6 Inexpensive Ways to Update Your Home on a Budget

Update your home on a budget, it seems impossible, especially when you watch all the home reno shows and see them demo every single room of the home. Here are 6 inexpensive ways to update your home on a budget, ways that will not break the bank, but will make all the difference.

Paint is the easiest and most impactful way to update your home on a budget

If I could recommend just one way to update a home, it would be with paint! There is so much you can do to your home with just a simple can of paint. Paint can stick to anything, you just have to find the right kind.

When we updated our basement entryway paint did most of the work! I gave the wall a fresh coat of white paint and added a little contrast by painting the door a grey/green. Finishing the stairs was just an added bonus. See the full renovation of this space on our Basement Entryway Transformation blog post.

I cannot say enough good things about paint, and have so many more examples of it in our own home. If you can only do one thing, pick paint.

Wall Detailing will make your home look like a custom build

Paint can do a lot as I mentioned at the beginning of this post. But sometimes it's nice to take it one step further and add a little interest.

Wall detailing is a great way to add interest to a space and make it feel a little less mundane. There are many different wall treatments out there.

A simple Pinterest search will get the ideas flowing; try searching for wainscotting, board and batten, beadboard, or shiplap. All these wall treatments can be done DIY style for a fraction of the cost and add so much charm and style.

We added a simple board and batten wall treatment to our bedroom, it added just that slight bit of visual texture and warmed the room right up.

Replacing plate covers is a simple way to update your home on a budget

Updating electrical doesn't sound like the most exciting thing to do, or even to spend your money on. Did you know it costs only about $3 to update a light switch or a receptacle? And you can save even more money when buying them in bulk.

You wouldn't think it would make that big of a difference changing out old electrical plates, but just take a look at this before and after in our family room.

Personally I don't want light switch covers to stand out, so changing them made all the difference.

If your budget is a little larger you can look at updating light fixtures as well. We recommend waiting on a sale as light fixtures are expensive and styles are constantly changing. We hold our budget for this at under $200 a fixture, and frankly haven't paid more than $150.

A simple change in lighting will change the whole feel of a room. Light fixtures are such a trend and can date a space instantly.

Follow our tutorials to do all this work on your own without hiring an electrician: How to Change A Receptacle, How to Change a Light Switch, How to Change a Light Fixture

Getting a Custom look with Unique Doors

Doors can be so impactful when you find the right one. When trying to add character into a home a door can be your perfect opportunity, you just need to choose the right location. An office door, basement door, closet door, sometimes bathroom door can all be great opportunities to add some character.

In our home, we still wanted the option of a sound and privacy burier, as our bedrooms are down this hallway. But we also needed more light to pass through this space, so a salvaged glass door was the perfect option for us. You can read more about this barn door, and what it used to look like in our post How To Install A Barn Door Without A Header.

Create Open Concept

Open concept is all the rage, and it's one thing old homes don't usually have.

Now tearing down load-bearing walls is not budget-friendly. But if your home has a half wall or a wall that is not load-bearing and all you need to do is remove it, I say go for it!

In our case, a half wall and an after though closet was all that was stopping us from getting that open-concept we were looking for. By removing the wall and the closet we totally transformed this space, adding a living room full of additional space. You can see more of our living room in our Living Room Update on a Budget blog post.

Update Window Treatment

Window treatments can really date a space, and for an instant change, you can just remove them altogether. Given that the room you are focusing on is not a bedroom.

We were not in the market to buy new curtains or curtain rods for this space as it wasn't a huge need. We needed to remove them due to water stains from a leaky window, the curtains were holding a sent. The windows in these rooms are not directly facing any homes that could see in, so we lived without curtains for almost 3 years.

After going a few years without curtains we were able to come up with a budget-friendly option. Making our own curtain rods and saving for these budget-friendly curtains really helped us get the look we wanted without the price tag.

I hope that these budget-friendly ideas for updating your home helped to inspire you are not intimidate you. You don't need a lot of money to make a big change! Just a little effort and a can of paint will get you set on the right path! Happy home updating!!

More Tips and Tricks

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How To Fix An Awkward Living Room Layout

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