How to Upgrade and Maintain The Value of Your Home-DIY

It has always been my goal to maintain the value of my home and even increase its value as it got older. I have lived in my home for about 30 years and being a Do-It-Yourselfer, I consider my home a work in progress.

Each year, I decide to do one big project and during the year some smaller ones. This could be redecorating one of our rooms, maybe replacing doors, new landscaping and other projects that can not only turn out to be fun to do. It will also modernize and update your home and keep it looking fresh. You will love coming home from work and living in this wonderful and beautiful home, a place that you enjoy because you were the ones that made it that way.

In this article I will give you some easy steps in projects you can do. These steps will not only freshen up your home, but increase its value and make your home the envy of your friends and family.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Good ideas
• Research on what improvements you might want to do.
• A basic knowledge of tools and how to use them.
• Names of tradesmen you can call if necessary.

1. 
    
   Cluttered, Old Room

   First step is to analyze your home and make a list of which projects are the ones you should tackle first....
   
   The list might include landscaping projects, rooms that need an overhaul, maybe easy projects like a fresh coat of paint or the addition of new molding around the house. Start to look around, read some magazines, do some research on the internet and by all means read articles right here on eHow.

2. 
    
   Unused small bedroom

   Put your list in your priority order....
   
   Add some smaller projects to your list and begin to decide on your budget for each project.
   
   You may want to redo an empty bedroom and make it a nice guest room with a pull out bed that can double as a reading or TV room.
   
   The room in this photo was done by adding a simple built in where the bed used to be, a new laminate floor, some molding and paint. Total cost to redo this room (without the sofa) was under $800, including the new floor. The flooring was purchased at Costco and cost about $200-$300 complete.
   
   Amazing and not hard to do if you are handy and comfortable with basic tools.

3. 
    
   I Replaced 6 Doors

   Replace your old doors....
   
   This project is a bit more challenging, but worth the effort. Many older homes have the hollow core doors that may have warped, been painted a million times or simply looks ugly. Others have old doors that simply must go.
   
   You can purchase pre-hung doors that are nice 6 panel doors and do it at a cost of about $60 each. Add the cost of a new door entry set and some fresh moldings and you will spend about $100 per door.
   
   You will need to have some experience with tools and doing these type projects to tackle this one, but you can do it or hire someone to help you.

4. 
    
   Living Room Before Fresh Paint

   Paint your rooms, it is easy to do....
   
   Fresh paint will make a room sparkle and offer you an opportunity to clear out the clutter and old wall hangings.
   
   We love to go from room to room each year and repaint one room per year, minimum. This way every 8-10 years our entire home has been repainted or decorated. If you have a smaller home, then you can plan to repaint a room every 5 years or so. I keep extra paint at the end of a project, mark the room it is for and use it to freshen up my rooms from marks, dirt, etc. that occur over the years. This is a great way to keep your home looking fresh between total paint jobs.

5. 
    
   Living & Dining Room Finished

   Use creative colors and new textured paints when painting your rooms....
   
   Today many decorators like to use dark colors, textured paints and other new techniques. This can be done to accent a wall or area of the room as we did in this room. Crisp clean colors and sharp new moldings will make your room look new.
   
   Painting is easy to do, doesn't cost much at all and motivates you to clear out the clutter and redecorate the room.
   
   An average room should only cost about $100-$200 to paint yourself. It might cost a bit more if you select some of the designer paints offered by Ralph Lauren and other designers, but even at a cost of $40-$50 per gallon, painting your room is still the least expensive method of cleaning and modernizing a room.
   
   Anyone can do it, it really isn't very hard to do. Painting can be a great week-end project too. Remember, preparation of that room is the key to success. Make sure to repair any holes, cracks, etc. properly and sand them down so that it won't show through after you paint. If you are going to replace the molding, make sure to remove the old moldings, do your repairs and paint. Then put the new molding back in place.

6. 
    
   Base Moldings

   Add new base and door moldings to your home....
   
   This is another great project that can be done without spending lots of money. This may be done when you have decided to repaint the room or it can be done to a room that doesn't need new paint.
   
   Have your contractor (or if you are a handy) remove the old molding, repair the wall, paint the room (if it needs it) and then replace the moldings with fresh, modern looking, new molding. The benefit will be a wonderful upgrade to each room you do and sharp, clean lines from the molding to your walls.
   
   Remember to replace the moldings around your doors as well, if they need to be replaced. This way you can select a complimentary molding for the door openings and walls. Many homes have the old clam shell door molding, rip those out and replace with more current moldings available at Home Depot, Lowes and other home stores.
   
   Many molding are now made out of composition materials and come pre-painted with a base coat. Paint your molding with the final paint before installing it and after installation simply go over it one more time to cover any filled nail holes or any damage.
   
