Now that the weather is warming up, it’s time to start thinking about those home improvement projects that have been lurking in your mind all winter. Whether you’re planning small renovations or a massive home overhaul, here are some affordable home improvements you can make this spring:
1. Install Kitchen Rollouts
Having a lot of storage space in your kitchen is great — unless that space is in floor-height cabinets that require you to get on your hands and knees to sort through. Get more use out of those cabinets by installing rollouts. These rolling shelves allow you to pull everything out of the cupboard easily so you can find what you need without crawling around on the floor.
Rollouts are simple to install and affordable, making them ideal for budgeters. Load them up with your pots and pans, and you can make the most out of all your kitchen storage capabilities.
2. Do a Bathroom Makeover
You don’t need to perform a multi-thousand dollar bathroom renovation to improve your bathroom this spring. Instead, plan a mini-makeover — update your fixtures, mirror and countertop — to give your bathroom a new lease on life without breaking the bank.
Most of these improvements are DIY projects, something you can do in an afternoon or over a weekend, which makes it easier to stick to your home improvement budget. Set yourself a strict amount and see what you can do within that number.
3. Install a Water Filter
Hard water is the worst. It wrecks your hair, makes it hard to wash your clothes and dries out your skin — and those are only the best-case scenarios. This spring, consider installing a water filter or softener kit. This tip is especially useful if you live in an area where the water tastes or smells bad without the use of a filter.
You’ll get to enjoy softer skin, cleaner laundry and tastier water. Plus, installing a whole-house water filter and softener is better for the environment than buying bottled water for drinking. Filtered water will also make your water-using appliances like clothes washers, dishwashers and water heaters last longer because they won’t experience mineral buildup.
4. Update Bulbs and Fixtures
Outdated lightbulbs and lighting fixtures aren’t just unsightly — they might be costing you a lot of money too. Incandescent and halogen bulbs waste energy by converting it into heat instead of light, with incandescents losing as much as 90% of the power they take in. Light-emitting diodes (LEDs), on the other hand, are 90% efficient, only losing 10% of their energy to heat. Fluorescent bulbs are usually about 85% efficient.
In most cases, swapping out a light socket is simple. You’ll have one power wire and one ground wire to swap, and you’re good to go. Things get a little more complicated if you’ve got dimmer lamps or multiple lights connected to one circuit. But in general, all you need to do is turn off the breaker to the room and replace the components in the opposite order that you took them apart. You’ll have new lighting installed in no time.
5. Buy a New Toilet
Old toilets can be really unattractive, but their negative impact on your water bill is even uglier than their appearance. New toilets use less water and work more efficiently than older models. You don’t need to spend thousands of dollars on a smart toilet, either. Just upgrading your existing model to something that uses less water can save you a lot of money every time you flush.
Replacing toilets is fairly simple, as long as the plumbing is in good shape. If you’ve got a pair of pliers and a strong back, you can swap out a toilet in half an hour. If you have other leaks in the bathroom, though, you might want to call a plumber and have them do the work. It might be more expensive, but it could prevent more problems in the long run.
6. Remember the Curb Appeal
They say you never get a second chance to make a first impression. For visitors coming to your home, your property’s exterior is your first impression. Even if you’re working on a budget, you can make your house’s facade look a little better by taking small steps. Refresh your landscaping with healthy plants or power-wash your driveway to clean away dirt and debris.
If you’ve got a slightly larger budget to work with, consider upgrading your mailbox or adding a border of bricks or pavers to your driveway’s edges. This addition will give it a little bit of class without you spending your entire wallet.
Enjoy Your Snazzy New Home Improvements
All that’s left to do is hang out and enjoy all your snazzy new home improvements — and maybe come up with some new projects to work on during the summer months.
