Ten Low Cost Upgrades – the remaining five
Now where did we leave off? Since you had a couple of days to digest the first part of our list here we go with the second half.
Fixtures and Faucets: for $100 – $200 a new matching faucet can make a big decorative difference in a kitchen or bathroom. Manufacturers are now putting out designer style faucets for very competitive prices which can be found at some of the big box retailers or even online. Upgrade that old chrome looking metal faucet to a brushed nickel or satin finish faucet. That coupled with a coat of paint and a new glass tile backsplash and for a small $$$ investment and a couple weekends of your time you can have a whole new kitchen or bath.
Lighting: in this category you can spend as little or as much as you feel comfortable. There are very stylish fixtures that can be had for as little as $60 at some retailers. Or, you can purchase a unique designer lighting piece for several thousand dollars at some of the boutique home stores. We would recommend a higher skill level to do this sort of work since knowledge of electrical basics comes in to play here.
Toilets: although used everyday in a typical home most folks don’t ordinarily think of the toilet as a decorative piece in the home to enhance and improve. However, with a new emphasis on helping the environment try splurging a little on an eco friendly low flush model that is a worthwhile investment for any home. Energy saving and efficiency are the motivating factors here and the investment should be no more than $500 – $600 for toilet and installation if plumbing is not your strong suit.
Landscaping: often overlooked especially in colder climes around the country but a big factor in improving your homes curb appeal is exterior landscaping. Often just a few strategically located colorful flowers are all that is needed to make a major visual improvement to a home’s exterior. The investment for flowers and top soil as needed should cost no more than $100 for a small size garden area.
Front door hardware and mailbox cleansing: again focusing on exterior curb appeal homeowners should clean up and improve their front door area of the home. Cleaning, repairing, or replacing the door hardware and or knocker is at the top of the list followed by cleaning and/or repairing the mailbox, cleaning the house number, and replacing any front door area lighting that may be present. All of the above maintenance and repair work should be done to the front door area at least once per year or as needed in order to maintain the first area your visitors and guests see when they approach your home. The $$$ investment for clean up work is minimal but the payoff is tremendous if only for the visual impact such work has on your home.
Get out this weekend and get started if the weather is appropriate where you live. Summer will be here before you know it and you want to be finished and done before the first invite goes out for the family summer BBQ.
