If you're looking to put your house on the market or just want to update an older home without spending months and thousands of dollars, then these 7 quick and affordable DIYs are for you.
- Landscaping
First impressions are important. You need curb appeal to make a good impression with house guests or potential customers. This project can be completed within a weekend. For a basic landscape re-do you’ll need grass grower, mulch, flowers of your choice, nails, hammer, and your home address in metal numbers. Start landscaping your front yard by laying out grass grower and mulch where applicable, as well as planting flowers. Lastly, hang your address on your front door or in a visible place using your hammer and nails.
- Kitchen Cabinets
Instead of demolishing your old kitchen cabinets, you can save yourself money and spend a weekend giving them a makeover. Since the kitchen is one of the biggest selling points when selling a house, updating the appearance of your kitchen cabinets can add serious value to your home. For this project you will need paint, primer, sandpaper, painters tape, a screwdriver, and drawer/cabinet knobs. First, using a screwdriver, remove all cabinets and drawers from their wall mounts. Lay painters tape around the edges of the drawers, cabinets, floor boards, and countertops. Next, remove the current knobs. Now, you can begin the three step process of sanding, priming, and painting. Once your paint dries, you can attach new knobs and reattach the cabinets and drawers.
- Bathroom Fixtures
Next to the kitchen, the bathroom is a huge selling point for potential home buyers. This project is simple and will only require one day to finish. In order to modernize these rooms, you can update the lights, sink and shower faucets, and bathroom mirrors. Before you switch out the shower and sink faucets, make sure you turn off the water, and turn off the electricity before you attempt to change out light fixtures. Depending on the type of mirror you currently have and the one you want to replace it with, you might need nails, cement, or heavy duty glue. These are easy updates that can completely change the feeling of your bathroom.
- Lighting
Lighting is a simple DIY project you can use to improve your home's value. If you want to add more ambient light to your home, consider switching your style of blinds. If you currently have plastic, switch to modern wooden blinds. This project can be done quickly because most home improvement stores offer installation if you are not up to doing this project yourself.
- Color
Don't underestimate the value of adding color to a room. If your walls are all off-white, introducing some color will make a big impact. When choosing a color, keep in mind potential buyers and the long-term appeal of the color. Consider adding color to a wall, ceiling, stairwell, or even all 4 walls in a room. This weekend project will require: painters tape, primer, a paint roller or brush, a tarp, and enough paint for your project. First, remove all furniture from the room, lay down the tarp to protect the floor, tape any area you don't want to paint accidentally, then prime and paint! It's that simple.
- Stair Runner
Don't have boring stairs - this DIY is simple and affordable, but will be very effective. Take a day to add a stair runner to your old, beat up stairs. This renovation only requires measuring your stairwell, selecting carpet, and either having it professionally installed or doing so yourself with a staple gun.
- Stair Banister
Finally, that brings us to the stair banister. Replacing the rods in your banister with more modern ones will update the overall look of your stairs. This day long project only requires new rods and cement. For this task, remove and replace each rod one at time, using cement to secure them. Even though it’s a simple DIY, you can also choose to have the rods replaced professionally.
