32+ Best Home Improvement Ideas and Designs On A Budget

By
Kimberly Crawford
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Last Updated on January 9, 2024 by Kimberly Crawford

Small upgrades to improve your home are a great way to increase the value of your home and make it more attractive to you. Whether you’re planning on selling or simply would like to give your home a few cost effective upgrades, these are the best home improvement ideas! This complete guide will help you come up with the ideal projects for your home.

Increase Curb Appeal

Increasing curb appeal is crucial if you are planning to sell your home. It will instantly make your home more appealing to potential buyers. Most buyers decide whether they love a home within the first 1 1/2 minutes of seeing it, making curb appeal critical to selling your home for the asking price.

If you’re not planning on selling, you’ll still love coming home to a house that has more curb appeal. These tips and tricks will help you make sure that your home looks amazing.

Paint The Porch

Most people can put a coat of paint on their porch within one weekend. A fresh coat of paint will instantly make your porch look brand new.

Make sure that you address any peeling paint before adding a fresh coat to your porch. Pick up a paint scraper, and scrape away flakes of paint before applying a new coat. If you don’t, the new coat of paint will also peel.  

Related: 17 Different Types Of Porches (With Pictures)

Clean Up

Take a brief walk around your property. Make sure that walkways are clean. Use a leaf blower to blow sticks and leaves out of the way. Pick up trash that might be in your yard. The entire exterior of your house should look well kept.

Get A New Mailbox

This is a cheap way to instantly make your home look nicer. If you don’t have a mailbox, or could simply use an upgrade, pick up a new one. Mailboxes are cost effective and easy to install.

Clean The Gutters

The one thing that most people procrastinate is cleaning their gutters. When was the last time that you got on your roof to clean them? It may have been years! If they haven’t been cleaned in a while, they are more than likely full of leaves and sticks.

Walk outside of your house, and look at your gutters. If you can see debris, it means that your gutters are full. It’s time to get out the ladder and clean them.

Break Out The Powerwasher

Powerwashing your home can make it look as wonderful as a new set of paint. A quick spray on your driveway and walkways can make them look brand new. This is something everyone should do to help maintain their home.

Purchase A New Front Door

A new front door will cost you a couple of hundred dollars. This is a small price to pay for the drastic increase in curb appeal, though. Ornamental front doors instantly make a home appear luxurious. Homebuyers will fall in love before stepping foot inside your home!

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Landscaping

Landscaping is a great way to boost curb appeal. Start with your yard. Make sure that grass is cut, and the yard is free from trash and debris.

Then, it’s time to move on to other landscaping projects. If you have space in front of your front porch, consider planting flowers or ornamental bushes. Lining the walkway to your house with flowers is another exceptional idea.

It’s important to look at landscaping ideas for your backyard too. Plant a few trees. Flowers and bushes around your deck will look very nice. If you have a waterfall or other landscaping in your backyard, it’s a great time to expand it!

Build A Fence

The cost of your fence will depend on the size of your yard. However, a privacy fence is still a great investment. Homeowners will get their money back when they sell their home, and be able to enjoy the benefits of a privacy fence while they live at home.

Easy DIY Home Upgrades

There are plenty of things that you can do inside your home without hiring a professional. These are some of the easiest home improvement projects that a novice can pull off.

Painting

Painting can instantly increase the price and appeal of your home. Before painting, make sure that you know the square footage of a room. You’ll need to know this to determine how much paint you need. Gallons of paint typically cover so many square feet.

Then, pick up an angled paintbrush, a roller, and a paint pan. You can apply a coat of paint to a room on a weekend off. This low-cost investment will instantly beautify your home!

Painting your kitchen and bathroom cabinets is a cost-effective way to give your cabinets a new look. White cabinets are always fashionable and will pair well with any decorating style. Keep in mind that you’ll have to remove the cabinet doors, and scrub them so that dirt on the doors will not ruin your paint job.

Giving your floors a makeover with paint is a great option if you don’t want to refinish them. Paint your floors in a beige and grey checkered pattern. This will coordinate well with any color that is on your walls! Avoid painting floors with bright colors, such as yellow or white. This can make the room appear so bright that it’s overwhelming. Instead, stick with neutral colors and pleasant patterns, such as stripes and checkered patterns.

