12 Budget Home DIY Projects You Need To Do
Everyone that knows me understands that I am a huge DIYer. DIYing allows you to get your hands dirty, gives you a sense of accomplishment upon completion, and saves you money. As tempting as hiring a Home Depot day laborer, I just don’t like the idea of having my belongings sized up by a complete stranger that is incognito to the state. As far as hiring a professional contractor, they are simply too expensive. There are cheaper alternatives but value contractors are often full of individuals that have rap sheets up the wazoo. Don’t believe me? Just Google “Contractor Verification” or visit Contractors From Hell. A must read for any homeowner IMO.
I’m all about fixing up my own home that will 1) make it more comfortable, 2) create an aesthetically pleasing environment, 3) save me money in the long run and 4) adds resell value.
I aggregated a list of budget-friendly DIY home projects that I have personally done myself and encourage you to try. In the future, I will have pictures of me actually doing the work for each item!
1) Remove the ceiling popcorn
You know that crap that looks like vomit chunks on your ceiling, get rid of it.
2) Re-stain your cabinets
Makes your old-dilapidated cabinets look sexy once again.
3) Install hardwood floors
Probably last on your list, but new hardwood floors have a lasting stylish effect. Requires a table saw.
4) Paint your walls
Duh!
5) Reseal the caulking
This is very important for older homes. Helps prevent water damage that may lead to MOLD! Yikes
6) Insulate your door and windows
Don’t let your central heating go to waste.
7) Switch to energy efficient bulbs
Easy Peazy.
8) Change air filters
This is something that rarely gets done.
9) Replace your toilet
Water is such a hot commodity. If you have a water guzzler, it’s got to go.
10) Install new baseboards
An easy and cheap improvement to ANY room. Requires a nail gun.
11) Add new hardware to the bathroom
If steel wool won’t make your hardware shiny again, they need to go. Instant bathroom face lift.
12) Work on the curb appeal
Take care of weeds and mowing the lawn once a week can go a long way.
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Are you a DIYer? Have you ever found that you have a taken on a project bigger than you can actually handle? Have you hired a day laborer before? I would love to hear your stories.
Happy New Years!
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Photo: My Bathroom
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My parents did the hardwood floors in their house and I am surprised they are still married!
Very valid points you made about the contractors and Home Depot laborers. I know if I make any improvements to my home, I will want to try and do it myself for the sense of accomplishment.
How did you remove the ceiling popcorn? I have a friend who wants to get that done on the house she just bought.
you should see the ceiling popcorn in our home. It sparkles. There’s literally glitter everywhere. Totally beats having glow in the dark stars on our ceiling.
@KateMTP: Hi! Removing ceiling vomit is actually really easy. All it requires is a spray bottle with water, putty’s knife/chiself (plastic recommended), ladder, and floor covering.
There are several ways to do it, but i found the above method is the most wallet friendly. I’ll have a post on it later in the future.
@visfor: But you can’t be cool without the stars!
We wanted to have our house painted and remove the cottage cheese from the ceiling. The painter recommended someone to do the removal. And, he quoted us $6,500 to remove the ceiling and re-texture. This seemed realy, realy high to me for a small job with no materials.
So, after my son and I did the first ceiling, I came home and found my wife had finished the rest. Since we already did all of the hard work with the texturing, we just went ahead and painted. We probably saved $10K for a couple of days of work.
I am definitely thinking about doing the hard-wood floors in a couple of months. I have a table saw and just need to man-up.
Bret @ Hope to prosper´s last blog ..How to Deal with Fraud
@bret: That’s awesome! I saved a lot of money buying the hardwood floor material from Costco believe it or not. I had my 1st floor done by professionals and cost upwards of $15,000. A year after, I opted to do my 2nd floor by myself for $1000 (That’s 4 bedrooms not including the bathrooms which I have recently replaced with tiles instead of linoleum).
Even I can replace a light bulb! Actually, few things can be more satisfying than doing work on ones home. Take the time to do the job right and it can be very rewarding.
I am trying to add a little personality and organization to my tiny room that i share with my husband. Things that arent too expensive but that would make it look a little nicer would be good. Thanks!
I would like to start a decorating/home staging business. I only have one fairly low budget professional job under my belt. The budget was very modest so the pics are fair but not quite good enough to necessarily be the best advertisement or represent my work at the highest level. I loved doing the job & it turned out fantastic for a first job & on a real tight budget. I have a real eye for color and texture and am a bargain hunting machine with knowledge of a lot of hardware, fabric, tools, and many other things that I have confidence would allow me to do a great job @ this! If you have any tips on how to start or to make it in the business, I would love and appreciate to hear them from you.
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