Ah, home improvement – the mere phrase just makes you think of spending tons of cash, doesn’t it?
Well, after reading this article you won’t be stressing out about the cost of your next big renovation. These home improvements we’ve collected are all under $1,000 to complete.
You may be considering things like creating more value in your home. Are you thinking about selling your house? Renovations may sound like a non-issue if you’re moving out of a home, but people don’t understand that renovating, updating, or replacing things within your home can bring you more value than your up-front investment.
Let’s see what renovations add the most value to your home (along with the least), and what common improvements you can make under $1,000.
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What Home Improvements Add the Most Value to Your Home?
Home improvements can vary from landscaping or gardening to cosmetic changes like painting and curb-appeal updates like fencing or re-paneling/bricklaying.
These may seem like they might be out of the league of $1,000, but they’re not! Let’s check out the outdoor renovations you can execute for under $1,000.
The key is to set your budget and stick to it.
Outdoor Renovations
Simple Landscaping: No matter what your budget is, you can add a little bit of glamour and curb appeal to the front of your home with even just one landscaping service. Angie’s List (Now Anji.com) has a great selection of gardeners and lawn care services.
Plants: If you want to renovate a backyard space, all you have to do is add a little bit of greenery. You can get small plants like Gerber daisies for mere dollars at places like Home Depot and Lowe’s. Or, if you’re in the market for something a bit more desert-oriented, check out succulents. Whatever style you want your backyard to be in, there’s a reasonably priced plant to help spruce things up.
Small Space Solutions: Do you not have a yard? Do you still want to renovate and make things around your home nicer? Try updating your balcony or a small patio with new furniture. Wayfair has tons of outdoor options that can make an old home feel new again.
Furniture: So, on the subject of furniture, a small patio set can help you feel like you’ve renovated a huge outdoor space for under $1,000. There are so many websites you can use to find the perfect one, but we love this set from Amazon. It’s affordable and versatile, perfect for spaces both small and large.
Forget the $1,000 budget, this set is only $200!
Deck: If you want to renovate your home, a deck can help with a brand new look either on the front or the back of the house. Decks can cost anywhere from $400 to infinity. It just depends on your price range and your willingness to stay under your $1,000 budget. You can always negotiate with whomever you hire and leave your deck “unfinished” and varnish or paint it yourself to cut around costs.
Again, Anji can help with local contractors to help you on your renovation journey.
Patio: Like decks, it’s really about the size of the patio that matters. Some DIY sites claim that you can create an interesting patio space with a refinished floor for under $1,000, but if you need to start from scratch this renovation can be a bit more costly than others on this list.
Indoor Renovations
Paint: Kitchen renovations are expensive. It seems like people can’t get enough of new backsplashes and knocking down walls to connect kitchens to the rest of the house.
If you want to renovate something.. renovate your paint!
If you head over to Home Depot, Menard’s, or even Lowe’s, you can grab paint for a reasonable price. The cost here is your materials, not necessarily the labor. If you DIY your paint job or hire someone professional, this renovation will be under $1,000 all included.
Tile: Speaking of backsplashes, there are so many ways to get a new look for your bathroom or kitchen. There’s a new trend of stick-on tiles and wallpapers that are 100 percent removable.
It not only cuts the costs, but it can help you renovate even if you are renting. For just $12 per square foot, you can buy stick-on tiles that will help you renovate spaces that have stucco or linoleum. Try to do a new backsplash that glitters like these tiles from Wayfair.
Carpet Cleaning: If you want to feel a little better about your surroundings, getting your carpet cleaned can really help.
Most services can come and do the job for under $1,000. It’s pretty much a no-brainer as far as a simple home renovation. Replacing carpet, on the other hand, can cost anywhere from $5 to $10,000 depending on the size of your home and how much carpet you have around.
Feng Shui: The ancient art of Feng Shui reveals harmony in the home. There are certain ways you can arrange things like your bed and your tables, even how you keep your bathroom that can help you feel like you’ve renovated your home in a way that makes a great impact on $0. Check out this handy guide to help yourself make a renovation that is the most affordable on this list.
What Home Improvements Add the Least Value to Your Home?
If you don’t want to make a mistake in how you choose your home renovation, listen up.
Some home renovations can add a ton of value to your property. Curb appeal is the one that usually gets you the most bang for your buck; however, you might be thinking that bathroom remodels, basement refinishing, or deck addition are going to help you the most. Let’s run through the costs of those and see which adds the least amount of value to your home.
Bathroom Remodel: Bathroom remodeling from the toilet to the shower, adding a bathtub, updating tile, and even having to do some plumbing work can cost big bucks. According to Home Advisor, the average bathroom remodeling can cost around “$10,935 as most homeowners spend between $6,595 and $16,364,” depending on the size of course. They go on to say that updating only the essentials in a small or medium-sized bathroom (like a toilet and sink upgrade, maybe some tile) can cost $3,500 to $7,000. “On a large or master bath, you can spend $25,000 or more.”
The average bathroom remodels costs $10,935 Most homeowners spend between $6,595 and $16,364. You can spend as little as $3,500 to $7,000 updating the essentials in a small or medium-sized bathroom. On a large or master bath, you could spend $25,000 or more.
Kitchen Remodel: If you stick to one element on a kitchen remodel, like adding an island, you can do this renovation for under $1,000.
Finishing a Basement: You can finish a basement simply by adding more drywall or adding carpet / stick-on tile. With DIY installation you can achieve this home renovation for less than $1,000 easily.
Curb Appeal Upgrades: FLOWERS! These are the best way to improve your curb appeal. You can even order different kinds of seeds, pots, holders, and even fully-grown plants from some websites. Here are a few of our favorites:
- Amazon: Full plants transported the quick Amazon way. This is the easiest and most convenient way to get started on your curb appeal upgrade.
- Greenery NYC: This service gives you an ultimate leg up on your neighbors.
What is the Most Common Home Improvement?
The most common home improvement is renovating your floors and ceilings. You may not expect this but according to home guru Bob Villa, 5.2 million homeowners replaced their paneling or ceiling tiles during the year 2017.
“Stained floors and ceilings can kill the aesthetics of a room,” Villa’s website states. “It cost homeowners an average of $3, 283.”
So, while not really within our budget of under $1,000 you can use some of the tactics we listed above like stick-on tile or even investing in carpeting to replace hard-to-care-for wood flooring.
Grabbing a new rug for a hardwood floor room or one with carpet can go a long way. You can get carpets of all shapes, sizes, and themes from anywhere like Amazon, Target, or Wayfare.
Written By Jónatan Murali
Born and raised in a family of builders, Jónatan learned the trade at an early age and has since honed his craft, becoming a master in his field. Throughout his career, Jónatan has worked on countless home renovation projects, from small bathroom upgrades to large-scale kitchen remodels. He has a keen eye for design and a passion for creating beautiful, functional living spaces. As a general contractor and a writer, Jónatan is dedicated to delivering high-quality workmanship and engaging content that educates people about the industry. Through his work, he has helped to raise awareness about responsible construction practices and the importance of proper building codes. In his free time John enjoys fishing and long walks with the family dog.
