Four DIY Home Improvements that Won’t Break the Bank

When you hire a contractor for home improvements, your wallet suffers. Not only do you have to pay for materials, the prices for which are often inflated, but also for the contractors’ labor as they take their sweet time with the job. Plus, you have strange men and women traipsing through your house all day long, and you feel as though your home has been taken over by the remodeling bug. If you want to avoid all of that, however, you can try these four DIY home improvements that won’t break the bank—or your sanity.

Touch-Ups … Inside & Out

Touching up the interior and exterior paint; filling holes in the walls and ceiling; sanding and re-painting the baseboards. All of these things can take as little as a day to accomplish, and they won’t break the bank. DIY home improvements are those that don’t require a degree to complete, and which don’t present any safety concerns. Repainting and touching up various interior and exterior areas can boost the market value of your house while reducing the stress you have to bear.

The best part about this type of DIY home improvement is that the materials will be just as cheap as the labor. You probably have spare buckets of paint left over from your last renovation, and sandpaper costs just a few cents at the hardware store.

Replace Those Floors

Floors are a major selling point for homes in this housing market. If your floors are ratty, dirty, torn or abraded, they should probably be replaced. Fortunately, this is a DIY home improvement job with the advent of floating floors, which can be laid above your current floors without having to rip anything up. Granted, you should probably remove dirty carpet, but tiles and linoleum can stay where they are.

Hardwood and laminate floors are easy enough to install on your own. This DIY home improvement project will save you at least $1,000 over hiring a contractor if you’re re-flooring a significant portion of your home. Even better, you can get a great discount on new floors online at Web sites like fastfloors.com and woodfloorsonline.com. Expect this DIY job to take at least a week to complete.

Update Your Fixtures

Fixtures are another selling point when it comes to putting your house on the market. This DIY home improvement should take about a day to complete, provided you have the instructions for removal and re-installation. Light fixtures and sink faucets are high on the list of things home owners would like to replace, and they won’t break the bank at the hardware store.

When working with light fixtures, remember safety precautions and don’t mess with electrical wiring whenever you can avoid it. If you want to save money on your next light bill, you can also buy fixtures compatible with halogen bulbs for added savings.

Transform Your Lawn

The last DIY home improvement project is your lawn, which probably needs to be updated. The curb appeal of your home is very important because it’s the first thing potential buyers will see; a scraggly lawn with weeds and old plants will not make a very good impression.

Fortunately, your landscaping efforts don’t have to break the bank. Purchasing young, inexpensive plants for small beds will cost you a few hundred at the most, and you can do the planting yourself. Landscaping timbers found at your local hardware store will add a nice touch, and won’t be nearly as expensive as stone.