How to build your own Barbie Dreamhouse with a home renovation loan

By Sara Borman · · 3 min read
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pink paint for Barbie inspired home renovations

While your dream house might not be Barbie pink or feature a three level slide from the bedroom, it’s easy to get wrapped up in your wishlist when it comes to home renovations. Though you might have tamer goals than everyone’s favourite doll, there’s no reason your home shouldn’t be your own Dreamhouse. 

Whether or not you take inspiration from Margot Robbie’s Architectural Digest tour of the Barbie Dreamhouse, there are plenty of lessons to learn from the queen of pink. If you’re looking into using a personal loan to turn your home into a dream home, there are some major lessons to learn:

These Barbie-inspired renovations can add value to your home

In the same way you’d pay more for the dollhouse with the pool and the elevator than the basic model, the right home renovations can add value to your home. 

  • Barbie’s pool may have been in-appearance-only, but homes with pools can add hundreds of thousands dollars to the value of your home (dependent on the area you live in and the size of your house). 
  • A fresh coat of paint can make a real difference, refreshing your headspace and your physical surroundings. While Barbieland might have been a bit intense for your tastes (and caused a national shortage of pink paint!), take that inspiration and add a slick of paint to modernise your space.
  • Loved the concept of Barbie’s top-storey bedroom? Adding a level to your home, or an extra bedroom, can add significant value to your house. Not only does it increase your home’s square footage, but it can also create extra storage and possibilities. When it comes to selling your home, you’ve also expanded your market.
  • We all know that life in plastic is fantastic. In this case, we’re talking about fake plants. If you’re not the best at caring for fussy plants, but know how much impact greenery makes to a space, adding some fake plant life is one of our favourite cheap ways to makeover our space.
  • If all of this has you thinking about consumerism and how you can do something good for the environment, consider going green. Switching to solar power or converting to an electric vehicle could put you in line for a green loan, which often have lower interest rates. There may also be government rebates available, and long-term savings on your energy bills.
Architectural Digest Barbie Dreamhouse tour

How a home renovation loan can help you

There are a range of ways to finance your home renovations, with a home renovation loan offering one of the most flexible ways to access funds. 

A home renovation loan is a type of personal loan used specifically for changing up your home. Whether that means a kitchen remodel, adding a storey, doing some landscaping, or just a fresh coat of paint, generally once your loan has been funded you can use it on the project of your choosing.

Home renovation loans are repaid over time, usually in monthly instalments, but some personal loan providers offer different repayment plans. Loans will be offered for different terms to be paid back with interest at fixed or variable rates, and can be unsecured or secured against a valuable asset.

Start comparing loans below, or find a snapshot of Mozo’s best personal loans right now. If you're looking for some other Barbie-themed goodies, check out our Barbie shopping list or find out how much it would cost to travel to Barbieland in real life.

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Last updated 13 December 2024 Important disclosures and comparison rate warning*
  • Home Improvement Loan

    Excellent Credit, $5,000 - $100,000

    interest rate
    comparison rate
    Monthly repayment
    6.57% p.a.to 8.39% p.a.
    7.19% p.a.to 8.75% p.a.based on $30,000
    over 5 years

    Give your home a refresh with the 2025 Mozo award-winning provider OMM. Borrow up to $100,000 for loan terms 1-7 years. Flexible weekly, fortnightly or monthly repayment options. No monthly, early repayment or exit fees. Fast 100% online application.

    Repayment terms from 1 year to 7 years. Representative example: a 5 year $30,000 loan at 6.57% would cost $35,278.12 including fees.

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  • Unsecured Personal Loan

    Fixed

    interest rate
    comparison rate
    Monthly repayment
    6.75% p.a.to 26.95% p.a.
    6.75% p.a.to 26.95% p.a.based on $30,000
    over 5 years

    Borrow up to $50,000 unsecured. Perfect if you earn more than $22,100 p.a. and have good to excellent credit. Multi-year winner of Mozo’s Experts Choice Unsecured Personal Loan Award, 2021, 2022, 2023 & 2024^'

    Repayment terms from 2 years to 7 years. Representative example: a 5 year $30,000 loan at 6.75% would cost $35,430.23 including fees.

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  • Low Rate Personal Loan

    Excellent Credit, $5,000 - $75,000

    interest rate
    comparison rate
    Monthly repayment
    6.57% p.a.to 8.39% p.a.
    7.19% p.a.to 8.75% p.a.based on $30,000
    over 5 years

    Competitive low rates for borrowers with excellent credit on 1-7 year loans from $5,000 up to $75,000, plus free extra repayments. Winner of Mozo's Experts Choice Excellent Credit Unsecured Personal Loan 2024 and Excellent Credit Secured Personal Loan 2024 awards ^. Min. income of 25k after tax, to apply.

    Repayment terms from 1 year to 7 years. Representative example: a 5 year $30,000 loan at 6.57% would cost $35,528.12 including fees.

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  • Unsecured Personal Loan

    interest rate
    comparison rate
    Monthly repayment
    6.56% p.a.to 21.99% p.a.
    6.56% p.a.to 22.79% p.a.based on $30,000
    over 5 years

    Competitive fixed rates for borrowers on 1-7 year loans from $5,000 up to $50,000. $0 monthly fees and no early repayment fees to pay. Fast application process on the Revolut app. According to Revolut and subject to loan approval, you'll receive your money into your Revolut account straight away.

    Repayment terms from 1 year to 7 years. Representative example: a 5 year $30,000 loan at 6.56% would cost $35,768.68 including fees.

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* WARNING: The Comparison Rate combines the lender's interest rate, fees and charges into a single rate to show the true cost of a personal loan. The comparison rates displayed are calculated based on a loan of $30,000 for a term of 5 years or a loan of $10,000 for a term of 3 years as indicated, based on monthly principal and interest repayments, on a secured basis for secured loans and an unsecured basis for unsecured loans. This comparison rate applies only to the example or examples given. Different amounts and terms will result in different comparison rates. Costs such as redraw fees or early repayment fees, and cost savings such as fee waivers, are not included in the comparison rate but may influence the cost of the loan.

^See information about the Mozo Experts Choice Personal Loan Awards

Mozo provides general product information. We don't consider your personal objectives, financial situation or needs and we aren't recommending any specific product to you. You should make your own decision after reading the PDS or offer documentation, or seeking independent advice.

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