Paint has the power to completely transform a house. Pick up paint that is specifically designed to be used on laminate counters for a serious upgrade. Give the trim in your home a fresh coat to make your house look brand new. Spruce up old curtain rods with metallic spray paint that is designed to make them look like metal. Paint is one of the most versatile, cost effective ways to remodel any area in your home.

New Appliances

New appliances with smart home technology are going to help your home instantly sell. These appliances are a bit on the expensive side, but homeowners can simply add the cost of the appliances to the total cost of their home.

Upgrade Old Appliances

If picking up new appliances isn’t an option, give your current appliances the makeover that they need. Pick up some paint for your existing appliances instead to give them a gorgeous metallic finish.

Purchase replacement shelves if you’re missing any. You can also buy new handles for your fridge and freezer doors so that they coordinate well with the paint of your choice. You’ll have the look that you want, and enjoy a higher return on investment.

Install A Water Filtration System

Tap water can have a horrible taste to it. Instead of spending money on expensive bottled water and using plastic bottles, invest in an under the sink water filtration system. These are more convenient than filters that screw onto the faucet.

There is a bit more work required for installation than a water filter that screws onto the faucet, but most people can easily do this project without having to hire a professional. Water filtration systems come with instructions for installation.

Declutter Storage Space

Most of us are guilty of cramming boxes into an unfinished space that we use for storage, such as the attic. It’s important to de-clutter your home to make it more appealing. Start this project by sorting through things in your storage space. Donate items that are not going to be used again. Sort the rest of the items into categories.

Devote a weekend to organizing the stuff that you are going to keep. Pick up plastic totes for holiday items and properly label them. Divide your space into sections so that you can easily find things.

For example, in my attic, I use one section for holiday items, another for old children’s toys and clothing, and another for things that the children have yet to grow into. Once your home is de-cluttered, your mind will also feel de-cluttered. You’ll find yourself falling in love with your home all over again.

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New Lighting Fixtures

Light fixtures can truly help bring a room together. Pick up new light fixtures for master bathrooms. Simple bathroom upgrades like this can easily replace doing a complete bathroom remodel.

Take a moment to look at all of the light fixtures throughout your home. If they appear outdated, it’s time to upgrade them. Most people replace them in the kitchen and bathroom.

Update Smaller Fixtures

Lighting fixtures aren’t the only small upgrades that you can make. Pick up metal faceplates for outlets and light switches. Most hardware stores sell metal lightswitch covers at affordable prices, but they look much more expensive.

Curtain rods are also important fixtures to update. Coordinating curtain rods can truly bring the entire room together. Homeowners can purchase metal curtain rods at an affordable price. Simple designs like silver curtain rods with a ball on the end are both functional and stylish.

New Caulk In Bathrooms

Rip up the old caulk in master bathrooms and lay down a fresh coat of white caulk. This will instantly make bathrooms look brand new and well kept. If you have dirty or mildewed caulk, make sure that you do this before listing your home.

Put Up A Backsplash

If you’re experienced in laying ceramic tile, pick up small ceramic tiles from your local home improvement store to create the perfect backsplash.

Homeowners that aren’t experienced in laying tile can use peel and stick tile for their backsplash. Peel and stick tiles are easy to use. You cut the tile to the size that you want, and then peel off the back of the tile. Finally, stick it in place just like you would a sticker! Peel and stick tiles come in various colors and sizes.

Related: 40+ Best Kitchen Backsplash Ideas and Designs For White Cabinets (Photos)

Stain Hardwood Floors

Hardwood floors that are scratched or haven’t been taken care of can look brand new with a little bit of elbow grease! Instead of sanding down floors to stain them, pick up a wood stain that is designed to go over the top of the existing stain. Behr makes several wonderful shades! Then, you simply paint your floor with wood stain to make them look brand new.

Complete Minor Repairs

Taking a few days to complete small repairs around your house can instantly improve your home. If your garage doors don’t open and close properly, it’s time to fix the garage doors.

Make sure that loose screws are tightened, and fix that closet door that is always a little crooked. Minor repairs like this are not expensive and can go a long way in making your home worth more money.

