As a homeowner, you probably know how important it is to update your home. Not only do upgrades make your house feel like a home, they’re also key to maximizing your return when it is time to sell your house.

Whether you’re ready to pack up and move or you’re a weekend warrior looking for a new project, now is always the best time to start making small upgrades to your home. If you don’t have much cash to throw around on home improvement projects, consider these seven affordable DIY home upgrades:

1) Paint Your Front Door

Want to increase your home’s curb appeal? Painting your front door is an easy way to attract potential buyers and create a more inviting entryway for your guests.

Whether you’re giving it a fresh coat of paint in the same hue or painting it an entirely different color, your front door will instantly look a 1000 times better. All the scuffs and scrapes your front door has acquired over the years will be gone within a couple hours.

The most difficult part is deciding which color to paint your front door. If you want to increase your home’s appeal, consider painting it black or charcoal gray. According to Zillow’s 2018 Paint Color Analysis, homes with front doors painted either of these two colors sold for $6,271 more than expected.

2) Replace Cupboard Door Handles

Changing the hardware on your kitchen cabinets is a ridiculously easy and affordable upgrade. While updating your door handles may not be high on your priority list, it can make a huge difference to the room’s overall look and feel.

If you still have shiny, gold cabinet knobs, it’s probably time to update your hardware to something more modern. Black is a contemporary neutral that pops against white interior doors while polished chrome looks great against black and charcoal doors.

3) Install a Kitchen Backsplash

If you’re doing a kitchen remodel and want to save some cash, consider doing the backsplash yourself. Installing simple horizontal subway tile is an excellent way to modernize your kitchen and is completely doable for the beginner DIYer.

However, two must-haves for a backsplash installation are a wet saw and a level. A wet saw will cut the tile neatly and be much easier than trying to score and break the tile.

Also, you should probably leave it to the professionals if you’re going to do something more complex than horizontal tile. Diagonal cuts and unique patterns can become complicated when working around outlets.

4) Add Trim to Your Doors

Molding makes a huge difference to any space. Of course, installing trim around your home’s interior can be a huge hassle in older houses that aren’t completely square.

A much simpler DIY home upgrades project is to add trim to your plain bedroom or hallway doors for a more dimensional, paneled look. The outline of the door may be subtle, but it will instantly refresh the space and make a big difference.

Best of all, it’s fast, easy and affordable. All you need is trim molding, wood glue, finishing nails, trim sealant and paint. Check out this simple tutorial on how to add trim to your doors for an easy upgrade you can do on the weekend.

5) Install a New Light Fixture

The right lighting can instantly transform your home, and most light fixtures are easier to install than you might think. There are also plenty of affordable options that can modernize your space on sites such as Wayfair and Overstock.

The important thing to remember when installing a light fixture is to turn off the power at the circuit breaker. Then, you can safely unscrew the old fixture and install the new bracket following the instructions that came with your new purchase.

Finally, connect the new fixture wires and secure it to the wall. Keep in mind that you may need to paint around the mount if your new fixture is smaller than your old one.

6) Install a Wall Cabinet in the Bathroom

Most bathrooms could use a little more space. An easy way to free up space and create additional storage is by installing a wall-mounted medicine cabinet.

A wall-mounted bathroom cabinet may seem like a large and difficult project, but it doesn’t take much more effort than hanging a piece of art on the wall. The hardest part is making sure it’s level and drilling the corresponding pilot holes in the back of your cabinet.

By simply following the instructions that came with the cabinet, anyone can do this DIY home upgrades task. Not only will you enjoy a new bathroom wall cabinet, but it will also increase the value of your home to potential buyers.

7) Paint Your Kitchen Cabinets

Complete kitchen remodels can cost anywhere from $8,000 to $20,000 these days. If you don’t want to wait years before you’re able to afford a kitchen upgrade, you can instantly update your kitchen by painting the cabinets.

Although painting cabinets may sound straightforward, it’s a little different than painting your walls. There is more prep work than you might think.

First, you need to remove the doors and hardware. Then, you need to get the accumulated grease off the cabinets by cleaning them with a grease remover.

Finally, you’ll need to do a light sanding to ensure that the paint will get a good grip on the wood. This is followed by wiping the cabinets to remove all the sanded grit.

And this is just the prep work! Although it sounds tedious, it’s easy to do, and you’ll achieve amazing results when it’s all said and done.

Bottom Line

Don’t let your budget get in the way of making upgrades to your home. There are plenty of DIY home upgrades that you can tackle with no experience necessary.

If you haven’t already, start investing in tools (such as a wet saw) now. Once you have all the right tools, tackling DIY home upgrades becomes much easier and more affordable.

Author Bio: Ross Burgess is a home improvement expert and design professional based out of Atlanta, GA. When he’s not designing beautiful spaces, he blogs for his family company, the Atlanta Peach Movers.