It’s easy to fix up your home if you have unlimited cash. How-ever, if you need to keep your repairs to a minimum and want to stay on budget. There are some basic improvements you can do other than carpet and paint. Here are some inexpensive ways to improve your property with very little cash:
New Electrical Switch Plates
This is such a minor yet overlooked improvement. Most owners paint and leave the old, ugly switch plates. Even worse, some will paint over them. New switch plates cost about 50 cents each. You can replace the entire house with new switch plates for about $30. For the foyer, living room and other obvious areas, spring for nice plates. They run about $5 each – not much for added improvement.
New or Improved Doors
Another overlooked, yet cheap replacement item is doors. If you have ugly brown doors, replace them with nice white doors or paint them. The basic hollow-core door is about $40. It comes pre-primed and pre-hung. For about $20 more, and you can buy stylish six-panel doors.
New Door Handles
In addition to changing doors, consider changing the handles. An old door handle (especially with crusted paint on it) looks drab. For about $15, you can replace them with new brass finished handles.
Paint Trim
If the entire interior of the house does not need a paint job, consider painting the trim. New, modern custom homes typically come with beige or off-white walls and bright-white trim. Use a semi-gloss bright white on all the trim in your house. If the baseboard is worn, cracked or just plain ugly, replace it! Create a great first impression by adding crown molding in the entry way and living room.
New Front Door
You only get one chance to make a first impression. A cheap front door makes a house look cheap. An old front door makes a house look old. If you have a nice heavy door, paint it a bold color using a high-gloss paint. If your front door is old, consider replacing it with a new, stylish door. For about $150, you can buy a very nice door.
Tile Foyer Entry
After the front door, your next first impression is the foyer area. Consider a nice 12″ tile. An 8′ x 8′ area should cost about $100 in materials.
New Shower Curtains
It amazes me that so many people do not realize the bad impression an old shower curtain can give a bathroom. Spend $50 and buy a nice new rod and fancy curtain.
Paint Kitchen Cabinets
Replacing kitchen cabinets is expensive, but painting them is cheap. If you have older cabinets paint them. Use a semi-gloss white and finish them with attractive knobs. Americans spend 99% of their time in the kitchen (when they are not watching TV). A fancy modern faucet looks great in the kitchen. They can run as much as $150, but not to worry – most retailers (Home Depot, Lowes, etc) often run clearance sales on overstocked and discontinued models.
Add Window Shutters
Consider adding wooden shutters outside. They come pre-primed at most hardware retailers and are easy to install. Paint them an offset color from the outside of the house.
Add a Nice Mailbox
Curb appeal starts at the mail-box. For about $45 you can buy a nice mailbox. For about $60 more, you can buy a nice wooden post for it. People notice these things….and they like them!