Whether you’re preparing to sell your home or staying put and craving a refresh, you may be concerned about how home renovations can impact your budget. If you’re willing to put in some time and get a little dirty, these DIY projects will help you update your home without requiring a home equity line.
1. Clean Your Vinyl Siding
Vinyl siding can keep your house looking new for years, but it can start to look dingy after a while. Despite what you may think, you don’t need to hire a pro or rent a power washer to clean your home’s exterior. In fact, you can often do it yourself with a high-quality cleaning solution, a long-handled scrub brush and a garden hose.
2. Repaint the Front Door and Update Exterior Accents
Whether your exterior has siding, paint, shingles, or stone, updating your front door can boost the curb appeal of your home. If you choose a bold accent color that works well with the exterior of your home, it can gift your home the facelift it needs. Other tweaks including swapping out your mailbox and replacing the house numbers.
3. Apply Removable Wallpaper
Updated walls can easily improve your space, but the very word “wallpaper” might make you cringe, especially if you’ve attempted installing wallpaper yourself in the past. Removable wallpaper is a fairly recent innovation and can be a way to update your space with minimal investment and minimal elbow grease. It’s also less of a commitment to permanent wallpaper if you like to update your space frequently.
Pro tip: Spruce up the front of interior steps with removable wallpaper. Just cut strips to size and apply, and your stairs will look as good as new.
4. Paint Your Walls
If you prefer a painted surface to wallpaper, you may be surprised by how easy it is to paint a room yourself. The caveat is that you do have to take your time for quality results, especially with project setup. Take the time to cover the surrounding surfaces with dropcloths, use blue tape for clean lines, and use fresh brushes.
5. Refresh Your Cabinets
Old-looking cabinets can make for a dreary kitchen. Rather than replacing them, consider painting them and switching out the hardware for a dramatic update. And if you want a more dramatic upgrade, consider switching out just a couple of opaque doors for clear glass doors to showcase your finer kitchen items.
6. Apply a New Backsplash
A fresh backsplash can give the impression of a much bigger renovation. Consider peel-and-stick tile, whicj is much easier to install than traditional tile. Even a notice with a little patience can do it!
7. Rejuvenate Your Bathroom
If you’re not in a position to pay for a pricey bathroom renovation, think about a new paint color and upgrade hardware and cabinet and door pulls. Next-level changes would be installing a new shower door, upgrading your shower head and replacing the light fixtures.
8. Hang Wall Art
You can change the look of a room by simply hanging artwork. Work with your partner or a friend to experiment with placement. You can even place things creatively to cover any damage on the walls. And if you don’t have art to hang, check out yard sales, thrift stores, church rummage sales, and flea markets for affordable and unique options. If if modern artwork is more to your taste, IKEA has lots of affordable options.
9. Put Up Window Coverings
New window treatments can dramatically enhance a room without requiring a ton of effort. You can find reasonably priced and easy-to-install shades, curtains, and rods at retailers, like Target, Wayfair, and Home Goods.
10. Update Old Floors
Worn-out old floors can set the tone for an entire room, but re-sanding and finishing your floors could be beyond your capabilities. Consider adding rugs (I like Rugs.com) or painting the wood floors. If the floors are in bad shape, try peel-and-stick tiles. We did this in our kitchen and it was easier than expected and they look like new after many years.
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