DIY Home Renovation Tips to Increase Your Home’s Value
Whole house renovations can add value to your home, but there are ways to upgrade your home without spending your next home’s down payment. Painting, updating, and power washing the outside of your home won’t cost a lot of money, but these do-it-yourself home improvements can add real value to your home.
With some sweat equity, a DIY attitude, and a few dollars, you can list your home for more money when you’re ready to sell. Here are some low cost, high value home improvement projects to consider.
Focus on Efficiency, Not Size
If you can reorganize and equip your kitchen for maximum utility, you may not need to blow out the walls to gain square footage. Start by replacing space-hogging shelves with cabinet-height pullout drawers 8 inches wide, containing racks for canned goods and other items.
You could easily shell out a few thousand to outfit cabinets with upgrades like dividers, pull-out pot trays, and lazy Susans, but you’ll save many times that amount by skipping the addition you thought you needed.
Natural Light, Without Additional Windows
Before cutting a big hole in the side of your house and rearranging the framing, consider less invasive—and less expensive—ways of capturing light.
To brighten up a windowless bath or hallway, for example, you can install a skylight or “light tube”, which slips between roof rafters and funnels sunshine down into your home.
Buy Used
Do-it-yourselfers can reap big savings with recycled or lightly used fixtures and building materials. Habitat for Humanity operates about 400 ReStores nationwide, which offer salvaged materials at half off home-center prices. And, it is better for the planet!
Install Crown Molding
Putting in crown molding is a surprisingly easy task that can add style to any space. Buy the molding from a home improvement store, cut it to the size that fits your room or have the store cut it for you, and attach it to the top of the wall with a nail gun. These decorative strips may even come painted. Installing crown molding does involve a bit of woodworking skill as well as the right tools, but it is very inexpensive to do yourself.
Replace Fixtures
By updating outlet covers, curtain rods, light and water fixtures, drawer handles, and doorknobs you can add significant spunk for just a few dollars. Attractive fixtures and outlet covers can cost as little as a few dollars apiece but look much more expensive. Light fixtures and decorative curtain rods can be a little pricier, but sometimes you can make an inexpensive piece look elegant with a can of spray paint. Remember, if you plan to sell, be sure to choose items in colors and finishes that will appeal to a broad audience.
Restore Hardwood
Homes that are older are likely to have hardwood floors hiding beneath carpet. If you noticed your floors squeak, this may be a sign that you may have wood floors. If you’re not sure, pull up your carpet in an unnoticeable corner and check. If you have wood, you’re in luck! There’s a good chance you’ll have to refinish them to restore them to their original splendor, but it will be much less expensive than installing new flooring.
Freshen Up Paint
If your walls have scratches and dirty paint, an outdated color, or fading wallpaper, a little elbow grease and a few cans of paint can make a dramatic difference. To maximize the value of your home for a sale, choose a neutral color scheme that unifies the entire house, makes space look more prominent, and appeals to a wide variety of potential buyers.
This works for cabinets in the kitchen and bathroom, too! You could buy all new cabinets and save money by purchasing prefabricated (rather than custom) cabinets and installing them yourself, but that’s more work and money than painting or staining your existing cabinets. White cabinets will brighten a kitchen or bathroom, don’t usually go out of style, and are easy for a future owner to repaint if they want something different.
Are you interested in selling your home? Coldwell Banker Carroll Realty’s local realtors are ready to help you get your home to its highest value! We have experienced real estate agents throughout Panama City, Panama City Beach, and 30a ready to meet with you! Contact us today to start looking for your next dream home.