and paint it in a contrasting colour. Looks like a bespoke headboard. Costs less than a takeout dinner.
10. Pool Noodle Bedhead Chic As seen on episode two of 'Budget Battlers', wrap pool noodles in fabric and line them vertically or horizontally on a backing board for a soft, sculptural bedhead that looks straight out of a boutique hotel. Use boucle for luxe, linen for coastal, or velvet if you’re feeling rich (even when you’re not). It’s architectural drama… from aisle 12 of the toy section
Catch 'Budget Battlers' Mondays from 7:30pm on TV Three and streaming on ThreeNow.
