So you purchased a home, congrats! Now if you’re anything like me, you simultaneously want to give the house a touch of your style, increase its value, and not break your budget. With some planning and a careful watch on your spending, you can transform this home into one that could only be yours and one where you truly feel peaceful. There are some home projects that without technical skills you should not try to master (electrical work for one). However, there are others that you can tackle yourself. With a little help from YouTube videos or some help from friends, you can put a little money, a lot of energy, a lot of hard work, and some time into making your home exactly how you want it. You can increase your home’s value with the power of DIY.
First, decide where to begin to increase your home’s value.
Make a list of all the projects you would like to do and then put a mark next to the ones that bother you most. For example, in my first home, the half bathroom was red. Bright red, make your eyes bleed red. That took top of my priority list. The burning red bathroom HAD to go. Take a look at your top 3 projects and determine if any of them are dangerous for you to DIY or if you need a specific skill set that you don’t have. If that’s the case, you should get some prices from professionals. If it’s something you think you’d be able to tackle, even if it’s not something you’ve done before then go for it! Whether it’s fixing a toilet that won’t stop running, painting walls, replacing kitchen cabinet pulls or knobs, adding a new mailbox, or planting new flowers out front, pick somewhere to start. Little things like these can make a huge difference, not only to how your home looks to others, but to how it feels to you. Tackling a smaller project to start with can give you a win and help you start to feel settled in your new home.
Second, get started to increase your home’s value.
Once you decide on a project, look online or take a trip to a local hardware or paint store and find out how much your project will cost. If it costs $300, start saving and once you have the money set aside, begin working on the project. Don’t use credit cards or introductory store financing for these purchases. It will take you twice as long to actually pay for them and the stress of the debt will make it so you only enjoy the improvement half as much. Once you’re ready to start the project, make it fun! Home projects are a lot more fun when you make a party out of it. Have some friends over, order pizza, and blast some music while you work to make your house your exact vision of perfect.
Be realistic with your project list.
It’s not likely that you can tackle everything on your list at once. Not only would that take all of your time, but it also would probably take a whole bunch of money. You want to pace yourself. If you just purchased this home, odds are that you will be living there for at least the next five years. You will have time to complete projects, you just have to tackle them one at a time. Maybe you tackle one bigger project per season of the year. If that’s your strategy, it probably makes sense to have a home project line on your budget so you can keep saving for the projects you have coming up. (check out the budgeting basic bundle if you don’t already have a budget created). Slowly but surely you can increase your home’s value.
Budgeting for furniture, decorations, and other pretty house things
In addition to projects, you probably want to add furniture, lamps, pictures, and many more decorations to your home. Keep your budget in mind for these items as well. One trip to get a few things can easily turn into hundreds of dollars spent without meaning to (Target, anyone?). Be mindful about how much money you want to spend on home furnishings. Know that if you go over budget on this, you will have to cut back in another budget area. And while you may really want those new pillows, do you want them as much if it means that you can go on one less date night meal out for the month? Is it worth it to spend more on home furnishing than on other things? All that said, remember that buying more things will not make you happier. Stuff is just stuff. If you don’t believe me, I recommend reading “Everything that Remains” or watching “Minimalism: a documentary about the important things” Netflix. While I am not a minimalist, so many of the ideas rang true to me and I think it can be a helpful reminder that there are more important things than stuff.
The bottom line
The bottom line is that this house is yours and over time, you will make it feel even more like yours. You have to be patient with yourself and recognize that everything will not magically be done at once. You can make this house your perfect dream home, but it will take some time and the labor of love to get it there. Be proud of the value you’re adding to your home and the new skills you’re learning along the way. Use your DIY skills to increase your home’s value.