Cheap Home Improvement Ideas
Home improvement is a multibillion-dollar industry. The amount of money that people are spending on their homes is getting bigger and bigger every year. According to a study by NAEA Propertymark, residents in the UK spent over £40 billion on home improvement in the last five years. In Malta, you probably drive past at least 5 home improvement stores on your way to work alone. They are everywhere so, who knows what the Maltese are spending! Big budget home improvements will add the most value to your home. These include things like remodelling the kitchen and the bathroom. Other, common big budget renovations include redoing the flooring; making expansions; knocking down walls to improve the floorplan and landscaping outside space or installing a pool.
These big budget home improvement ideas will add a lot of value to your property. However, unfortunately, they cost a lot of money! You might be able to get a home improvement loan to cover the costs. Although, most likely, you’ll have to save up to be able to afford your dream renovations. You’re talking thousands of euros for most of these big improvements, not hundreds. If you don’t have this sort of money lying in the bank, and you don’t want to wait and save for years before you make any improvements to your house, there’s still lots you can do. There are many cheap DIY projects that don’t have to cost very much money. But they’ll make a big difference to your home. Doing just one small thing a month, or every two months, will see things turn around in no time! Here are a few ideas for some cheap home improvements:
Paint, paint, paint
Never underestimate the power of paint. Paint can completely transform any room. You can spruce up the walls of any room with a new coat of paint. Corals, pale pinks, dark greens, and yellows are all in vogue this year. Especially in the world of interior design. Painting isn’t necessarily very expensive. Depending on the type of paint you choose, and the size of the room, repainting a room can cost 50 euros or less. Painting doesn’t just have to be confined to walls. You could repaint your front door (if possible) which could really improve the entrance. You can also use paint to transform your furniture, your kitchen cabinets and more. Instead of remodelling your entire kitchen, you can paint your cupboards and give it a whole new look. If your budget allows, you can also replace the handles. You can buy special paint for your backsplash as well. This will freshen it up and will be cheaper than tiling. Voila! A whole new kitchen. And thanks only to paint!
Upgrade appliances
Upgrading your appliances is another great way to add value to your home and make some improvements. You don’t need to do them all at once! Consider upgrading a new appliance every few months. Spread the cost by putting aside whatever you can afford every month. Buy a new washing machine and then start saving again for the tumble dryer. Once you have enough saved, you can upgrade the next appliance! Homebuyers like to see high-quality appliances that are up-to-date. That way, they don’t have to spend extra money on upgrading things themselves. New appliances are very efficient. The initial cost of upgrading things like your fridge, freezer, boiler and ACs will definitely pay off with your reduced bills. Don’t just think big – small appliances are worth upgrading too. These will probably be moving with you, nevertheless, they’ll make a difference to your day to day life. Modern, colourful coffee makers, kettles and mixers etc. can all add a splash of colour and glamour to your kitchen.
Do a deep clean
This might not sound like a home improvement necessarily, but don’t forget the importance of keeping your home clean. The more you look after your property, the better. A property that gets neglected will most definitely lose value. Doing a deep clean is about going a lot further than usual. It’s not just about dusting and hoovering. During a deep clean, make sure you get into all those areas you tend to neglect normally. Scrub the grouting in the bathroom and shampoo the carpets! When you do a deeper clean than normal, you might even notice some repairments that need doing. Maintaining a property is just as important as modernising it.
Upgrade heating/lighting
How you choose to upgrade your lighting will depend on your budget. This can be as simple as switching your bulbs and as sophisticated as installing smart lighting. If you’re on a tight budget, you could slowly change all of the bulbs in your home to LEDs. Even if you can only afford to do this one by one, it’s still a good change. LED bulbs last longer and cost a lot less to run than traditional bulbs. If your budget allows, you could think about adding a couple of new light fixtures. You can get something plain and elegant, or something more extravagant. Statement light fixtures can give the allusion of your interior being a lot more expensive than it actually is. Smart lighting is a very popular upgrade, too. With a smart lighting hub and bulbs, you can control your lighting from your phone or from your virtual assistant (such as Amazon’s Echo). You can change the colour and the brightness of the bulbs to suit your mood! With smart heating, you can control the temperature of your home to the degree. This can save you money on your bills by ensuring that you’re not overheating or overcooling your home. What’s more, you can turn on your thermostat on your way home from work. That way, it’ll be just right as soon as you walk in through the front door!