HGTV's Ashley And Andy Williams Tips For Renovating A Small Home

Renovating a home is challenging, and you're going to come across problems that you didn't at first foresee. You'll also most likely need more money or knowledge than you anticipated. However, when working with a small home, these issues could become amplified and even more difficult to remedy. This is because, even though you have less space to worry about, the lack of square footage can really limit your options and make it difficult to create the design you envisioned. 

HGTV stars, Ashley and Andy Williams of Flip or Flop: Fort Worth, have worked on plenty of homes with a limited amount of space. When talking about the show, Ashley told Domino that "we have a range of different homes — from ranches to bungalows to craftsman to cottages." While working on the cottages, especially the extra small ones, Ashley and Andy provide two key pieces of advice that could help you make the most out of your cramped home. 

In the first episode of Flip or Flop: Fort Worth, Ashley and Andy Williams tackle a cozy two-bedroom and one-bathroom cottage. To expand the space, they add another bedroom and bathroom, which adds value to the property. They also make sure to choose the right colors when designing, as certain shades can help to make even the tiniest space appear larger.

According to Realtor, Ashley emphasizes the importance of using lighter tones. She says, "in a small house you use soft colors so it feels light and airy, rather than dark colors that make it seem dark and heavy." Because of this, she replaces the black tiles in a checkered floor with lighter gray ones, which makes the home feel more spacious and the design less bold. In other areas of the house, they cover up red, blue, and green walls with fresh white and light tones, which makes everything feel airier, as shown on HGTV's Facebook. However, on the outside, they cover up the dirty white paint with more daring colors, including medium blue for the exterior and sunshine yellow for the door, which gives the home a fresh look. 

At the same time, this doesn't mean that your design needs to be boring or all-white. You can still add patterns, which will provide more interest and personalize the space. In the episode mentioned above with the cozy cottage, Ashley and Andy Williams add a light beige patterned backsplash in the kitchen to add warmth and character. In another episode, they install tiles along the walls of a small shower, and each one has a unique pattern, per HGTV. The result is a statement space that's anything but boring. 

This can also be a great way to save money. Because you're working with a smaller area, you may have the budget to splurge on a tile and use it sparingly and then use cheaper materials elsewhere. This is exactly what Ashley recommends doing: "The majority of your bathroom tile can be — if you wanted to say $1.89 per square foot — then, you could get some really cool marble that's probably $16 to $18 a sheet. Use the expensive tile in your shower to make it look super upscale and really expensive, but it'll be really under budget," per Domino.