Home Renovation Doesn’t Have to Cost an Arm and a Leg
Bearing in mind the present financial situation, many homeowners have decided not to modernize their house because it’s too costly. If you’re in that same financial state, be assured that you can give your house an overhaul with a few enhancements without spending an arm and a leg in the process.
Making Your Remodeling Dollar Go Further
Start with the basics when contemplating a renovation. Look at the ceilings, walls, and floors first. This is the first step in your remodel. If you have a “popcorn” ceiling, consider either repainting it a new, fresh color or hiring someone to resurface and retexurize it with a even pattern. Don’t forget to have a strong primer applied before your paint coat! Next, look at the walls and select neutral tones that will compliment with light and earthy tones and will go with any designs and decorations. Patch holes and dents in the walls to give the home a finished look. Next, continue with the floor areas: are the floors and baseboards in good condition? If they are, re-paint the baseboards a nice white color to make the home look modern and attractive. If you plan to remove and replace the floors, consider ceramic tiles, because they are easy on your wallet per square foot and stay looking new much longer than carpet does. If you will be putting carpet in, choose a thick pile that is somewhere between brown and beige so that stains will not be as visible and the carpet will be resilient against crushing for many years.
Save Money and Do It Yourself
Renovating your kitchen and bathrooms are the wisest fixes you can put into your home. If the cabinetry is in good structural shape, consider either refinishing the existing cabinets or re-facing them. If you will be re-facing them, get a good hammer drill and detach the hinges and handles from the cabinet doors to loosen them. If needed, you can purchase new cabinet facing from your local home improvement store. For an even better money-saving renovation, choose to refinish the existing cabinets. Again, detach the doors from the cabinets and then brush on a paint remover to the existing finish and scrape it off with a special scraper made from hard plastic just for this purpose. Once everything has been removed, sand the cabinets the first time with a sander using medium-grade sandpaper. A final sanding should be performed last with a fine-grit 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 2-3 clear coats to protect the new finish from water splashes.
Upgrading Your Furniture
Improving your furniture and home décor is an uncomplicated, but significant way to make your home look like new. You can find great deals at estate sales, second-hand shops, or on the Web which will save money. For even better savings, make furniture pieces by hand. You can make a beautiful headboard, for example, with nothing more than two extra-large posts of wood, a woodworking lathe (you can rent this from someone), and a large rectangle of plywood. Cover the wood in the center area with some batting, fabric, and unique upholstery pins for a new headboard that is truly stunning!
Perhaps you’re fixing up a new home or wanting to re-do the one you live in. Either way, these unique ideas for getting the most out of your home will help your living quarters look like new without spending all of your savings in the process.
