Home renovations can add value to your property, but there are ways to upgrade it without going into debt or blowing up your savings.
Interested in these budget-friendly options, Redditor u/scal369 made a post on the r/HomeImprovement community, asking its members to share $500-$1,000 investments that were “a total game-changer”, and everyone immediately jumped into the comment section.
From re-painting the interior to battery-powered lawn equipment, the answers they provided touched on both aesthetics and functionality, and you don’t need to be the handiest person on the block to try them yourself.
Image credits: scal369
#1
Extra fridge. Just by coincidence right when the pandemic started we replaced our fridge and left our old one in the garage planning on craigslisting it. We kept it instead and used it for bulk storage. It’s been great – fewer visits to the grocery store, and more home cooking.
Image credits: LA_Nail_Clippers
#2
A 3D printer. Half the random things I need for my apartment I just make myself now. Want an under-cabinet mounted paper towel holder? Done. Little sliding shelves for under my coffee table? Np. Tiny, oddly-shaped random piece of plastic to fix some latch or whatever that broke on my expensive something-or-other? Give me 20 minutes.
Image credits: ghostfaceschiller
#3
Painted the interior of the whole house before moving in. It feels 20 years newer.
Image credits: stardust_2001
#4
Automatic light sensors for the laundry room and pantry. Not having to fumble while carrying a load with two hands is wonderful.
Image credits: Tricky-Juggernaut141
#5
Insulated the attic for ~ $500 plus $150 to put a bathroom fan in(in the upstairs bathroom before I blew the insulation in)
Easily have saved $1800 in heating and cooling costs since
Image credits: pseudotsugamenziessi
#6
Cabinet hinges with slow-close springs. Like moving to Beverly Hills.
Image credits: Clarkkent435
#7
Shelving system in the garage. The amount of space we freed up was well worth the cost considering we don’t have a basement or a useable attic for storage.
Image credits: [deleted]
#8
Battery powered lawn equipment. No more gas cans. No more ‘tune ups’. Much less noise and no stinky exhaust (I hate two stroke fumes). Only think I have to do is keep the blade sharp and keep things greased. And in terms of power? Snapper 58V is just as powerful as it’s gas counterparts. Now there’s an 82V model out.
FYI – I have the Snapper blower, weed eater, and mower (Walmart was having a 50% off closeout sale). I will never go back to gas lawn tools as long as I’m on a town/city lot.
Image credits: darth_faader
#9
Hiring a professional cleaning service twice a month. 😛
Image credits: Tiredplumber2022
#10
when we redid a bathroom we put in radiant heat under the tile floor. fantastic. Will do same anytime I do a floor. my cousin put it his finished basement in MN and the TV room went from being cold and uninviting to the most cozy room in the house during those long winters.
you can buy an electric mat to put under a thin rug.
Image credits: memyhr
#11
No brainer! Keyless entry lock. We got a Schlage. It was an easy install. The battery life is good and you get plenty of warning when it is time to change the 2 AA batteries. I no longer have to carry a house key. I can give workers, guests or relatives the other door code and then easily change it when I want to.
Image credits: nunofmybusiness
#12
Replaced pantry bifold doors with a French door style opening. Put spice rack on back of new doors. Added a few things to the inside and it seems so much more usable and organized
Image credits: NoGoodDevGuy
#13
New water saver toilets. My water utility had a $75 rebate per low usage toilet so I replaced all my old water-wasters for next to nothing.
Part of the contract with the provider is you have to disable the old toilets so they can not be reused so as an added bonus I got to put on my safety glasses and find out how many hits with a hammer a toilet bowl can take before it shatters.
(For reference the answer is one).
Image credits: EduardDelacroixII
#14
I bought a Google Home Mini speaker and a bunch of cheap, compatible smart outlets. I say ‘good night’ and it turns on my white noise machines, turns off my lights (including the Christmas tree!), turns on my heated blanket, tells me the weather for the next day, and starts the sleep playlist I like on Spotify. All of that for just over $100.
Image credits: OyHereWeGoAgain
#15
Way less than $500, but removable shower heads. Makes cleaning the shower so much easier.
Also less than $500, smart lights and plugs for interior and exterior lights.
Then, closer to $500, the artificial Christmas tree that already has the lights in them. No more tangled light strings. Get them on a smart plug and you don’t have to fiddle with it all season.
$500-$1000: drinks fridge. Keeps booze and bottled drinks out of the kitchen fridge space.
More than $1000, remote control motorized blackout shades in the bedroom. Pretty much total darkness. And you can set up a schedule for them to auto open partially to fully. We used Hunter Douglas via Costco.
Image credits: FranqiT
#16
USB outlets everywhere at $135/6 pack.
Image credits: VECBlows
#17
We love our smart thermostat. They have really amazing features, and it’s so much easier to know exactly how your system is working. We got ours for $180 at Costco during their Christmas sale, and installing it on our own was a piece of cake too.
Image credits: otatoe9999900
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