Easy DIY Projects to Improve Your Home’s Value

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Are you a homeowner? If so, you’ve probably thought about ways to increase the value of your home. And why not? Making small improvements to your house can increase your equity, which is a great way to build your net worth. Plus, making home improvements helps make the house more enjoyable to live in. It also means pocketing a bigger paycheck if you ever sell your home, which is super sweet.

However, there are a lot of home improvement projects that tend to scare people off. They’re afraid they don’t have the knowledge of the skill to be up to the task. So, instead of trying something themselves, they spend way too much money to hire it out.

Seriously folks, you don’t need to be a licensed contractor to increase the value of your home. With a little bit of elbow grease, some basic skills, and a small budget, you can try these DIY projects that will update your home, increase your equity, and turn your house into one of your most valuable assets.

Retile the Bathroom

Ripping out old floors and installing new, fresh, and modern tile could instantly add thousands of dollars of equity to your home. People hate old bathrooms, and they’ll pay more for bathrooms that are updated. A fresh tile job could be the difference between closing the sale and having your house sit on the market forever…and ever…and ever.

What you don’t want to do is lay tile over old tile. If you do, your new floor could crack – making all of your time, effort, and money invested worthless. Plus, demoing floors is way too much fun to pass up!

New Shower Curtain

Here’s an easy one for you! If you’ve got the space, install a curved curtain rod to your shower. They help update the look of the bathroom, and they add more shoulder room in the shower itself. Plus, people see to like the look of them. Then grab a fancy new cloth shower curtain.

Restore Hardwood Floors

Do you have hardwood under dingy carpets in your home? I call that a freakin’ gold mine! Rip up all of that crummy carpet and refinish the original hardwood. Just rent a buffer from the hardware store and strip away the scratched and dented layer. Including the equipment rental, refinishing your hardwood floor will probably cost around $200. But, having hardwoods throughout the house will raise your equity by thousands. Now that’s a DIY project worth doing!

Install Hardwoods in Your Living Room

So, you don’t have original hardwood hiding anywhere to refinish? Bummer. But, all is not lost! Think about installing it in just the living room instead. Installing hardwood in your main living area gives you a huge bang for your buck, especially if you have an open floor plan. Still, hardwood floors can get expensive, but there are cheaper options – including some bamboos and sale items. Of course, installing it yourself your will save you hundreds of dollars while you build thousands of dollars of equity into your home.

See also: How I Saved Over $5k in Hidden Fees On New Floors

Add Crown Molding

Show me somebody who doesn’t like crown molding and I’ll show you someone who shouldn’t be allowed to own a home. Seriously, not liking crown molding should be illegal. You feel me? Cutting, installing, and painting it yourself won’t take more than $100 and a free Saturday…but it will make your house look sharp, which means more extra money in your pocket! HOOOO!!!!

Add Chair Rails

The same goes for chair rails. Cutting the pieces to size and installing them doesn’t take a genius. You just need a level, measuring tape, some nails, and occasionally some wood glue. It’s details like these that will make your house more memorable than every other home on your street. Boom. Equity.

Fresh Paint

The cheapest way to make give a house a complete facelift is to slap on a new coat of paint. Scratches, dents, and scuffs on the wall all lower the value of your home. If it looks old and worn, it will sell like it’s old and worn. Fill in any holes or dents with spackle and bust out your paint rollers. A fresh coat of paint will liven up your home and make it look as good as new.

Repaint Your Trim

Once your done painting the walls, it’s time to hit the trim. Freshening up the trim with a new coat of paint will make the details in the room pop. Anything that catches the eye an appraiser or buyer will help increase the value of your home.

Update Your Light Fixtures

If you still have those tacky gold and brown light fixtures from the 70s and 80s, I implore you to stop reading this and do nothing else until you rid your house of them forever. Seriously, go do it now. The rest of this article can wait. If you can’t afford all new fixtures right now, buy a can of all-purpose spray paint to update their look. For God’s sake, do it now!

Install Ceiling Fans

Ceiling fans are ridiculously easy to install and buyers love them! Having the option of a ceiling fan, especially in bedrooms, makes potential buyers go bonkers. Wait until they go on sale, then upgrade your home for $60 or less.

Improve Window Treatments

First of all, what a great marketing term. I mean, window treatments…who comes up with this stuff? But, I digress. Again, anything that looks old and dumpy will make your home value slide. Install crisp new window shades or blinds, and definitely get rid of anything that’s old or yellowed.

Replace Handles and Pulls

Replace any door handles that don’t click or lock as they should. And, if you install one new one, you should think about installing all new door handles to match. It’s a fairly inexpensive way to bring uniformity to your home while updating the look throughout – which is a great way to adds equity.

Refinish Your Kitchen Cabinets

Your kitchen is one of the most valuable areas of your home, and a kitchen remodel can add up to $60,000 worth of equity, depending on where you live. Of course, the cost a pretty penny as well. (Trust me…I’ve checked.) Since most of us don’t have $20,000 or more to remodel our kitchens, refinishing the cabinet fronts is a good compromise. You can paint the cabinets or try a Rust-Oleum Cabinet Transformations kit. They are the *bomb*!

Update Faucets

Leaking, broken, rusty, or moldy faucets need to go. They look gross and people are not fans. If you’re picky, fixtures can get expensive, but they don’t have to be. There are some nice looking cheaper options available, plus they’re easy to replace. Just turn off the water supply and use some basic plumbing DIY skills. In a few simple steps, you’ll add valuable equity to your home.

Improve Your Curb Appeal

People love pretty yards, and the outside of your house is the first thing a potential buyer will see. You want to leave them with a good first impression, right? That’s why it is so important to improve your curb appeal. Plant some flowers, lay down some landscaping rock, and trim those bushes to make the outside of your house pop! Install a new front door or paint the old one. Hang new shutters, or add life to the old ones by slapping on a fresh coat of paint. Power wash the siding, and make sure the property is clear of any unsightly debris. If you want to improve your home’s equity, the outside is just as important as the inside.

Get to Work!

Equity doesn’t (always) just build itself. Sometimes you need to put a little work into it…but you don’t have to spend a fortune to do it. These DIY projects cost just pennies compared to hiring a professional. So, if you’re willing to dust off those tools and start scouring the hardware store for great deals, you’ll be able to increase the value of your home one budget-friendly DIY project at a time.

Do you DIY projects to increase the value of your home?