Today I am excited to have a guest blogger Stephanie. She is a military spouse and travel and food blogger. Being she is a military spouse, she has lived in nine homes in the past eight years due to Uncle Sam. She has been blogging since 2009 and has since written for various outlets. She enjoys sharing her love of travel and adventures she shares with her family. For todays post, she is showing us some small renovations around the house on a budget. I think we can all learn something from this post.
Home renovation saves money, and it can earn money—but seeing return on your investment takes time. Here's the thing: if you want your home to stay functional, you'll have to maintain it. That's work, and it's going to cost you a little bit anyway. What you want to do is get into a habit of maximization over time. Save money on renovation as possible, but get top results.
You maximize how far what you spend goes, and you do this in a way which continually betters your home. Certainly general maintenance is considerable, but if every time you fix something, you make the property a little bit better, then that earns you money. Say $20 for paint brings $100 value when you sell in five years; that's a five-fold increase.
Certainly the paint projection is hypothetical and generous, but you get the idea. There are little things that can be done around your house allowing you to renovate without breaking the bank, and see real ROI. Hiring contractors and professionals can be done cheaply, but some homeowners are surprised to find you can even do some easy things by yourself.
Painting was mentioned earlier. Start in a room where you can make mistakes, like an unfinished basement. Ask around, look up articles on painting. Then buy the pan and the roller, as well as the paint. You can probably get a whole room done for under a hundred dollars; hiring professional painters would be more expensive for only a slightly better result.
Moving Onto The Next Project
Once you've painted a room where you can make mistakes, you'll understand how to tape around certain things, and what sort of tarps or plastics to put on the floor to ensure you don't make a mess. Wallpapering is similar to painting, and can be done cost-effectively and quickly—again, you don't need to hire anyone; doing it yourself will save hundreds and render similar value.
Consider the lighting in your home. Have you ever looked into colored patterns applied over fluorescent cylinders? These can be installed with relative ease, and serve to beatify the premises.
Proper landscaping is something else you can do much more cheaply than hiring exterior help. A well-landscaped home will be more valuable on the market. Paint the walls, mow the grass, grit the path or install something more modern, like a concrete walkway. Mixing, pouring, and spreading your own concrete can be difficult, but it's not impossible.
Something a lot easier is putting down stepping stones stylishly appointed amidst rounded rock clusters. Installing a fence could be helpful, or getting rid of one that's out of place. You might plant and maintain a garden. Think outside the box, but don't discard traditional opportunities. This goes for interior and exterior renovation.
Other Considerations
You might consider either pulling out carpet or installing carpet. Wood, tile, and linoleum flooring options have varying levels of difficulty regarding installation; but it's basically a matter of pulling out one floor option and putting down another—properly, of course. This might be something better done with help, but then again, you might experiment on that basement.
Drapes and lighting also represent simple DIY renovation techniques. Get modern drapes, or install blinds that aren't a hassle to deal with. Switch to LED lighting, or install IoT options. Internet of Things tech has come to dominate residential atmospheres. You could make your home a “smart home” just through installation of a few devices here and there.
In the end, figure out what you can handle, what your home needs, and what to do with this information. Painting, lighting, landscaping, tech upgrades, wallpapering, and much more are relatively simple renovation techniques that even a novice can do relatively well.
Thank you so much Stephanie for sharing these tips on home renovations. Make sure to check out her blog Military Travel Mama.