If home improvement appears somewhere on your to-do list, it may be time to get moving.
Here’s a list of simple do-it-yourself projects suggested by Home Depot that will help you get started without costing a bundle.
Go with the flow
Like everything else, faucets go in and out of style. If yours are hopelessly out of fashion, consider installing a modern faucet with an old fashioned design for an entirely different look in the bathroom or kitchen.
Installing a new faucet is an easy plumbing project, which should take about an hour for the beginner, and half that time for those in the know.
Eliminate closet chaos
An off-the-shelf storage system can transform your closet into a useful space instead of a point of stress. A vinyl-coated wire or melamine-style system can be installed in a five-foot walk-in closet in approximately four hours, which is probably the amount of time you spend in a typical week looking for misplaced items.
Give your walls a facelift
Cracks in plaster walls are most often caused by the settling of the house and can be repaired with joint compound or vinyl spackling compound. For cracks around doors and windows, use mesh tape to reinforce the area.
This rewarding job should take less than an hour, plus a few minutes to add touch-up paint when the compound is dry and sanded.
Get a handle on kitchen cabinets
For an instant kitchen makeover that’s easy and relatively inexpensive, just replace the cabinet hardware. Today’s selection includes an unlimited variety of shapes and styles such as polished brass or ceramic for a formal look or hardwood pulls for a casual feel.
You can replace the hardware on an eight-foot section of wall and base cabinets in approximately two hours.
Add a hot water dispenser
Hot water dispensers supply 190°F water, so making soup, coffee or tea is literally at your fingertips. These dispensers are just small electric water heaters that supply a single tap.
The system connects directly to the cold water supply under the sink and can be installed in about two hours.
Treat your garage with respect
For so many of us, our garage gets used daily to park cars and store odds and ends. Every week we cringe and promise to clean it up. With a few pegboards, large tool mounts and some metal shelving you can eliminate this private eyesore in one afternoon.
Add several heavy-duty plastic storage bins and an easy-to-assemble ventilated plastic shelf organizer and the job is done.
Shed new light
Removing and installing new ceiling- or wall-mounted light fixtures is one of the easiest home electrical repairs. A new fixture can have a dramatic effect on the mood and style of a room.
Always turn off power to the circuit before beginning a project and check to see if the mounting strap from the old fixture is suitable for the new fixture before removing it.
Breathe easier
If you are sensitive to airborne allergens, improve your home’s air quality by replacing your fibre-glass air filter with an electrostatic filter that traps more than 90 per cent of airborne particles including pet dander, mould and bacteria.
You can replace your filter in less than 15 minutes.
Weatherproof your house
Caulking or weather-stripping around windows, doors and baseboards can make a significant difference in your home’s heat loss — and it only takes a couple of hours.
— Inman News Features