Home improvement projects (even small ones) not only can dramatically improve your living space, but better yet, they can increase the value of your home. Sometimes, however, the efforts and costs associated with remodeling your home are overwhelming. But dont give up on improving your surroundings quite yet, because here are five simple and budget-friendly projects that can boost your houses value and make your home even more beautiful in the process. 1. Think about basic improvements before jumping into big projects, such a fixing a leaky roof and getting rid of any other structural or mechanical problems. In the bathroom, replace faucets (from $20), mirrors (from $50), and towel rods (from $20). In the kitchen, consider refacing or replacing the cabinetry. These small projects make an immediate impact on your homes overall look without breaking the bank. 2. Painting: If you can only afford one home makeover, this is it. With as much as a 300 % payback, a painting project reaps immediate profit; also, freshening up your paint is guaranteed to encourage you to enjoy your home even more. When painting exterior walls, consider the neighborhood ambience and choose tasteful, current colors. Even if you repaint or add embellishment to just one room, take the time to ensure that all work looks professional, especially if you do it yourself. From $25 per bucket.3. Door Replacements: Are your doors cracked, leaking air, and creaky, or do they just look old and worn down? Replace and update! Save on heating and cooling bills with energy-efficient replacements that keep your family safe and comfortable. If your wooden doors are rotting or scuffed, replace them as well, but dont get too fancy or customized with embellishments that cant be seen from the road. Even replacing a shower door is a cheap upgrade in an otherwise expensive room to remodel. From $200 each.4. Landscaping: How you take care of the exterior of your home reflects how you take care of the interior, and this project doesnt have to be time-consuming or costly. Fancy gardens, stone walkways, and elaborate fences look nice, but they can be time consuming and costly. A more effective and economical solution is to mow the lawn regularly. Trimming any shrubbery removing weeds makes a great first impression. Also, while you are taking care of the landscape, a good project to undertake is your home exterior to kill mildew and make sure it doesnt come back. Use a garden sprayer and EPA-approved mildewcide, and then repaint with mildew resistant brands. From $35 per gallon.5. Installing a deck or updating a patio is the most cost-efficient way to add square footage to your home and is always a great, long-term investment of remodeling dollars. Although this is the biggest home improvement in the list, other patio projects include adding a sunroom or awning to an already existing outdoor living space. An average cost of a new deck or patio is $10,000, but you can recoup as much as 85% of the value when you sell and enjoy more living space in your home.
------------
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Born
and raised in Ukraine, Youri Naimark was an construction engineer for 20
years (specializing in coal mine construction). In that time Youri oversaw
major projects and won several State-level awards. After moving to US in
2002, Youri scaled down and started a Denver tile
installation company. Since then Youri’s company has become a
boutique home improvement firm. Youri has been publishing articles related to
home improvement for over 3 years and recently he started a blog dedicated to
proper home improvement practices and some Do-It-Yourself tips, which can be
found at denvertileinstallation.com/blog.