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Ask any real estate agent or designer, and they'll tell you that those cheap home supply store light fixtures won't earn you a major payday when you go to sell your house. Upgrade your lighting, however, and you'll be upgrading that check from a potential buyer, too. "Lighting fixtures, like hardware, are the jewelry of your house." You could buy all new cabinets and save money by purchasing prefabricated cabinets and installing them yourself, but that’s more work and money than painting or staining your existing cabinets.
To quickly and easily rehabilitate your existing fireplace, a gas or wood-burning insert adds energy efficiency to your home without tearing apart your hearth and mantel. Equipping your fireplace with glass doors blocks heated and cooled air from escaping and amplifies the fire's heat, which in turn reduces energy costs. Closing the damper when the fireplace is not in use will help keep cold out of your home and add to heating efficiency. Having your fireplace and chimney professionally cleaned will also improve fireplace efficiency.
Install a Low-Cost Stair Runner
But what happens when you’re on a super tight budget and your priority is to increase your home’s future sales value? A cheery front-door color and a touch of landscaping can do wonders for your home's curb appeal and make a lasting impression on guests. Dress the door with new hardware, and add potted plants near the entrance. Consider installing outdoor lighting to enhance your home's architecture and illuminate the walkway. Replace your worn-out welcome mat with a bold statement mat to create a warm and welcoming ambiance for your home. While some plants are touted as helping to improve indoor air quality because they release oxygen, they are still allergy triggers for many people.
It's bad enough to have to get up in the morning, let alone get up and experience the icy shock of a cold floor. What you need is some warmth underfoot, a little cushion as you pad across the house. Resilient yet durable, stylish yet earthy, a natural cork floor can turn any cool room into a cozy haven. See How to Install a Low-Cost Stair Runner for full step-by-step instructions.
Refresh Your Rooms With Paint
However, one of the biggest challenges that tends to stop good ideas in their tracks tends to be the scale of what might be involved as well as the cost of the change as well. When folks start adding up the various expenses, they suddenly get gun shy with regards to moving forward. And that means really good ideas and motivation can go sideways, making a home frustrating. A Look Back at Norm Abram’s Career Rock star, GOAT, world-class craftsman. As TOH master carpenter Norm Abram steps away from This Old House after 43 seasons, we look back at his career, and he looks forward. Easy Fixes for Drafty Windows and Doors Read these 8 things you can do yourself to keep warm inside your home.
"Steel entry doors boost curb appeal—they are sleek and clean and come in a variety of finishes and paneling," says Palomino. "They increase the security of your home and stand up to wear and tear…and not subject to warping or rotting." They also have a 91 percent ROI, she notes. It may only take a few hours to complete, but adding a fresh coat of paint to a room can completely transform your space for the better—and add serious value along the way. Spring cleaning shouldn't just be reserved for the interior of your house—cleaning up the outside can help you reap major rewards when it's time to sell. "It's an affordable way to make a kitchen look new and modern," says Maryana Grinshpun, design director of interior design company Mammoth Projects.
Hang Outdoor String Lights
Better Homes and Gardens has a great tutorial on how to upgrade your cabinetry. Think outside the box with stone, wood, or metal faceplates that match your personality. Removing them is time-consuming and exhausting, but it absolutely pays off in the updated value of your home.
Danner said for outside lighting, use bulbs that are a bright white instead of the orange kind. The brighter lighting allows neighbors to accurately see people who might try to break in, including their hair color, clothing and the color of their vehicle. You might feel your home has plenty of space, but prospective buyers tend to be all about square footage these days.
Painting, re-grouting tile, and power washing the outside of your home won’t cost a lot of money, but these do-it-yourself home improvement ideas can add real value to your home. If you want to make your space more attractive, functional, and appealing to someone willing to pay top dollar, it's time to add some storage and clear up that cluttered space. "It takes someone one minute to decide if they want to enter your home. If you are selling, that minute can cost you thousands in lost opportunities and days on the market!" says Gianna. "Give your home a fighting chance. Paint your front door and shutters . This is cheap and a must—akin to washing your face before leaving the house! Use deep, bold blues, greens, and wine tones to add style."
If you don’t, you should consider hiring a professional to do the installation for you, to make sure your project is up to code and is not a safety hazard. Expect to pay around $360 for one recessed light plus installation. When it comes to actual projects that involve improvements, Hill says he would spend his money on a combination of the following.
Believe it or not, there are a lot of easy options available that will help you improve the value of your home and simultaneously make it more efficient. This process is also known as cabinet refacing, and new cabinet doors can be ordered online without the upcharges of going through a contractor. Like the door knob project, updating your switchplates and outlet covers is a weekend project any homeowner can do with just a flathead screwdriver. Even if you keep a clean home and cook relatively healthy food, grease from cooking can deposit and accumulate in out-of-the-way areas of your kitchen. The freshly applied caulk will make your rooms feel brand-new.
Long before the advent of resilient sheet flooring and plastic-laminate planks, there was vinyl tile. Originally produced as an alternative to linoleum, vinyl tile grew in popularity because it was colorful, easy to clean, and crack resistant. The 12x12-inch tiles come in dozens of colors, patterns and textures, making it easy to create checkerboard designs and floors with contrasting borders. Here we'll show you the right way to put in self-adhesive tiles for a professional-looking and durable floor. Older homes, in particular, are likely to have hardwood floors lurking beneath carpet.
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