This article was submitted by the Handyman, author of Handyman Fix Home Repair (rss feed). He strongly belives in cheap kitchen remodeling. If you like the guest post please check out his website and consider subscribing to his rss feed.
With the state of the housing market and values for homes dropping across the country, there has never been a better time to think about remodeling. This is a quick and easy way to add value to your home and avoid heading into negative equity territory. There are many easy and cheap home remodels that anyone can do without breaking the bank. These little refreshments for your home can have a big impact not only on the overall value of your home, but they can also provide you with more functionality and you’ll just feel better about your house.
- Give your appliances a facelift. If you have always wanted stainless steel appliances, but can’t quite swing the cost, there is an easy way to get that same look at a mere fraction of the cost. Purchase contact paper with a stainless steel finish and simply affix it to your appliances. The process generally takes less than an hour, and if you are careful and follow the directions exactly, the results look just like the real thing. Or if you like to be more practical try Chalkboard Contact Paper
- Replace your flooring with peel and stick tiles. If your kitchen or bathroom floors have seen better days, but you can’t quite afford to get them completely redone, you may want to consider adding peel and stick tiles. These are available at most home improvement stores as well as discount stores and it will usually cost less than $150 to complete an entire room. The installation process is very easy and the finished result will look very professional.
- Replace kitchen, bathroom and interior hardware. Simply buying new door handles, and drawer pulls can have a big impact on how your house looks. There are literally hundreds of different finishes that you can choose from and most are relatively inexpensive. This is an easy fix and installation should take only a few minutes for each door or drawer you are updating. Consider going with stainless steel hardware for a modern look, or you can even find hardware that looks like wrought iron for a fraction of what the real thing would cost.
- Overhaul appliances to make them more efficient. Even forced air furnaces need to be cleaned every once in awhile and doing so can greatly impact how efficient they are and how much money you spend on energy costs. In addition, if your fridge is crammed full, cleaning it out will help it function properly and you can end up saving a significant amount of money on electricity. If you have window air conditioners, clean the filters to keep them functioning properly.
- Install new window treatments. Nothing dates a room faster than old window treatments. Consider ditching the mini blinds for a new set of drapes, or throw out those old curtains and install a brand new set of roman shades. There are many available options that can provide not only beauty, but also energy savings. Thermal backed window treatments can make a big difference in the comfort level of your home both in summer and winter.
These easy fixes certainly won’t break the bank and you’ll be able to enjoy the fruits of your labor, knowing that you saved a ton of money.
If you are interested purchasing various tools for you DIY projects please consider starting your shopping at the Handyman Fix Home Repair stores: Hardware Store, Garden Store, and Discount Appliances
@LazyMan Thanks for the opportunity.
@LazyMan Readers What do you think? Any and all constructive criticism would be appreciated.
Hey. Thanks for the great tip. I’ll get my husband to do this!
I love the idea of making your home look better on the cheap, but increasing the value of the home? These kinds of fixes are things a home buyer (or at least a real-estate agent) would probably notice and therefore not consider when valuing the home.
Am I wrong about this?
Just wanted to point out that if you decide to use the peel-and-stick floor tiles, do not put them on top of an existing vinyl floor. Remove the old vinyl first. Otherwise, the stick-on tiles will slide around and come up.
Also, don’t just buy the cheapest stick-on tiles in the store if you want your floor to look good for more than a year.
How do I know these things? The house we moved into last year has an ugly green peel-and-stick tile floor. The tiles (the cheapest Home Depot carries) are sliding around, coming up, and tripping us. Also, the finish on the tiles has worn off in places, making sections of the floor look perpetually dirty.
Sheet vinyl is almost as cheap and doesn’t have all these problems. We are currently saving up to redo the kitchen and replace this crappy floor.
I’m tempted to get some work in the house done. Tip: get 10% coupon from Home Depot on Ebay or Postal office to save money.
Susanna makes a good point – when doing something yourself, don’t go with the cheapest supplies out there. You still save over having it done professionally, and that step up to the next price point can make all the difference. We currently rent, and the owner clearly did all the work himself, and was cheap about the supplies. The peel and sticks in the bathroom are in bad shape. The basement had $5/sheet cardboard backed paneling that was destroyed by moisture. There are a million other little examples around the house – all of which would have been beautiful if he had been willing to spend just a little more on the projects.
I’ve recently moved into a new estate. The kitchen equipment (Fridge, washing machine etc) have no obvious switches on the wall to permit the power to be turned on and off. There are the fuse sockets on the wall for each appliance. Does this signify i will have to get rid of all built in appliance to switch them on at the back or might there be a knob somewhere less evident? Or might there be another reason no devices are operational? There’s electricity.