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Wonderful Home Improvement Ideas

These home improvements tend to be a bit more costly, but they are a great idea if you plan to sell your home. If you hire a contractor to do the work, you’ll find that these are more simple than DIY projects. Most homeowners will recoup the majority of the money that they spend on these projects when they sell their homes.

Build A Deck

An experienced DIY enthusiast can take on this project, or you can hire a company to do it for you. Having a large deck or back porch will drastically increase the value of your home.

This single upgrade can help your home sell faster, and you can enjoy it before your home is sold. Relax on the deck while soaking up some sun or invite the entire family over for a cookout!

Related: 42+ Different Types of Decks: Which One is Best for You?

New Siding

The higher the square footage of your house, the more this project will cost. However, you’ll be able to enjoy your investment, and then receive most of your money back when you sell your home.

Vinyl siding is an exceptional choice and tends to last approximately 60 years if you do not perform maintenance. With proper care, your vinyl siding can last close to 100 years.

Other types of siding, such as faux stone and fiber-cement siding are a bit more expensive, but they do increase the aesthetic appeal of your home. Enjoy the increased energy efficiency that siding provides, and then up your asking price to accommodate for the costs.

Related: 22+ Different Types of House Siding: Pros and Cons, Cost With Pictures For Exterior Design

Energy-Efficient Windows

Most homeowners enjoy at least a ninety percent return on new windows when they sell their homes. This ninety percent return is because potential buyers know that they will save money on both heating and cooling costs thanks to the new windows.

Homeowners that don’t plan on selling their homes can also benefit from new windows. The windows typically pay for themselves thanks to the money saved on energy costs.

Related: 34+ Different Types Of Windows (Styles, Frames) With Pictures For Your House

Waterproof The Basement

There’s nothing that compares to the damp, moldy smell of a wet basement. Call in a contractor to help you solve areas that leak to eliminate both toxic mold and dampness. When you have a dry, functional basement, it will drastically increase the value of your home.

Homeowners can also enjoy having a finished basement while they still live in their homes. Turn it into an office or sitting area for days that you need some quiet time. You can also enjoy having extra storage space!

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Build A Pond

A backyard pond will instantly help you attract more high income buyers. Opt for a small Koi pond to enjoy relaxing in your backyard before selling your home. Fish ponds can transform your backyard into the perfect meditation space.

If the goal of your pond is to increase the value of your home, consider a large, luxurious pond instead. Install a pond fountain in the center of the pond to make it appear more elegant.

Fix The Sidewalk

If you have a cracked, uneven sidewalk, it’s time to call the pros to get it fixed. Minor sidewalk repairs will be budget friendly, and instantly increase the appeal of your home both for you and potential home buyers.

Decorative Home Upgrades

Upgrades do not always have to be expensive or increase the value of your house. Instead, you can add simple decorative touches to make your home feel cozier.

Decorate With Rugs

Rugs will make your home more inviting. Spread large area rugs across hardwood floors to create a calm, relaxed atmosphere.

Drape rugs over furniture as furniture covers. Enjoy using bright, bold colors to create focal points in your room.  Find rugs in San Francisco with unique patterns to make your home more welcoming today.

Get A New Welcome Mat

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A new welcome mat is the perfect way to spruce up your home if you’re on a budget. You can find a welcome mat for under $20 at your local department store. If you have a larger budget, consider picking up a durable rug to use as a welcome mat.

Hang Paintings

Paintings can instantly increase the aesthetics in your home. They tend to make a house appear more luxurious than other wall art. You can purchase paintings from local artists, or check out the selection at your local department store. Thrift stores always have interesting art sections!

Go With A Minimalist Style

The clutter in your home can make it feel like you’re suffocating. It can also make it more difficult to sell your home because potential buyers will have a hard time envisioning their stuff in your home.

Start by getting together everything that you haven’t used or worn in at least one year. Throw everything in a donate box, and drop it off at your local thrift store.

Then, re-organize anything that is left. Put things in baskets or invest in shelves to take advantage of vertical storage space. You’ll find that your space is cleaner, and you’re able to finally relax.

