Thursday, April 17, 2014

10 Quick And Budget-Friendly Projects To Remake Your Space This Spring

Source: trulia.com ~ Author: Michael Corbett
Most of the country is digging out from underneath snow and ice brought on by the tail end of winter, but no matter what climate you live in, your thoughts are likely turning to Spring! The first tastes of warmer weather also brings thoughts of spring cleaning and freshening up your home.

If you don’t have the time or money to do a lot of significant upgrades, but you want to give your home a fast and inexpensive face lift, here are 10 things you can do in one day or one weekend for under $200 dollars!

Save it, Sell It, Chuck it! This is my first step to give a home fast face lift. Decluttering is free and will only cost you time. Taking a close, hard look at what needs to really be in a room and what can go will change the entire look of a space. Less “stuff” will open up your existing space and give a “lift” faster than you can say “yard sale!” Yes, you might even MAKE money if any items you discard have resale value!

Tackle The Closets Fling open the doors to those stuffed clothes closets – and get organized. Start by getting rid of your mis-matched hangers. Stop by a place like Bed, Bath & Beyond or Home Goods and buy 100 matching hangers for cheap. They’ll look nicer and save you space, and you will be able to toss old unwanted fashions as your rehang each item. An inexpensive way to breathe new life into your closet and wardrobe.

Paint It Over An accent color wall or an interior room repaint will liven up a home. With little money and just a day or a weekend, your house can have new a new look and a new life. Be adventurous – it is the easiest renovation to “do-over” if you don’t like it!

Deep Clean Those Carpets If you have wall-to-wall carpet or large area rugs spread throughout your home, rent a carpet cleaner and give those carpets a deep clean. You can rent these at most local grocery or hardware stores. I invested the money up front and bought a good carpet shampooer for about $200, and I use it once a month – it is shocking how much extra dirt that machine pulls up each time. And if you have pets …this is one spring facelift you can’t live without!

Throw In Some Color Throw pillows are no brainers when it comes to creating a fresh new look on the cheap. Bring your living with you into the new season by throwing in some bright colors, and put the old pillows away for later. Store your other pillows away, and then swap them out whenever there is a change of season.

A Hotel Right in Your Own Home I’ll let you in on a luxury hotel secret: they dress their beds with white sheets, white pillow cases and crisp white duvet covers. It’s a standard for a reason – it’s fresh and light, and looks very high-end. You might cringe at the thought of how dirty all white can get, but it’s actually much easier to clean – throw it all in the wash with your other whites and some bleach and your are ready for a mini ‘five-star’ vacation in your own home.

Turn Down the Heat During this past season of wild temperature swings, your thermostat has been one of the most utilized devices in you home. It is time to give it a lift and an upgrade at the same time. The new breed of “smart” thermostats are fantastic. Venstar and Nest are two I love. They are easily programmable from both the control panel and directly from your mobile device too. Bonus – they look stylish and they save you money, too!

A Brand New Faucet Something new, shiny and functional will reinvigorate a tired kitchen counter! And it will add in some functionality as well. Those great goose neck or sprayers look fantastic and will cost you under $200.

Front Entrance Makeover A new bright color for the front door in a high gloss paint, a shiny kick-plate, new house numbers, new doormat – it will all make a big impression on the outside!
Outdoor Pop What spring face lift would be complete without some new spring flowers? Freshen up your curb appeal by planting pops of color and seasonally appropriate flowers that will look great for months to come.

Outdoor Pop What spring face lift would be complete without some new spring flowers? Freshen up your curb appeal by planting pops of color and seasonally appropriate flowers that will look great for months to come.