7 Ways You Can Update Your Home For Less Than $1,000

Home Updates For Less Than $1,000

Update The Landscaping

Landscaping is a very undervalued cosmetic upgrade for a home’s curb appeal. Sure, you may not notice if a home’s landscaping is underwhelming, but you will always notice when a home’s facade is flush with greenery.

For $1,000 you can install this budget friendly edging (or this steel edging), lay mulch, and add a good number of plants along the front of your house. To save a good bit of money, choose younger plants opposed to mature plants. You’ll get to watch them grow!

Build a fire pit

Since we’re on the topic of exteriors, you could create a fire pit hangout in your back yard. You can build the fire pit using landscape blocks or buy a wood burning fire pit. Additionally, you could create an entertaining space by laying limestone chips and setting a pair of Adirondack chairs around the fire.

As a bonus, fire pits are known for increasing a home’s resale value and the ROI is roughly 50%.

Replace Dated Light Fixtures

You could renovate your home to perfection, but a builder grade flush mount (I’m talking about you boob lights) or a dated chandelier will be the only thing you see. Either spend $200-$300 on a few flush mounts that look beautiful or splurge on one show stopping light fixture that *makes* the room. You may be surprised how much of a difference new lights make. Check out these 20 lights I love!

Add Wainscoting

Wall treatments are perhaps the #1 way to give character to a home. Drywall is not memorable, but tongue and groove planks, beadboard, wallpaper, and decorative mouldings are! Take notes from the mudroom above. The vertical tongue and groove wainscoting topped with a Shaker peg rail is what makes this mudroom so charming.

If the budget allows, do a wall treatment from floor to ceiling on all the walls! If the budget is tight, you can stretch your budget by doing that same wall treatment only 1/3-2/3 of the way up the walls.

Avoid doing “accent walls” with your wall treatment (i.e. a paint color or wall treatment on only one wall). Accent walls tend to look like the homeowner ran out of money and couldn’t finish the rest of the room. Instead, continue the wall treatment on all the walls or, if the budget is tight, decrease the amount of material needed per wall so you can continue the wall treatment on all the walls. (i.e. wainscoting instead of floor to ceiling).

Add Window Grilles

I remember when my mom took out the removable window grids in my childhood home and it was shocking the difference that it made. The same is true of the reverse. Adding window grilles to your existing windows will dramatically increase the charm of your home, both interior and exterior.

There are many companies such as Andersen and Fix Home that sell premade and custom insertable grilles that fit most windows. Start with one room and work your way through the whole house as the budget allows.

Invest In Antiques

Antiques add history and character to a home. They’re a conversation piece. They’re what distinguish your home from the next. On the flip side, when everything in a home is new, it starts to feel mass produced. It can resemble a retail catalogue instead of a lived in home. For all those reasons, antiques are an integral part of my designs.

If you want to update your home, look to the past. Look for hutches and side tables with dings and scratches that tell a story. Look for handmade pottery and celebrate the imperfections. Look for well worn art books and antique mirrors. That alone will make a massive impact on the overall design of your home.

Replace Door Hardware

Door hardware is like the jewelry of the home. An outfit is not complete without accessories, and a home design falls short when the little details (such as door hardware) are overlooked. Draw attention to an otherwise underwhelming aspect of the home by installing brass, black, or polished nickel hardware on your doors. Start with the front door or 1-2 interior rooms and work your way through the rest of the house as the budget allows.

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