Investing in an ambitious home improvement project is a good way to give your home a fresh look. But what if you simply don’t have the budget for something as grand right now?
While some home improvement projects require hefty expenditures, there are ways to freshen up your home without spending a lot of money.
Unlike bigger projects, they don’t require as much time and planning, as well.
Here are five affordable home improvement projects you can start today, if you like. And they won’t cost you much, either.
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Update Your Kitchen
If you can’t afford new appliances, flooring, or cabinets, consider updating your kitchen with a fresh coat of paint.
You can paint cabinet doors to give them a fresh look. You can also replace old, worn hardware, and get new pots and pans.
Be sure you make proper preparations if you are going to paint. It’s important to consider the extent of the job. Remember to remove hardware and doors.
Once that’s done, you need to clean the surfaces, sand, and apply primer-sealer before painting. You can replace handles and pulls once the paint dries to give those cabinets an even more updated look.
Have you considered changing improving the lighting in your cooking space?
While ambient lighting enables you to navigate your kitchen, it often leaves shadows in places where you work.
You might also add an under cabinet spice rack to give your kitchen that extra touch of efficiency and personality.
You can ensure proper illumination of work surfaces and cabinetry with task lighting. Strip lights and puck lights are the most common task lighting options.
These small, inexpensive light fixtures will help you prepare meals safely, read recipes, and spot ingredients on a shelf. Anyone who has spent time in a kitchen knows how much those little details can help.
Paint Your Front Door
You’d be surprised at how much a fresh coat of paint on your front door could change the look of your entire home.
Be sure you remove the hardware on your door before starting. You should cover built-in hardware – the peephole, for instance – with painter’s tape.
Lay down a drop cloth to protect the ground and floor, says HGTV. Paint the door with an exterior-grade paint-and-primer-in-one, perhaps.
Leave the door slightly open as you paint to make sure you paint all the edges!
Again, you’ll need to sand, clean the surfaces, and apply primer-sealer before painting. You might want to install new lighting and doormats that match the new color, when you’re done.
Organize Your Space
Some people would not consider organization to be a home improvement. We beg to disagree.
Organizing your space can make an enormous difference to potential buyers. If you aren’t selling, then that’s all the more reason to keep a clean, well-lit, well-organized home.
Unless you have not done any cleaning in years, organizing your home should be an affordable project.
Begin with the space in which you spend most of your time when you are home. You can move onto the rest of when you have time.
You can purchase shelves or organizing buckets if you want, but start by completing the free, no-money-spent organizing tasks.
Find permanent corners for your things. Organizing your clothes, shoes, shelves, and even your refrigerator and pantry will help.
Update Your Bedroom, Make Like a SEAL
Keeping your bedroom organized allows you the pep you need to start the day right. In the evening, that space should permit you the relaxation you require for a good night’s sleep, as well.
Waking up to overflowing drawers, clothes in disarray, and a cluttered bed will leave you feeling drained. If your bedroom is small, then proper decorating and arrangement is essential.
Please do make your bed every morning! Your day begins in bed. Your day ends in the bed.
“If you make your bed every morning you will have accomplished the first task of the day,” says Admiral William H. McRaven, a former US Navy SEAL. “It will give you a small sense of pride, and it will encourage you to do another task and another and another.”
Also, consider the size, flooring, and placement of your furniture. Decorative mirrors will make the room look more spacious. have you considered wall cabinets? They look good and save space.
Be sure to choose paint colors that make you feel comfortable, advises Sienna Beard for Showbiz Cheat Sheet. Try to have a consistent theme or color.
Be sure to keep your room clean, too. Regardless of size, a clean bedroom is always more appealing.
Maintain Your Outdoor Space
Improving your outdoor space takes more time than everything else we’ve discussed so far. But you can do it for very little cash – or for free – if you are willing to put in the hours.
Giving your home an improved exterior appeal will make it look better overall. As discussed earlier, painting the front door – or the trim or shutters – is a great way to update your home’s appeal.
Upgrading your mailbox, improving your lighting, and adding flower boxes can also help.
Spruce the shrubs, trim unruly trees, and regularly mow your grass. Give your home an elegant, dapper look.
Concrete will crack and wear down over time. That requires regular upkeep. You should fix cracks on concrete as soon as you notice them. They are easier to repair while they are still small.
Maintaining the paint on your home’s exterior will protect your home from moisture damage.
You don’t have to paint every square inch. A touch-up may be all that’s needed.
You should clean and inspect your front door at least once a year, says Choice Home Warranty. Use a gentle cleaner to wipe down the door.
Avoid using abrasive tools. Do not scour or power wash the door. Simply wipe it down with wood cleaner, baby shampoo, or diluted dish soap.
A Little Imagination, Endless Possibilities
There are so many affordable ways you can improve your home. In addition to painting your kitchen cabinets, updating your room, and organizing, you can paint other rooms in the house.
This is an excellent – and affordable – way to give your home a face-lift.
Try decorating your home in a coordinated style, with definite themes. That little effort will make your space infinitely more presentable and comfortable.
You just have to choose which direction you want to go, and you need to determine how much time you have.
Use your imagination and have fun. You’ll end with better results, for sure.
