Small Home Improvement Projects That Add Value to Your Home

With the real estate industry in a slump, many homeowners are looking for ways to add value to their homes. The process needn’t be expensive. Just installing stylish interior doors and replacing old exterior trim will make a great difference. New doors add style.

They are also easy to paint and stain and interior doors have become a key part of a home’s overall décor. Molded interior doors are made to resist swelling, shrinking, cracking and splitting. New doors add fresh style, character and personality. It is the first thing a visitor sees when he comes to the house. First impressions are everything. Installing new doors requires a few basic carpentry tools. Many homeowners purchase pre-hung doors. You can also choose to keep the existing frame and simply replace the doors. In this case, you need the following tips.

Ensure the slab door is square in the frame, then lock it into position with a cross brace.
Use wood shims between the jambs and the studs, as needed, to ensure a plumb, square and proper fit.
Keep the frame flush with proper positioning of the cross brace.
Add trim by cutting, gluing and nailing it in place after the slab door has been installed.
Inspect the exterior trim on the corners around your windows and doors. Do you see peeling paint, warped boards, or any splitting or cracking? Is there water or termite damage? Now is the time to replace your trim.

Regarding the exterior trim market, new engineered products last longer and provide resistance to moisture, rot, termites and temperature extremes not found in other materials. Engineered trim is ideal for any home style, and is most often used for roofline fascia, soffits, window and door trim, corner trim, gables, column wraps, trim along porches and similar architectural components. Installing new interior doors or replacing your exterior trim is a great way to give your home a new and smart look and increase its value.

Another home improvement project might be upgrading your bathroom for less than two hundred dollars by giving the walls a fresh coat of paint, changing the taps, the shower head, towel rack and installing a new toilet seat. Once you can afford to do the floor, a contractor, or a friend who knows a little about tiling, can strip the floor and lay down some ceramic tiling. This is more hygienic, and the floor can be mopped after a shower.

For a few hundred dollars more, you can take out the old bath and replace it with a new shower with glass panels and install a little Japanese small bath in which you can be fully immersed. Unfortunately, all these things cost money, but you only live once. If there is a small stand or place for a little wooden table, you can also dress it up with a bowl of colored stones, fragrant natural soaps, and perfumed candles. If you’re still using the old shower curtain with the mold spots, changing to a jazzy shower curtain will also help.