D.I.Y. Sweat Equity is Rewarding
What are you going to do the next upcoming weekends? For those of us who remember buying our first home, many of us bought a fixer-upper, and Home Depot was our best friend. Paint, flooring, lighting, landscaping, decks, fences, you name it, we rolled up our sleeves and went to work on our homes.
Today, society has spoiled us. We have contractors that can do all the work for us, but of course they come with surprisingly high prices and backed up schedules. Upon learning this information, we often lose our enthusiasm and retreat to just leaving the home the way it is. But why wait? I can assure you that the day you wake up to sell your home, and you finally realize that the deferred maintenance and décor from 2005 is problematic, you will wish you would have done more.
You can do it yourself and receive great satisfaction. Here are my top “do it yourself” home improvement projects you could do over any weekend.
- Replace your lighting – Lowes, Home Depot, Lamps Plus, and Globe Lighting all have a fantastic selection. With YouTube, you can easily find “how-to” videos, and see that replacing a light fixture only takes 30 minutes and the results are immediate.
- Paint your interior – Gone are the days of different colors in each room, or a big splash of red on one wall. Today, we are back to painting most of the home one color throughout, typically colors such as off-white, grey, beige, or “greige”. Nothing will update your home faster.
- Paint your front door – It is truly amazing how the color of a front door can make such a big statement. If you have a popular color from the 90’s like hunter green, it’s time to update! Take a drive through some newer home neighborhoods for inspiration. In just one day, you can make a splash!
- Replace the Faucets – Visit the local stores. Have you seen how gorgeous today’s plumbing fixtures are? You are only a YouTube video away from making your kitchen sink pop!
- Door Hardware – When is the last time you looked at your front door knob? Is it faded, dented, or has a finish that is now dated? The same thing goes for your interior door hardware. Buy that battery-driven screw-driver and go to town. In just a day, you can update your door hardware, and make a huge impact throughout your entire home.
- Pressure Wash – Moss and black mildew on your front porch, and driveway not only look dirty, but can deteriorate the life of your concrete. Additionally, it can become a slippery walking hazard in the winter. Borrow your neighbor’s pressure washer and clean it off. Trust me, it will feel like you just took a shower after a week of camping in the woods.
- Paint your Exterior Trim – Is it peeling? Is it a dated look? Painting your trim can be quick, fun, and easy way to quickly change the personality of your home.
- Install Closet Organizers – What would your closet look like empty? Dirty, bland, old shelves and rails? Today, you can purchase a closet pack and make your closet feel like your kitchen with new cabinetry and more efficient storage.
While this is just a small list, the idea is to keep the projects small, manageable, and affordable. Doing the work is good exercise, and in many cases is mindless. The ultimate reward is the satisfaction of seeing it done and knowing that you did it. Not to mention, you did it for half the price and had fun doing it!
