5 Home Improvement Shortcuts That Can Increase Your Home’s Value

Are you a DIY enthusiast? If you’d rather save your hard-earned dollars by sprucing up your home yourself, you’re not alone. Plus, cheap fixes can be surprisingly effective for increasing your home’s value over time. And of course, they increase your comfort and enjoyment at home.

Here, then, are 5 shortcuts to home improvement that can pay off both now and down the line.

1. Bolster Your Bathroom.

The bathroom is one of those rooms that tend to get overlooked. If you can’t afford a remodel but want to help your bathroom capture attention for all the right reasons, consider these shortcuts:

• Change out your mirror or put a frame around the edge. This is a quick update that will modernize the look of the entire bathroom.
• Invest in some new faucets or other plumbing hardware. Many DIY videos teach you step by step the right way to install a new faucet. There are many great styles that can make your sink look fresh and new for relatively low costs.
• Consider a pedestal sink or a refinished, faux-stone cabinet top. If you have a little more money to spend, create a spacious look with a pedestal sink. If not, you can find faux-stone refinishing kits to apply to that old laminate counter.
• Re-caulk or re-grout your tile. It’s not hard to learn how to use a caulking gun. A little practice, and you’ll have a great-looking shower stall or tub enclosure once again.

2. Consider Crown Mouldings.

Take a turn around your local home improvement store and check out the latest foam moulding materials. A crown moulding adds height, architectural detail, and instant class to your living room or master bedroom.

Once again, you’ll find plentiful online tutorials for installing crown moulding. You may also want to enlist the help of a friend to help you adhere the moulding before applying the finishing nails and painting everything. But the results will be worth it.

3. Finesse Your Floors.

These days you don’t have to spend thousands of dollars to improve your flooring. If you or a family member has allergies, your carpet may be the first culprit. Prepare to invest a little elbow grease, but with help from others, you can rip out old carpeting and replace it with laminate flooring or—for the budget-conscious—linoleum.

Don’t like the idea of linoleum? You may change your mind when you see today’s options. You can find easy-application linoleum squares that are simple to cut and place. Many even come in fairly realistic-looking wood-grain patterns. Plus, they’re easy to clean, particularly if you have pets in your home.

4. Keep Your Kitchen Lively.

If your kitchen features a wall of old laminate cabinets, consider repainting them in a light colour (off-white is a popular trend that can take years off of the look of your kitchen). Today’s paints include brands and mixtures specially formulated for laminates.

Of course, be prepared for a real project. You can save a great deal of money, but if time is your overriding factor, ask for suggestions while you’re at the home improvement stores. Just keep in mind that employees may not always offer you the cheapest options.

If all your cupboards need is a good wash and some new cabinet hardware, then go to it! It’s amazing how great your space can look with new drawer pulls and door handles.

Similarly, just as you may do for the bathroom, it’s easy to change out the calcified, grimy old faucets on your kitchen sink. Not only is this a relatively easy fix, it’s also fairly cheap for the great-looking results.

Do your light fixtures look like they’re still stuck back in the seventies? A modest kitchen light fixture can run anywhere from $60 to $300 dollars, depending, but a simple fixture can change your kitchen dramatically. While you’re at it, you can look into inexpensive task lighting for dark corners.

Some appliance manufacturers give you the option of re-facing appliances like dishwashers. And getting rid of dated colours (avocado appliances, anyone?) is just a bonus.

5. Energize Your Entryway.

Your front door is the gateway to your entire home and, as such, it has power to project the mood and persona you choose. If your front door is dented or flaking, that’s probably sending the wrong message.

It may be the time to invest a few hundred dollars for a modest-but-attractive new entry door, perhaps one with a fanlight that allows more natural lighting into your home. If you like that idea but can’t afford a new door, a new storm door may be a less expensive option that still creates a better look.

Still too expensive? There’s always re-painting to freshen things up. Or change out the door’s hardware and door knob with a stronger, more stylish handle and locking system. Your entry will look great and you’ll feel safer.

Ready? Get set for a more valuable home without spending thousands of dollars. Your home—and you—will feel refreshed by the results.