14 Home Improvement Ideas Perfect for Small Houses

Consider installing a skylight in the kitchen, bathroom, or hallway where other natural light is limited. Skylights are best suited for homes with slanted roofs, and you’ll generally want it to face north for all-day soft lighting that won’t overheat a room. To quickly and easily rehabilitate your existing fireplace, a gas or wood-burning insert adds energy efficiency to your home without tearing apart your hearth and mantel.

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  • They can be nearly impossible to hold onto while installing them.
  • It’s even easier to add a new light fixture into ceilings connected to attic space, says Daryl Berg, a journeyman electrician in Longview, Washington.
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Rich, warm colors include dark shades like orange, red, and yellow. These colors, while pretty in certain contexts, make elements of any room appear closer than they actually are. Emma’s work has been featured in Huffington Post, NPR and XOJane.

If you have a few worn/discolored areas on the hardwoods, touch them up yourself with a little water-based stain to make them less noticeable. And don’t forget about the charm of a nice throw rug when needed. If you’re up for a little sweat equity, roll up your sleeves and remove anything dead yourself. Just follow the directions for planting, and keep it watered and mowed.

Why spend the time on home improvement?

Replace your worn-out welcome mat with a bold statement mat to create a warm and welcoming ambiance for your home. Peel-and-stick wallpaper is a temporary way to add a burst of vibrant color or pattern to a room without tearing up the walls. To keep this project affordable and doable, try papering a focal wall or a small, low-humidity space like a powder room or closet. Find our favorite, trendy removable wallpaper patterns here, then check out the link below for installation tips and tricks. The concept of home improvement, home renovation, or remodeling is the process of renovating or making additions to one’s home.

Alternatives To Refinancing For A Home Improvement Loan

Refinishing takes about a day and $200 to DIY, and once you sand down the floors, you can refinish them with a brighter stain to lighten up the room. Sand and refinish hardwood floors with a lighter stain. Place recessed lighting 12 – 18 inches away from the object you want to illuminate. Install track light between 20 – 40 inches away from the walls of a room. Declared one of the go-to neutrals in 2020 by Elle Decor, this subtle gray has the cool undertones that owners of small homes are hunting for.

They are relatively easy to install; all it takes is assembling and mounting the hardware and door to a doorway. Transform the mood of the kitchen with a bold new backsplash in ceramic or glass tile. Just make sure the wall is sound before you start the installation. Choosing one color and clean-lined tile for the backsplash in a small kitchen keeps the look uncluttered and roomy. With flagstone or cement pavers, you can easily make an outdoor patio in a weekend, no mortar required. Add potted plants and outdoor seating, such as a bistro set or an eclectic mix of colorful chairs, to create a quaint backyard escape.

You can look online for modern inspiration or hit the store yourself to mix and match. No matter what you’re aiming for, home improvement is a valuable way to invest back into your space. You might also be able to find local grants to help with things like insulating your home from Simple Energy Advice. If your home is in need of repair, your landlord might also be responsible for doing them. Reasonable and practical, given the age of your home and the condition it’s in.