Ten Low Cost upgrades that are worth your time
Tough times call for tough choices and smart decisions. With so many of us “nesting” more and spending a larger portion of our free time at home, creating a space where you are comfortable and where you want to be takes on a greater level of importance. There are many upgrades one can make to their homes but which ones are the lowest cost yet provide the biggest bang for the buck often is a tricky decision to make.
Here are a few tips from our seasoned staff to guide you in the right direction. Most of the suggestions can be completed on a budget of $1,000 or less and can be done as a DIY project.
Paint: painting the exterior of a home is a wonderful improvement to make once every eight to ten years but generally requires more cost and expertise to take on a project of this magnitude. For our upgrades we focus on interior rooms of a home which are easy for a homeowner to complete themselves. Focus on the kitchen, bathrooms, master bedroom, and family room as the first rooms on your list to upgrade with a coat of paint. Painting a kitchen, bathroom, or normal size bedroom can cost no more than $300 – $400 in materials if you plan to do the work yourself.
Tile the Backsplash: there is no better room in the home than the kitchen or the bathroom to spend your upgrade dollars. Add glass mosaic tile to your kitchen backsplash or timeless subway tile and the room will be absolutely transformed. The kitchen is the area where we spend much of our “gathering” time and our family time so this is a wise choice and can be accomplished for $250 – $500 if done as a DIY project
Re-face the Cabinets: another wise move if needed and as long as the existing cabinetry is solid and in good shape structurally. Refinishing, painting, or refacing can add a whole new dimension to a kitchen beyond just decorative. Homeowners will need some intermediate maintenance and repair skills if they are to take on this sort of project. But if you have the ability the materials should cost no more than $400 – $500 to complete this job.
Add Cabinet Hardware: this may or may not be needed but if there is no hardware yet on the cabinets and you have years of finger prints on the door corners then it is time to invest in a set of hardware for your cabinets. Depending on the size of your kitchen and the number of pieces needed, this project can still be done for less than $500 since there are nice cabinet knobs available for less than $10.
Re-Caulk and re-finish the Tub area: depending on how old your home is and how well the bath area has been maintained you may want to consider refinishing your tub rather than replacing it. Refinishing a tub is much less expensive and offers remarkable results. Cleaning and re-caulking the bath area should be done every five years to keep this area maintained and looking new. Caulking is easy to do with a little bit of work going a long way.
Check back with us again on Friday of this week for the second five items on our list of low cost upgrades that can make a difference.
