There are ways to enhance your home without going into debt or draining your finances, yet whole house renovations can increase the value of your house. Painting, re-grouting tile, and power washing outside your house are inexpensive DIY home improvement projects that can significantly increase the value of your house.
If you’re ready to sell, you can list your home for more money with a little effort, a DIY mentality, and a few dollars. Additionally, you can enjoy living in a more lovely home even if you’re not ready to put your house on the market.
Starting with Home Improvement
It might be exciting and a little difficult to start a home renovation project, especially if it’s your first time. It requires careful planning, lots of time and energy, as well as enough money budgeted to ensure you can complete the task as you like. Upgrading your house might involve anything from small aesthetic changes to extensive improvements. The possibilities are endless: you might upgrade to big, gorgeous windows, install solar panels to help you save money in the long run and be more energy efficient, or rebuild your kitchen.
Here are the best DIY ideas that contribute to your home improvement:
Give Your Walls a New Look
A little elbow grease and a few cans of paint can significantly impact your walls with scratches and discolored paint, an outdated color, or fading wallpaper. Select a neutral color scheme that combines the entire property, makes the space look more prominent, and appeals to a wide range of potential buyers to increase the value of your home for sale.
Add Crown Molding
Crown molding is at the top of most remodeling wish lists, not because people relish wasting a Saturday trying to get the corners just right, but because it adds elegance and value to a home. Fortunately, there is a quick fix for miter-saw frustration.
Lightweight polystyrene foam with a durable plaster finish is called Trimroc molding from Canamould Extrusions. It cuts smoothly with the help of a handsaw and goes up easily with the joining compound. With just a dab of mud, ragged joints vanish without any coping or difficult angles. Therefore, you can transform a simple area into an attractive setting in only one weekend—and still have time for everything else on your list.
Install Ceiling Fans
Because everyone likes to reduce their utility costs, ceiling fans are a desirable addition to any home. Ceiling fans minimize the need for air conditioning, and by moving warm air away from the ceiling, they can also lower the expense of heating. A decent primary fan may be had for no more than a couple hundred dollars, and they typically cost around $50. If you don’t already have wiring from overhead lighting, you might need to hire a pro, which will dramatically drive up the price of this project.
Installing a Dishwasher to Conserve Water
Your power and water expenses could be suffering as a result of that old dishwasher. It’s time to replace it with a brand-new Energy Star-certified dishwasher, which can help you save over $30 annually on power and about 500 gallons of water. You use 40% more water cleaning by hand if you don’t have a dishwasher at all!
The greatest reduction in expenses? You may install a dishwasher in an afternoon. No need for a plumber or electrician, as well as no concern over blowing your retirement savings on a load of clean dishes.
Improving Windows
The inexpensive horizontal aluminum blinds, paper shades, or vertical plastic blinds that may have arrived with your house don’t raise its worth. Think about swapping them out for curtains, wooden blinds, or plantation shutters. Once more, if you’re selling, pick solutions that are neutral and could raise the value of your house.
Freshen Up Old Flooring
Particularly in older homes, it’s possible to find hardwood floors hidden beneath the carpet. If your floors are squeaky, you might have wood floors. If you’re unsure, lift your carpet to a hidden spot and inspect it. If you have wood floors, you may need to refinish them to bring them back to their former glory, but this will be far less expensive than buying new flooring entirely.
Give Stunning New Finish to Kitchen Cabinets
Your kitchen feels like a cave since the dark cabinets have sucked all the light out. If the door and frames are physically good, you may clean them up, apply some fresh paint, and transform the kitchen from gloomy to cheery in a single weekend. However, a more cheery makeover does not include replacing those dull boxes with brand-new ones. All you require is some powerful cleanser, sandpaper, a paintbrush, and some hard work. You don’t need a lot of cash because the change will set you back far less than even the most affordable new cabinets.
Update Fixtures
Switch plates, outlet covers, curtain rods, light fixtures, and doorknobs are frequently uninteresting or disregarded, but you can add a lot of charm for a few bucks. Beautiful metal outlet covers and switch plates may be purchased for as little as $5 each yet seem considerably more expensive. Light fixtures and ornate curtain rods can be a bit pricey, but occasionally a can of spray paint can transform a cheap one into something classy. Once more, if you intend to sell your things, select items with colors and finishes that will be appealing to a wide range of buyers.
Clean Fireplace Brick
Make your fireplace as appealing as possible because it can be a major selling point for a house. It’s likely that some of the bricks in a brick fireplace that burns wood have dust and creosote stains. Wipe part of the dust away with a moist cloth before cleaning the fireplace with a creosote-removing cleaner. You’ll need to scrape the brick with a hard brush and perhaps apply more than one coat, but after you’re done, it will look nice.
Install a Water Filter
Because of worries about the quality or taste of tap water, millions of households have converted to bottled drinking water. No matter if the water is from a ground well or a municipal pipeline, these issues are present across the nation. Installing an under-sink water-filtration system is an easier and more affordable approach to getting clean drinking water.
