Looking to renovate but have a strict budget? Don’t worry so much about money. These five tips will help you update your home on the cheap.
Hiring a professional to update the landscaping on your 1,200-square-foot yard can cost more than $13,000. But if you’re working on a budget, you can do a number of things yourself to make the refresh cheaper. Remove the weeds and dead grass yourself, then replace it with gravel. Add some colorful plants. Paint your front door a fun color. Mow the lawn, clean the doorknobs, and get a new welcome mat. Even just tiny adjustments like that can make a huge difference in a buyer’s perception of your home.
Painting your walls can make an old, tired room look brand new—and it’s not an expensive prospect, either. Gallons of paint generally cost between $25 and $30, so depending on the size of the room you wish to paint, it can be incredibly cost-effective. Make sure you pick the right style paint for each room, though. Matte paint is good for bedrooms because it hides imperfections but takes a bit of work to clean. In areas with high humidity, like bathrooms and kitchens, go for semi-gloss. Save high-gloss for accents, otherwise, you may blind potential buyers with the shininess.
Improvements to flooring in your home will net you a 91 to 100 percent return on your investment, says the National Association of Realtors. Currently, buyers are looking for hardwood floors—so if you’ve already got some, buff them up and make them shine. If you suspect there’s hardwood hiding under your carpet, pull up a corner and check; that way you don’t waste time and money ripping up everything just to find unusable base flooring. For the carpet that is there and can’t be removed, a carpet cleaner costs about $30 a day and will make a huge difference. If you want to go all out and replace all the floors, opt for a low-cost laminate. Lumber Liquidators sells great flooring for less than $1 per square foot. Just be sure to keep the floor consistent throughout the house.
According to Kenny Klaus, a top real estate agent from Mesa, Arizona, swapping hardware and light fixtures for something modern is the easiest—and cheapest—way to make a noticeable upgrade to your home. New lights are available for about $100 each, and it’s possible to replace every piece of hardware in your house for as low as five bucks. Simple round knobs or farm-style pulls are generally the most reliable options.
Another super cheap way to update your home is to bring in smartly placed accessories. Think mirrors in strategic spots that make a room look bigger, putting out colorful fruit, or swapping dark curtains for a lighter color.
When designing or upgrading a kitchen, selecting the right appliances is one of the most important decisions you’ll make. A well-chosen suite of appliances can enhance your cooking experience, increase your home’s value, and provide a cohesive aesthetic that ties your kitchen together. Achieving the perfect balance between functionality and design might seem daunting, but […]
Got a small space and big dreams for your living room? You’re not alone. Many face the challenge of finding living room furniture that fits tight spots but still oozes style. It’s like trying to squeeze into jeans from high school—tough, but not impossible. Here’s a cool fact: you can have chic and functional spaces […]
When you walk into a room, what’s the first thing you notice in the interiors? The furniture, the walls, or the ceiling? Often overlooked, the ceiling plays a significant role in defining the ambiance of a room. If you’re looking to add some flair, sophistication, or a modern touch to your living room, false ceiling […]
A thoughtful U shaped modular kitchen design can enhance functionality, and aesthetics in your kitchen, as well as in the dining and breakfast areas. With the various modular kitchen options available in India, the following ideas can help you envision your customized U shaped modular kitchen design. 1) Explore Neutral Color Palette The kitchen’s neutral […]
Indian homes place equal importance on pooja room door designs as they do on main door designs. With diverse and unique ethnic backgrounds, every family strives to reflect their personalities and identities in their designs. These identities can encompass religious or spiritual interests, local contexts, or other personal elements. This series of blogs, featuring 50 […]
Gate Design is an important feature of any home. Numerous scopes for experimentation open up when delving into the design possibilities. Materials like wood and black steel are popular options in Indian homes. At the same time, designers also experiment with a combination of materials that suits their aesthetic. Buying mass-produced Sydney automated gates has […]
Hyderabad is a city that boasts a rich and diverse architectural heritage that has been shaped by its history and cultural influences. The city has been ruled by various dynasties, including the Qutb Shahis, the Mughals, and the Nizams, who have all left their mark on its architecture and influenced young architects in Hyderabad. The […]
Should I study architecture or Interior Design? This is a question every high school graduate comes across. Moreover, the difference is not as commonly clear as it seems. Students often end up getting wrong advice like ‘they both are very similar’ and ‘you only need to be good at drawing’ etc. Well, that’s not true […]
The magic of creating a Space is the end-users ultimate urge to wish and spend all their time and grow old in it! This might just be the biggest success of an Architect, who is responsible for turning the client’s requirements and designing an aesthetically pleasing livable space. The Architect’s Diary has carefully curated a […]
Turning an empty plot and executing an entire design from plinth to top is like taking a blank canvas and painting an entire story on it! Architects are creators; creators of spaces, giving life and meaning to them. The Architects not only represent their city, but are also extraordinarily responsible in shaping the city’s skyline.The […]