Renovating can get so expensive, it really depends on how you can do yourself and if you know anyone to help with the big jobs.
We put a front pergola up and the steel cost us i think around $1500 and the concrete cost $1500 too for 7 x 5 metres labour nothing as hubby is a boilermaker and some friends helped with the concreting...one of which turned out to be an ex concreter They also concreted around the pool we put in, got professionals to do that though...now that was exy $30 000, so worth it! We still have a back extension to do that will be 14 x 5 metres, bathroom, kitchen, floor coverings more concreting, carport, new garage to replace the old existing one! We have just decided to sell a block of land we have to pay for the rest of the renos cos we will make more outta the house than the land.