50 DIY Home Improvement Projects Under $50

by Gutnryr House Renovation

Our top-rated pros are ready to tackle all your home projects – big or small – on time & on budget. Participants of a Maytag survey prioritized upgrading their countertops to something more on-trend. If your laminate kitchen countertops are worn but still sound, give them a fresh, new look by resurfacing them. A variety of colors are available, and the process is no harder than painting.

Calling a contractor to repair or improve every single thing gets expensive fast. What if there were a way to know what they know about home improvement? Here are 17 of the best time and money-saving home improvement and care hacks that only a contractor would know about.

  • He says the pandemic has forced many people to prioritize family life and adopt a more agile approach to their well-being.
  • Any openings in the slab or foundation are sealed to keep out radon.
  • It’s better to be safe than sorry, which surely applies to your home security!
  • For products to be rated as Energy-Star certified, they have to meet strict high-efficiency standards and don’t cost much more than unrated products.
  • Not only will these projects make you feel more comfortable in a space, they could also lead to a bigger price tag when you’re ready to sell.

Conventional wisdom among estate agents is that kitchens and bathrooms sell homes, so if you’re thinking of improving with a view to selling on, this is a good place to start. A new kitchen can add 5% to the value of your home while a new bathroom can add 3% according to figures from Zoopla. Make boring cabinets sing by replacing the door inserts. Stainless steel, stamped tin, wrought-iron grillwork, glass, and wood painted to match your flooring or countertops are all possibilities. “The process is simple,” says Mike McAllister, owner of Riverside Kitchen Center in Mount Vernon, Washington.

Lighten the floors

Plus, you can build the popular curb appeal element yourself. Do you love the look of old shiplap walls and ceilings, but live in a new home? Add a gorgeous shiplap accent wall in any space for $50 or less by trimming down plywood into planks, then attaching the boards to your wall using construction adhesive and nails. Finish it off by painting the panels, and admire your DIY shiplap on a dime.

Big Questions About Tiny Houses

It’s about time.Plug your living room lights into timers so it’s bright when you wake and return home. Revive a dated fireplace.Have the brick painted white, stack birch logs on the firebox floor, and purchase a hot new hearth-tool set. You’ll want to make sure that the air and water the future homeowners are around is clean at all times. You can also update the finishes, like the sink spout and handles, lighting, and mirror. If you want to improve the look of a home’s bathroom without a costly complete overhaul, you’ll want to freshen up a few things. Sometimes, a nice bathroom can really be the tipping point for a home buyer who is on the fence.

If your landlord is responsible for doing the work, you’ll not be able to get a grant. Your landlord might be able to apply for a grant instead. Your local authority will have its own rules about the conditions you must meet in order to get help. For example, its rules might say you can’t get a grant if your savings are over a certain limit. Although your local authority can have its own rules, there are certain things that it must or must not do when it provides help with home improvements. Your local authority must have rules about help with home improvements, but it can’t have rules which are completely rigid or unreasonable.

The median home size in the U.S. is 1,650 square feet, but homes come in all shapes, sizes, and layouts. “Small” homes are typically defined at 1,000 square feet or less, but they can feel a lot more cramped with the wrong paint color or layout. It’s great if you can afford it, and many homeowners with rising equity and pandemic savings can. But the problem with an aging housing stock is that a lot of people can’t. “It feels like there’s kind of a big reset happening,” Buhr says. “A lot more people are focusing on their family, their homes, you know, the stuff in our immediate vicinity. People’s bubbles have shrunk.”

You could gain access to some of your equity and lower your mortgage payment at the same time. If you refinance with an FHA loan, you’ll need 15% equity in your home. VA loans, on the other hand, are unique in that you can refinance 100% of the home’s value.