There’s a good chance you’ve watched one of the very popular home makeover television shows and felt inspired about doing something to amplify the appeal of your own abode. However, maybe you ultimately felt discouraged because once the overall cost of the upgrades was revealed, you realized there’s no way you could ever come close to making the same kinds of improvements. Luckily, there are many things you can do to improve the look of your home and boost its value, without breaking the bank.
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Apply Fresh Coats Of Paint To Well-Lived-In Areas
Maybe your family room or dining room is looking a little drab lately, because the paint on the walls has long since faded. Painting is something people frequently do to spruce up their homes. After selecting some cans of the hue you want, the only other investment you may need to make would be towards relatively cheap tools like paintbrushes and masking tape.
Painting isn’t hard to do, but if you haven’t tackled it before, consider reading some thorough directions or asking a pal who’s a painting pro. It would be a shame to ruin your handiwork by doing a shoddy job, but if you’re not careful and end up painting without using a practiced hand, you might end up having to do the room over again.
Afterwards, you’ll likely be amazed at how much brighter and more welcoming a room looks when it’s decorated by beautiful, vibrant paint.
Apply A Carpet Runner To Your Stairs
If you have a multi-level house, you and the other members of the household probably trek up and down the stairs multiple times per day. Carpet runners can be great additions to hardwood stairs, especially because the surface is so slick. By adding a runner, you might not just brighten up the stairs by using a fabric with an energetic and eye-catching pattern, but perhaps make the stairs safer while you’re at it.
Simply find woven runners at home decorating or fabric stores, and affix them to the stairs with carpet tacks. When all’s said and done, this project costs about $350 to do, but it could be an investment that you enjoy for years to come.
Buy New Fixtures, Light Switch Covers And Drawer Pulls
Sink fixtures, light switch covers and drawer pulls are just three examples of three items you probably have in your home that could completely change the style of whatever they’re near. For example, you could find an old-fashioned fixture to give your bathroom a vintage look, or opt for drawer pulls dyed in bright colors that complement the shades of the surrounding walls.
Furthermore, some light switch covers have very detailed designs that go beyond funky patterns or cool colors. So, if you want to emphasize your love of horses or capitalize on a nautical theme through your light switch covers, it’s probably easy to do that since so many designs are available.
Create A Lovely Garden-Inspired Path
Sometimes the goal is to set expectations before people even set foot inside your house. In that case, it can work well to build a special pathway that leads up to your home. Try hanging potted plants from shepherd hooks and depending on fairy lights or tiki torches to light the way.
You might also want to use stepping stones engraved with quotes, images or words. They’re usually available at outdoor supply stores. Whatever you choose to do, remember to keep safety in mind first and foremost by ensuring the path is easy to navigate and well-lit.
Make The Bathroom More Organized With Storage Containers
If there’s a space in your home that looks cluttered no matter what you do, the problem may not be related to your cleanliness routine. Perhaps the space is truly too small to comfortably accommodate everything you need to store in it. That can be a common problem in the bathroom.
You might need to store towels, toilet paper, cosmetics, shower gel and shampoo, among many other essentials. Keep those items from taking over the space by searching for attractive and spacious containers that keep all items in their respective places. Some containers cost less than $20, and they could help you improve the look of your bathroom in just a few minutes.
Invest In A Good Hardwood Floor Cleaner
When it’s taken care of properly, hardwood flooring is a very durable and appealing material to use in a home. However, many people don’t realize that if their hardwood is in a highly trafficked area, they may need to clean it thoroughly as often as every four months.
If you have hardwood in your home, think about buying a reputable brand of hardwood floor cleaner, and then diligently sticking to a schedule of cleaning it as recommended. The gleam that shines off your floors as light hits them should be well-worth having a go-getter attitude when doing this task.
Paint More Than Just The Walls
You’ve already learned about how fresh paint can really rejuvenate your walls. However, there’s no reason to stop at the walls. Branch out by tackling your kitchen cabinets, giving them a facelift without having to actually install new furnishings.
Alternatively, make an old brick fireplace look a lot more modern by painting the bricks with a favorite color. If the fireplace is badly stained from soot, apply a primer that blocks stains before you break out the paint cans. When possible, choose high-gloss finishes.
Add Interior Shutters
Window coverings that adequately block light are essential both for privacy reasons and for helping create sleeping spaces that aren’t consistently lit up by the sun. If you think window blinds are a little bland, think about going with interior shutters instead. Besides shutting out the light, they can also help block chilly winds, which may lower your utility bills by keeping the house warmer in the winter.
Turn An Old Bookcase Into A Cool Coat Rack
Upgrading your home sometimes means recycling old furniture and using it for new, inventive purposes. For example, you can take the shelves out of a bookcase you no longer use so that just the wooden frame remains. 
Install hooks on the inside to create a collection point for your coats. Try using your creation to store other essentials like belts, scarves and umbrellas.
Besides weighing the pros and cons of these ideas and deciding how they’d fit with your home’s existing style, don’t forget to try ideas that let you show off your creative side. Maybe you’ll add stencil art to a wall in the kids’ room or buy a few floor lamps with clear glass bases and fill them with colored stones to jazz up an empty corner. When you’re willing to explore unconventional ideas, it will be easier than you probably imagined to make your home look superb, even on a slim budget.
