Budget Tips for Renovating Your Home

Because times are tough economically, many people have decided not to rejuvenate their dated home because they cannot afford to.  If you’re in that same situation, you can rest easy that you can give your house an overhaul with a few enhancements without spending all of your savings.

Make Your Budget Go Further

Begin with basics when contemplating a remodel.  Assess from ceiling to floors first. This is the first step in your home rehab project. If you have a “popcorn” ceiling, consider either repainting it a crisp, white color or hiring someone to resurface and retexurize it with a smooth pattern. Don’t forget to paint on a high-grade primer before your paint coat!  Next, look at the walls and choose a neutral shade that will flatter open and airy tones and will go with any décor. Fix any holes and marks in your walls and doors so your home looks fresh and refinished. Next, keep going with the floor covering: are the baseboards and flooring in good shape?  If so, repaint the baseboards a nice white color to make the home look modern and attractive. If you plan to tear out and lay new coverings on the floors, consider porcelain tiles, because they are easy on your wallet per square foot and last much longer than carpet does.  If you will be installing carpeting, choose a thick pile that is somewhere between brown and beige so that marks from food and drinks won’t show much and the carpet will be resistant to crushing for a long time.

Save Money and Do It Yourself

Remodeling your bathrooms and kitchen are the best investments you can put into your living quarters. If the cabinetry is structurally sound, consider either repainting the existing cabinets or buying new doors.  If you will be refacing them, get a good cordless drill and remove the hardware from the cabinet doors to loosen them.  If needed,  you can buy replacement cabinet doors from your local hardware store. For bigger savings, re-stain your own doors. Again, take out the doors from the cabinets and then apply a paint stripper to the existing finish and use a scarping tool made from hard plastic just for this purpose. Once all of the finish has been removed, sand the cabinets the beginning time with a sander using medium-grade sandpaper. A final sanding should be completed with a fine-grade sandpaper after that. Wipe off the sanding residue and then spread a wood conditioner to the cabinets. Finally, stain or paint the wood and complete it with several clear coats to protect the wood from water exposure.

Upgrading Your Furniture

Modernizing your furniture and home décor is an easy and effective way to make your living quarters look like new. There are great deals at yard sales, discount design stores, and online which will save money.  For even bigger savings, create furniture by yourself. You can make a gorgeous headboard, for example, with nothing more than two extra-large posts of wood, a woodworking lathe (you can lease this from someone), and a large rectangle of plywood.  Cover the wood center portion with some batting, fabric, and decorative upholstery pins for a new headboard that is truly stunning!

It doesn’t matter whether you’ve recently moved into a home that needs TLC or if it’s your existing house. Either way, these great tips for getting the place you live to look its best will help your house look brand-new without spending a ton of dough in the process.

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