As I mentioned in a few posts my husband and I purchased a fixer upper 1970’s home. The home we purchased has the original flooring, kitchens, wall colors, shower heads, door knobs, doors and more. We’re of course on a budget just like everyone else and there are only certain things we can remodel and others we just have to update until the budget allows more. It was up to me to come up with ways on How to update a Home without remodeling.
Remodeling can be very expensive, time intensive and a messy job. Having kids in the house means we only get to work late at night while everyone is sleeping. There are so many ways to update a dated home without remodeling and without spending a ton of money. Below you’ll find a list of my few favorite ways to update your home without breaking the bank.
Updating a Bathroom Vanity with contact paper. I absolutely love the look of marble but of course it’s not in the budget. By using some gorgeous contact paper from Design your Wall I was able to give my dated counter tops an instant makeover with a faux marble counter top. The rolls you purchase are big enough to cover even the biggest area and several projects. See my Before and afters as well as the tutorial here.
Changing out Knobs. This house came with the original 1972 Gold brass knobs that barely turned and hardly kept the doors closed. We switched out all the knobs for our favorite Kwikset knobs to give an instant makeover in minutes. We went from Gold Brass blah to gorgeous Oil Rubbed Bronze knobs that fit in beautifully with our home decor and style.
Paint. One of the first things people normally do when they move into a home is paint. Painting the walls gives the home a sanitized look and fell. Painting is one of the easiest and quickest ways to update a home without remodeling. Pick your favorite shades and grab your painting tools and get to work. Our home is 2,600 sq feet so it’s going to take a bit of time to get all the rooms painted but we’re changing the yellow walls to a soft gray wall throughout the home. We chose various paint colors from Valspar Paint line.
New flooring. This home came with white carpet that was in rough shape. Add in my 3 little kids and a small dog and you have an even bigger mess of the carpets. By switching out flooring you’re giving yourself an instant makeover in all rooms and we chose to go with a laminate flooring for the upstairs and a bamboo flooring for the downstairs. Just by removing the dull, white carpet and replacing with a dark laminate flooring the rooms look bigger and more expensive. We purchased all of our flooring from Floor and Decor and got the best pricing around.
Spray Painting Knobs - Our home came with the ugliest door and drawer pulls that were a mix of a beige white and a gold overlay design. The knobs made the home look even more dated and they just didn’t go with our decor. Knobs can become very expensive especially when you’re trying to replace a whole home full of them. I took out my favorite Rustoleum Oil Rubbed Bronze Spray Paint and gave them an instant update that made a huge difference. Most of the furniture in our home is black so having darker knobs is ideal for our home and would go perfect with so many homes. See my before and after as well as my tutorials here.
Shower heads. Shower heads are an easy item to pick up from your local hardware store or online and instantly update your bathrooms. This home came with the tiniest shower heads I’ve ever seen with absolutely no water pressure and that wasn’t going to work for us. We received Rejuvenator Shower heads for the bathroom that are handheld and make the world of difference. Best of all they’re a gorgeous stainless steel color making them suitable for all colored bathrooms.
Updating your home can bring new design and décor opportunity for your space, no matter how big or how small. If you are thinking about adding your own personal touch with custom designs, photos or colors, Shutterfly’s new home décor section can help inspire you. Shutterfly is bringing your personalized photos, blankets, canvas’, pillows, coasters, table runners and lots more.
