Don't Break the Bank with Your Home Renovation

Bearing in mind the present financial situation, many people have decided not to rejuvenate their dated home because it's too costly. If you're in that same predicament, you can take solace from the fact that that you can give your house an overhaul with some key improvements and not having to spend all of your savings.

Remodeling the Basics on a Budget

Begin with basics when mulling over a home rehab project. Start from the top of the room and work your way down. This is the foundation for your home rehab project. If you have an acoustic ceiling, consider either repainting it a bright white or hiring someone to scrape it and re-plaster it with a smooth pattern. Don't forget to paint on a high-grade primer before your paint coat! Next, look at the walls and consider a neutral color that will go with a brighter and more natural mood and will go with any designs and decorations. Fix any holes and marks in your walls and doors so your home looks fresh and refinished. Next, continue with the floor areas: are the flooring and baseboards in fair condition? If so, re-paint the baseboards a nice white color to make everything look brand-new again. If you plan to rip out and re-cover the floors, consider porcelain tiles, because they are relatively cheap per square foot and stay looking new much longer than carpet does. If you will be installing carpet, choose a dense pile that is a shade of brown or beige so that marks from food and drinks won't show much and the carpet will resist crushing for a long time.

Kitchens and Bathrooms are Key

Modernizing your bathrooms and kitchen are the wisest fixes you can put into your house. If the cabinetry is in good structural shape, consider either restaining the existing cabinets or buying new doors. If you will be re-facing them, get a good hammer drill and detach the hinges and handles from the cabinet doors to release them. If needed, new doors can be purchased from your local do-it-yourself store. For bigger savings, re-stain your own doors. Again, remove the doors from the cabinets and then brush on a paint remover to the existing finish and scrape it off with a special scraper made from hard plastic just for this purpose. Once all of the finish has been removed, sand the cabinets the first time with a drum sander using medium-grit sandpaper. A finishing sanding should be done with a fine-grit sandpaper after that. Rub the cabinets with a cloth to remove the dust and then spread a wood conditioner to the cabinets. To conclude, stain or paint the wood and complete it with 2-3 clear coats to protect the new finish from water splashes.

How to Stretch Your Design Dollar

Improving your decorative items is an uncomplicated, but significant way to make your living quarters looking sharp. There are great deals at estate sales, second-hand shops, or on the Web which will save money. For even bigger savings, create furniture by yourself. You can make a gorgeous headboard, for example, with nothing more than two oversized wooden spindles, a lathe machine (you can borrow this from someone), and a large rectangle of board made of wood. Cover the wood centerpiece with some batting, fabric, and decorative upholstery pins for a new headboard that is sure to impress!

Perhaps you're fixing up a new home or wanting to re-do the one you live in. Either way, these unique ideas for getting the place you live to look its best will help your house look like new without spending a ton of dough in the process.