People that want to further minimize their homes can take things a few steps further. Instead of getting rid of everything that has not been used or worn in a year, only keep the necessities. For example, you don’t need twelve drinking glasses. You can only drink out of one at a time!

Go through everything you own, and only keep the absolute basic things you need, such as a few shirts, three pairs of shoes, etc. It can be helpful to come up with rules before going through your things that clearly outline how many things you will, and will not, be keeping.

Use Runners In Hallways Or On The Stairs

Runners are a great way to make your home cozy yet eye-catching. Put runners in long hallways, leaving approximately six inches on both sides. You can also pick up a nail gun to put a runner along your stairs. These will instantly make your home look more decorated and welcoming.

Related: 15+ Best Stair Runner Ideas and Designs (With Photos) – Buying Guide

Upgrade Your Window Treatments

The thin blinds that most homes come with do little to help you save on energy costs, and they look cheap. You can create a new vibe in your home with new window treatments.

Matching drapes can instantly pull a room together. Opt for thermal insulated curtains to save on heating and cooling costs. Make sure that curtains coordinate well with paint and floor colors. Grey goes with every color scheme!

Shutters are another way to upgrade your home. These are more durable than curtains, and provide a certain appeal that other window treatments cannot compare with. It’s important to remember that shutters are more expensive than other options.

Decorate Your Entryway

Your entryway is the first thing that you see, and that potential homeowners will see when they walk into your home. Decorate your entryway with a practical welcome mat.

Picking up entryway furniture can help set the mood for your entire house. Sit a classic entryway bench underneath a beautiful painting. Put an accent chair and a small table in a corner. Small accent pieces of furniture will leave a great first impression on guests.

Don’t forget to decorate the walls of your entryway. Create a functional space by installing a shelf with coat hooks. Paintings and large mirrors are ideal for a home with an elegant decorating theme. An entryway can set the tone for your entire house.

FAQs

What brings down property value?

One of the biggest things that brings down a property’s value is a lack of curb appeal. If your home doesn’t look good from the street, potential buyers are going to be less likely to want to see it inside. This means that you’ll need to focus on making your home look as attractive as possible from the outside. One way to do this is to landscape your yard. Plant some flowers, add a few bushes, and put down some sod. You can also make your home more inviting by adding a porch or deck.

Another way to improve your home’s curb appeal is to paint the exterior walls a fresh, new color. Be sure to choose a color that will complement the brick or siding on your home and not clash with it.

Another way to bring down property value is if there are any major structural problems that need repair. For example, a leaky roof could cause significant damage inside the house which would then need fixing before you can sell it again at full price. If this happens, make sure you get it fixed as soon as possible so that your property doesn’t lose any more value.

Do sheds decrease property value?

Many people wonder if sheds decrease property value. The answer to this question is it depends on the situation. If you have a large shed that takes up a lot of space in your yard, it may make your home look cluttered and reduce its appeal to buyers. On the other hand, if you have a small, unobtrusive shed, it may not have a negative impact on your home’s value.

One way to make sure that your shed doesn’t negatively affect your property value is to make sure it’s in good condition. If the paint is peeling, the roof is leaking, or the siding is falling off, buyers are going to be less likely to want to make an offer on your house. It’s always a good idea to spend some time fixing up old sheds before putting them up for sale so that buyers will be more interested in them.

Related: 20+ Best Backyard Barn Ideas That Will Help You DIY a Shed

How would you modernize your home in 2022?

If you’re looking to modernize your home in 2022, there are a few things you can do. One of the best ways to give your home a modern look is to install new flooring. There are many different types of flooring available these days, so be sure to choose one that will complement the style of your home. You can also install new cabinets, countertops, and appliances to give your home a more modern feel.

Another great way to modernize your home is to add some new features such as a deck or porch. This will allow you to enjoy the outdoors in style and give your home a more updated look.

If you’re looking for ways to make your home more energy-efficient, there are many options available to you. You can install new windows, add insulation, and upgrade your heating and cooling systems. These upgrades will help you save money on your energy bills in the long run.

Simple home upgrades are a great way to increase the value of your home and make it more comfortable for you in the meantime. When you opt for these upgrades, you’ll finally feel a sense of pride in your home. You’ll also enjoy a great return on your investment!