Do you have company coming into town for the holidays? Does your Southern California home need a pick-me-up? Instead of spending thousands of dollars on a new front door or garage door (which still brings the best return for your investment), consider one of these home improvement projects that play nice with your bank account and take less than a weekend to complete.
Weekend Home Improvement Projects
Front Door Facelift
For a quick and inexpensive alternative to a front door replacement, consider applying a vibrant paint color instead. A bright shade of red, blue, green or yellow makes a statement and costs less than $100. You might even want to zhuzh it up a little more by replacing the hardware, adding a brass door knocker, or even installing a pretty kickplate.
Add or Update Knobs and Pulls
Something as simple as replacing or adding knobs and pulls to your cabinets and drawers makes a huge difference in the appearance of your kitchen or bathroom. Home improvement stores offer a variety to choose from. Whether you prefer modern, traditional, chrome, oil-rubbed bronze, antique brass, or polished nickel, the possibilities are infinite.
Smarten Up Your Thermostat
While this may not add the “wow factor” to your design, a programmable thermostat costs between $70 and $220 but can save you several hundred in heating and cooling costs throughout the year. Buyers Guide names the Google Nest Learning Thermostat as their top pick for programmable thermostats for any household.
Add Plants
While fake plants feel like an obvious choice, embrace the real deal. Plants help clean the air inside your home as well as provide stress relief while boosting your mood. Get some easy-to-care-for houseplants like a jade plant, a spider plant, a snake plant, or a peace lily plant. These all thrive in just about any climate with minimal care.
Create Your Own Art Gallery
Gather together your favorite photographs. They can be of your wedding, family get-togethers, important moments, or even places you traveled to. Go to thrift stores and garage sales to find frames in similar colors or finishes. Print those photographs as black-and-white prints. Then choose one wall and create a photo gallery.
Closet Lights
Finally, this one may not wow your guests but it will certainly make you happy any time you open your closet door. Install lights inside your closets. No matter the size of your closet, you may be surprised at how luxurious something as simple as a light can be inside of your closet. While this sounds like an expensive option, prices start as low as $20 and require no electrical wiring.
Muna Dionne, your Inland Empire specialist with Coldwell Banker Realty