Kitchen Cabinets
Prefabricated (rather than custom) cabinets can be purchased and installed at a lower cost, but that requires more effort and time than just painting or staining your current cabinets. White cabinets will brighten a kitchen, are frequently in vogue, and are simple to repaint if a future owner wants something else. Your cabinets’ doors, as well as all of the hardware, must be taken off. Additionally, you must clean the cabinets first to prevent oily smears and grime from ruining your job. Also, think about updating your bathroom cabinets.
Eco-friendly Insulation
Even getting out of bed in the morning is a hassle; imagine getting out of bed and encountering the freezing shock of a cold floor. What you really need when you go around the house is some warmth underfoot and a small cushion. Natural cork floors are resilient yet sturdy, fashionable yet rustic, and can transform any cool room into a cozy haven.
Additionally, cork is much simpler to install than conventional wood flooring. Engineered panels are now available from manufacturers, and they snap together without the use of glue or nails. These floating-floor systems can be installed over existing flooring as well as plywood, concrete, or both. You can transform a floor into a cozy mat in a single afternoon, freeing your toes from the threat of frostbite or expensive area rugs.
Enhance Your Entryway
One of the most used rooms in a house, the inside entryway is also sometimes one of the least given architectural considerations. Get more use out of yours by making a few simple changes, such as adding a bench and hooks for a fast DIY mudroom or a new rug to increase the room’s comfort and style. Look for furnishings that complement the style of the rest of your home and offer both fashion and functionality.
Create Space for Your Pet
Create a specific space in your home for your pet as part of your mini-renovation. Pet teepees, on-the-wall cat jungle gyms, and fancy water fountains are just a few examples of pet décor that have advanced significantly in recent years. They make it simpler than ever to find items that make life fun and/or comfortable for your pet and improve the overall appearance of a room.
Organizing Closets
Here is a simple DIY home improvement task that won’t cost you any money or tools but can significantly improve your house. Clean out your closet completely, just like you would before a move, and separate each item of clothing into one of three piles: keep, donate, or throw. If you’d like, you can spend money on new closet organizers or use what you currently have and simply reduce the size of your wardrobe to make room for everything. Give your closet a thorough cleaning and vacuuming before placing your clothing back in it for a total refresh.
Don’t Forget About Lawn Care
Many DIYers enjoy spending weekends removing weeds, pruning hedges, and taking care of their lawns. Others put lawn maintenance last on their list of weekend activities. In either case, having a well-kept lawn will raise the value of your house.
However, for more experienced lawn care, you can hire a pro, but these are the minor things you can do on your own. It really helps to uplift your home’s overall look and attract potential buyers.
Installing Tech to Add Value
Home automation security systems are a popular trend in home technology. These reasonably priced devices can be moved to a new homeowner and wirelessly connect with your phone to deliver continual updates. Many popular DIY security systems may be installed in an afternoon. However, replacing outlets may need to hire an electrician.
Installing smart thermostats and changing your lighting to LEDs are examples of other trendy technology. Optimizing your heating will help you save money over time because it accounts for a large portion of your home’s overall energy use.
These improvements not only increase convenience in your house but also lessen its total carbon impact, which many potential buyers value and are prepared to pay more for.
Final Words
It doesn’t have to be expensive, difficult, or require contractors to upgrade your home. The value of your property can be increased for both potential buyers and, perhaps more importantly, for you through various improvements for all budgets, skill levels, and excitement levels.
Whether you intend to stay in your home or sell it, putting a few of these home improvement ideas into practice will help you maximize the value of one of your most valuable possessions.
FAQ
Why is Home Improvement Important?
Making remodeling modifications might help turn your house into the peaceful haven it was meant to be. Replacement windows and siding can secure your property from invaders and weather-related damage while also making your home seem less draughty.
How Often Should You Upgrade Your House?
Generally speaking, you should update your house every five to ten years. This does not imply that you must carry out expensive improvements that entail tearing out tiles and demolishing walls. The desired result can often be achieved by replacing little details like door handles and faucets.
Are Home Improvements a Good Investment?
One of the few investments that can both raise the standard of living in your home and increase its future worth is home remodeling. The home upgrades with the best return on investment are those that increase square footage and usable space. The average ROI on home improvements is 70%.
Is Home Improvement the Same as Construction?
The scope of the work performed by a general contractor and a home improvement contractor differs significantly. While a general contractor would manage whole projects from the ground up, a home improvement contractor will often focus on particular construction areas, such as kitchen builds.
What Should Home Improvements be Done First?
The kitchen should always be one of the first tasks to take on because it is one of the rooms where guests spend the most time and because homeowners want to make a good first impression. New cabinets, flooring, appliances, worktops, and frequently the layout are all part of this remodeling in order to provide extra room.