   Use a latex caulk to fill the crack on the top of the molding to the wall. Never use plaster or wall board compound for this, it will crack and look horrible in time.

7. 
    
   Redo of small bathroom

   Redo a small bathroom yourself....
   
   This will be a challenge for most, but you can hire a tradesman by the day to help you out on portions of the project you feel you can't do yourself.
   
   On my new bathroom, I hired someone to put up the new sheetrock, do the electrical work and the special wall board in the shower area. He did all this in only one day and it cost me $250. I also hired an experienced tile tradesman to install the tile in the bathroom, my cost was only $300 for this work and he came back a second day to do the grout. Money well spent to do the job right and save me days if I attempted to do it myself.
   
   The total cost for this modern, clean bathroom was under $4,000 including all the fixtures and furnishings. Since I had a good jet tub and nice chrome shower and other accessories, I was able to simply clean them and reuse them. Cost of the actual construction was about $1,000.

8. 
    
   Trim and replace plants as needed

   Work on your Landscaping ....
   
   Each year you should think about your landscaping and work on a portion of the garden. After all when and if you look to sell your home, curb appeal with be important to get you the price you want for your home. You will also love to come home to your house if it looks like a beautiful garden.
   
   One year, you may want to work on the lawn. Maybe it has to be replaced with a new one because it is too far gone. Another time you may want to work on the flower and shrub beds and remove old and overgrown growth and replace them with new and younger stock.
   
   Each year, I will remove some live stock and replace it. I also trim my shrubs and hedges on a regular basis and always mulch in those areas of the garden that require it. Of course I also plant my vegetable garden each year and enjoy the fruits of my labor when the garden is in full swing.
   
   Tip: Hire day labor to help you with some of the projects. It is worth the extra money and you won't end up with a bad back or a bad experience, which will discourage you from working in the garden. In many areas, there are places to find people that work by the day, ask people in your area if you don't know where to locate them.

9. 
    
   Redo on Dining Room

   Enjoy your work and your fresh, clean and modernized home....
   
   By following these steps and tips your home will look fresh and new even after 30 years. You will take pride in your accomplishments when people come to visit and comment on how good looking your home is.
   
   So, take a hard look at your home and if you have a room that is cluttered or in need of a make over, do it yourself or do part of it yourself and make your home shine again.
   
   Don't do what others do...fix up a home before they sell it. Do it each year and enjoy living in your beautiful home now and when and if you decide to sell it, you won't be overwhelmed with the work that will surely be needed at that time.

Tips & Warnings

• Make a list of all the projects you want to do in the house. Don't be overwhelmed by the list, you will only do one or a few projects each year.
• Start on the smaller projects first and as you gain experience and confidence, move onto the larger ones.
• Don't be concerned if you need to hire someone to help you. You can find someone and work along with them so you can save money and learn too, or do it yourself with help from your local Home Depot or other store that offers instructions.
• Make sure to have a budget and stay within that budget too.
• Use the best quality materials you can afford. After all you aren't paying for someone to do it, so put the money in the materials, it will show on the finished project.
• Get the name of some local, trustworthy tradesmen that you can call should you need their help. I like to hire by the day and get an idea of what they can accomplish in one day. It helps you stay within your budget.
• Take before and after photos as I do. This way you can put a great photo album together to remember what you have accomplished over the years. It is also good to have when you go to sell the home, this way people can appreciate the work you did. I take photos of the rooms during major renovations too, this way I can tell where the plumbing and electrical wires are in the open walls should I need to do any repairs in the future.
• Don't tackle a project you are not sure you can complete. You will be discouraged and stop in the middle and it will be worse then when you started. Have a plan and if you get in trouble, make sure you know who to call to help you out.
• Have your wife, children and friends help you out if you need it. Many projects will require more then one person. My wife and I did many of the projects in our home. Although her contributions might be considered minor, having her help me clean up after a days work was a great help, especially when I was too tired to move.

Resources

• eHow Home and Garden Topic Guide

[jewel44]

on 10/25/2009 All I need to DIY is a little time away from the kids and to learn a few new skills. Thanks for the insightful comments.

[illuminata25]

on 8/12/2009 I like the pictures and the details about prices. I hope it is a lucrative article for you! 5* and a subscribe

[redar]

on 8/4/2009 Hi, I am sorry to write to you on your comment sheet, my message option is still not working and I have been writing ehow and I can't get anyone to fix it. Also, I went and rewrote my senior article and when I went to save it all disappeared, I am about ready to leave ehow. I work so hard and nothing works and there is NO support....

[joenmandy]

on 8/3/2009 Great article! how about an article on removing rotten flooring and replacing with new? Thats my next project in my house! recommend and 5* article! Thanks!

[efficientparent]

on 8/3/2009 rec and 5*...I'm adding to my favorites ...looking forward to more of your articles!