5 Budget-Friendly Home Improvement Ideas

Need to do some updates around the house but think you lack the funds for any worthwhile home improvement projects? It is true that home repair and renovation can be expensive. However, there are also some cool things you can do on the cheap or find a pro to help you out. Check out these step by step tutorials for some inexpensive ways to update and improve your home, but on a budget.

Paint Cabinets

Are you thinking about updating your kitchen, namely your kitchen cabinets? Repainting them is easy, but only if you know what you are doing. Proper surface prep is crucial if you want this home improvement project to turn out right. Learn how with this step by step tutorial with this DIY idea for kitchen cabinets.

Paint Tub and Tile

As you might know, ripping out ceramic tile can be a ton of work and/or costly. We don’t have the extra time or money to focus on this bathroom right now. I would rather have furniture and a new kitchen, so I started thinking up ways to just get by until we are ready to tackle it head-on. I figured I would stick to my paint everything method. Again, painting was just a temporary fix for us so that we could save up for two more years for something more long-term.

Install a Dishwasher to Conserve Water

That old dishwasher could be wreaking havoc on your electric and water bills. Time to switch it out for a new Energy Star-qualified dishwasher, which can save you more than $30 a year on power and almost 500 gallons of water. If you don't have a dishwasher at all, you're using 40 percent more water washing by hand! The biggest cost saver of all? You can install a dishwasher yourself in an afternoon. No plumber, no electrician—and no worries that you're squandering your retirement money on a load of clean dishes.

Lay an Eco-Friendly Layer of Insulation

It's bad enough to have to get up in the morning, let alone get up and experience the icy shock of a cold floor. What you need is some warmth underfoot, a little cushion as you pad across the house. Enter cork. Resilient yet durable, stylish yet earthy, a natural cork floor can turn any cool room into a cozy haven.

Cork is also a lot easier to install than traditional wood flooring. Manufacturers now offer products in engineered panels that snap together without glue or nails. These floating-floor systems sit well over plywood, concrete, or even existing flooring. In one afternoon you can turn a floor into a comfortable mat where your toes can roam free without fear of the big chill—or expensive area rugs.

Prevent Mold Growth With a Bathroom Vent Fan

Installing a ventilating fan in your bath does more than just eliminate fogged-up windows, steamy mirrors and stale odors. It also helps prevent moisture-related problems, such as the growth of mold and mildew, that can be costly to remove and lead to health problems. Avoid all of that with this affordable upgrades. Here, This Old House general contractor Tom Silva shows the proper way to install a bath vent fan. In this particular installation, Tom ran the exhaust duct into the attic and through a sidewall to the outdoors.

Protect Walls With an Easy-to-Clean Backsplash

If installing a traditional tile backsplash feels a little out of your DIY league, putting up one made from a single sheet of solid surface material may just be your saving grace. Shaping, cutting, and gluing up this inexpensive stock material—available from companies such as Swanstone, which makes the beadboard backsplash shown here, in a variety of colors and patterns—is a weekend project most amateurs can conquer with confidence. And when you have your sleek backsplash in place, you'll think it such a stylish protector from splashes and splatters you'll wonder why you ever considered tile in the first place.

Conclusion

Busting the budget is everyone's biggest fear when it comes to home remodels. And with good reason. With some strategic thinking about design, materials, and timing, you can cut costs without cutting corners.