Ways You Can Upgrade Your Home On A Budget

When you hear the term home renovations you may instinctively think of dollar signs. While some renovation projects can run in the tens of thousands, that does not always have to be the case.

In fact, the average homeowner can add upgrades to their home for much less money and while still being on a budget.

Paint Doors And Shutters

If you’re looking for a quick DIY project that will tremendously enhance the exterior look of your home, then consider just adding a new coat of paint to a few areas of your home.

The key areas are going to be your front door and the shutters. These areas are seen by passers-by so cleaning them up with a new paint job will really have a positive effect on the value of your home.

It’s best to choose inviting colours that will bring both contrast and warmth to your home.

Don’t skip over buying a couple of cheap paint samples to test out before committing to a certain paint colour.

When it’s time to get to painting, you should be able to handle most of it with a gallon or two of paint – don’t forget the primer. Also, don’t forget to clean them first so you’re painting over a clean surface.

That’s a quick home fix for under $50 that will positively transform the exterior look of your home.

Add Some Outdoor Lighting

Custom outdoor lighting is becoming a new craze for many homeowners – especially those that want to enhance the look of their home exterior.

Exterior lighting works to both show off the exterior design of the home in the evening hours, and to enhance safety and security.

Custom exterior lighting is so affordable and can pretty much fit into any budget.

You really have endless options with respect to where you can install new lights. A great initial upgrade is to install path lighting up your walk-way.

To save on electrical bills, you can also consider solar-powered lights which can simply be staked into the ground and will use solar energy to operate.

If you don’t have a working porch light or it really looks quite outdated, consider switching it out for a new modern-styled light fixture.

You can add accent lighting over the garage, under certain windows, and over your porch and deck areas which will make a huge difference in the functionality and look of your home.

Build Raised Gardens

The tending to and landscaping of the exterior of your home makes a big difference in its overall appearance. A home that is properly landscaped will have gardens that are constructed to flow with the existing property and look amazing to your visitors.

If you have a lowered property, or areas that slope, , then consider a raised garden bed which are good ways to overcome grade issues.

You can create several levels (or tiers) that help to keep your soil in place so that it doesn’t erode because of rain or snow.

Different grade levels will also allow your garden to retain more moisture to make it through any dry summer days.

As a homeowner, using a raised garden bed is a great way to make gardening simple and much more easy to accomplish especially if you don’t have much experience with gardens.

Raised beds can be constructed with a few boards, fence posts, wood planks and nails.

If you are a new home owner, and don’t have much of a garden or grass yet, read the article on tips on landscaping your garden from scratch for great tips on putting a garden together where there isn’t one.

Change Out Kitchen Hardware

If you don’t have the budget to install brand new kitchen cabinets, you can still enhance their look, and you’ll be glad to know that it doesn’t require any paint.

All you need to do is head to your local hardware store and pick out some new cabinet hardware.

There are quite a few options that will help you to transform your kitchen for under $300.

You can consider replacing all cabinet drawer handles and knobs; you can add a new ceramic back-splash; you can install new shelves; you can buy new taps, or even buy a new kitchen sink; you can add lighting underneath your cabinets – the list goes on.

Most of these items (except the new sink) can be replaced or installed with a screwdriver and about 30 minutes of your time.

Popular choices for drawer-handles are dark metals or brushed nickel.

Once you see the transformation in your kitchen, you may even decide to upgrade the hardware in your bathroom too.

Add Interior Accent Lighting

You may be surprised how much of a difference interior accent lighting can make to the look of the inside of your home.

You can try installing under-cabinet lighting which can transform your kitchen into an inviting place of warmth, especially at night.

Where to install new lighting in a home

You can tactfully install flexible ribbon-lighting in various parts of your home’s interior – all of which can be found online for an average of under $30 a strip. Most of these strips are easy to apply and the end result is quite gorgeous. You can even apply light-strips to parts of your bathroom too!

You can install new hallway lighting fixtures; new fixtures for your bedrooms and hallways; your bathrooms can probably use a lighting upgrade too; try installing new lighting in your bedroom closets or your armoire. Even adding a pot light or two can make a world of difference in how your room feels.

Take a walk around your home and find areas where new lighting will look awesome. You can also do some online research into using lighting to enhance your home-interior.

Switch Out Your Door Handles

Another major trendsetter that can make your home go from the old days to the modern lifestyle is by upgrading your door handles.

Both interior and exterior doors are fair game for your all sorts of upgrades and the door handles are no exception.

You can try switching out your old school round handles for ones that are more ergonomic, sleek and modern looking. You can also change things up to be old school, and install more traditional handles too.

As a general rule of thumb, be sure to include the same door handle styles for each door of your home. You don’t want to have a new door handle on one bedroom and an old door handle on another.

Consistency is king. One of the most popular items you may want to look into is the grasp-door levers as they’re much easier to open.

Remember that the change in colour of the metal used in your door handles can also help to create a more dramatic look throughout your home.

Replace Light Switches And Outlets

One of the biggest indicators of an out of date home are out of date, old grimy receptacles and toggle light-switches.

For a few bucks (max $50), you can change out all the light switches and outlets in your home for new snazzy ones.

There are hundreds of various styles of switches on the market that you can choose from – some even have USB plugs integrated into the outlet for more modern functionality.

When it comes to the light switches in your home, the old toggle switches scream to be replaced.

You can upgrade to new switches like dimmers, selectors, or push button switches. The type of lighting that the switch is controlling with be determining factor in what type of light switch you install.

Don’t forget that you can even get new switches and outlets that come with pre-installed lights so you can see the switch in the dark.

The Take Home

Upgrading your home on a budget can be super simple and truly fun. You can also get your whole family involved.

The above upgrade suggestions are just a few of the many potential upgrades that you can undertake as a homeowner.

Now that you realize just how easy and affordable some of these upgrades are, you can make it your mission to undertake a new upgrade project every couple of months or at least a few times a year.