We understand that being able to personalise your home is important and as part of our Consumer Charter, DIO is committed to modernising our policies to give Service families more freedoms to improve their homes.
As part of this, we’re highlighting how temporary enhancements can help military families make their home feel more comfortable and reflective of their personal style.
Temporary enhancements are non-permanent changes you can make to the interior of your SFA. Families do not need to submit forms or seek approval to carry out temporary enhancements as they aren’t permanent and can be easily removed ahead of moving out.
You might have heard of renter hacks – but we’re talking about Patch Hacks. There are many unique features to military life, including living in different SFA houses around the country ‘on patch’.
We caught up with Zoe, a military spouse living in North Devon, about how she transformed her SFA interior to reflect her family’s personal style. Zoe wrapped her kitchen cabinets in vinyl, completely transforming the room. She made other temporary enhancements to her home including installing a temporary wall divider, adding removable picture rails and using shelving in her bathroom that sticks to the tiles. Zoe’s home is a great example of how simple changes can make a big impact.
You can follow Zoe on Instagram @that.military.wife.
Zoe said, “As soon as we were allocated our SFA I started planning. I spend a lot of time on Pinterest, looking at trends and researching the easiest ways to make non-permanent additions to my home.”
“As a military family we move around frequently and can be away from extended family. This makes it so important that my house feels like a home. I love walking into my home, and it feel warm and cosy and full of things I’ve picked up throughout my married life.”
When asked what advice she’d give a family about to move into their first SFA, Zoe said, “There are so many ways you can make an SFA your own. It can be something as simple as putting up picture frames or laying down a rug. Even adding a few brighter accessories can really uplift a room.”
“Planning is key – planning the enhancement but also how you’re going to remove it. Command strips have been my best friend. I also try to focus on one wall per room as I know I will need to paint the whole wall back to its original colour prior to marching out.”
Families can paint their homes but are currently required to return them to the original colour on move out. Under the planned changes more flexibility will be given to families to decorate their homes, however this policy is still being refined with further details to follow in due course.
Read more about light touch enhancements in your SFA on our new Patch Hacks page, or contact your dedicated Housing Officer.
Share your Patch Hacks
If you’ve personalised your SFA home with light touch enhancements, we’d love to hear from you. Like Zoe, your creativity could inspire other military families and feature on the Defence Homes website or our DIO social channels. Tag or message us on our Instagram or X account or fill out this form and we’ll get in touch.