A yummy new paint color.

I agree. New paint would #1. We got new window treatments last year and that also made the rooms much nicer.

New, colorful towels and a new shower curtain made my guest bathroom look "redone" and fresh. It has the feel of a bathroom that could be found somewhere in Europe now.

Ceiling to floor drapes for my sliding glass doors- totally softened the look of my family room.

I bought new (retro style) outdoor furniture and created a different vintage look on my front porch. I've really enjoyed sitting out there in the mornings with a cup of tea, before the heat sets in.

A fresh coat of paint, curtains, and rearranging the furniture have taken my walk-out basement from rec room to comfy finished living area.

We love it down there now!

Thanks for the good ideas guys. Paint and new curtains do work wonders. :) Two questions:

How much did the floor-to-ceiling drapes cost? Were they custom?

And, has anyone put in any new lighting, fixtures or other features that they are in love with?

Thanks for the good ideas guys. Paint and new curtains do work wonders. :) Two questions:

How much did the floor-to-ceiling drapes cost? Were they custom?

And, has anyone put in any new lighting, fixtures or other features that they are in love with?

A new area rug. A $1000 will buy a good size rug and it would totally transform a room with new color or make the room cozier.

I added all new light fixtures last year that I'm totally in love with, but the fixtures that truly make a difference are under cabinet lighting in my kitchen. We can have them all turn on with a switch, or turn just one on by hand to serve as a nightlight.

We bought an antique ceiling light fixture and 12 sq ft of antique street paver bricks from a nearby home that was going under the demo ball. The light was $50 and in vintage condition. It's been been hanging in our guest room for 1+ yrs now. We hauled the bricks home (yes, that was an awful chore), prepped our yard, and now have a great patio. Lots of our low priced labor built it - dinner will be served out there in about 45 minutes as a matter of fact.

Adding a tubular light such as Velux Sun Tunnel or a Solatube brightens everything.

Also, new hardware on cabinetry can give it an update and change the looks of things immensely.

Also agree with the new drapes. I bought some floor length ones for $69/panel in a subtle stripe that completely changed the looks from the plaid valances that had been there.

This is a good time for us to keep up with maintenance and repairs. We replaced and painted ( well DH, I am a great supervisor) the wood decking on our very small front porch. Next will be to replace the wooden steps. We will bring them back to the original width and put in two new railings.Again it will be a DIY project.
Then I will paint the columns, scrape and paint the ceiling (haint blue)and paint the front door and sidelights.Depending on how much the wood will cost for the rest of the project, we may be able to buy new outside lights for either side of the front door. We estimate it to be about $600-800. It is a 1923 home and we are excited to refresh this area. We have been avoiding it for too long, since it is going to be a boring, hot job.

I got a new front door, with installation the cost was under $500 and it did a lot to improve the appearance of our home.

Before that, we changed all the outdoor light fixtures and three indoor fixtures, which was about $700 and gave a lot of bang for the buck in terms of updating the decor.

Adding crown molding can be very inexpensive, especially if you DIY the project.

A new backsplash in the kitchen, ours is 65 sf, stone and will come in at 900 for the tile & installation.

We're in a fairly new home so no need to replace lighting. We have been working on the landscaping, but the total cost was more than a thousand dollars. If you count just a couple of the smaller jobs as in adding landscape block retaining walls on either side our driveway (we live in a country neighborhood with ditches) and bordering bushes (seen in photo of end of drive they look much better now), a tree and the berm in the front of our home with smaller block then that makes the cut. The berm including soil, plants, mulch and brick border, the last two not shown in the photo below, was under two hundred.

We've also framed and screened in our covered from porch for under a thousand dollars. That doesn't include the emergency room visit when my hubby shot himself through the finger with the framing nailer when the "gun" double fired. But it does include two Victorian screen doors for the french doors inside the porch leading into our home. We used the ScreenTight system. I'd highly recommend it to anyone wanting to screen in a porch.
{{!gwi}}

Tile over an old ugly fireplace with cheap tile and you can transform a room:

Without a doubt paint, you get more bang for the buck and the difference is night and day.

Total is over $1,000 but individual bath projects have been ongoing since early spring.

* - 2 new sinks and faucets for master bath: Sinks $50 each, faucets $80 each ($260), misc. parts $30 . Got rid of 1980s undermounts and faucets, and the new drop-ins fit the old holes perfectly. DIY install.

* - New toilets ($350 each) for two bathrooms ($700) ... way better flushing power. (could have been DIY install, but contractor was here)

* - 2 new sinks for children's bath: Sinks $50 each, we recycled faucets because they were only 3 years old. DIY install

* - Gel stain for bath vanity cabinets $20 for stain, $20 for gel clear coat ... $40 for both baths to get "Pottery Barn chocolate brown".

* - Hammered iron black paint for existing light fixtures to make them match the hall and LR fixtures $8

* - Paint for children's bath ... $30 for pale taupe to cover minty green.

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The expensive part:

The tile floor was not replaced, the walls and pipes stayed put. It was just replacing a 1983 bathroom with moldy crumbly tile with new mid-range fixtures and tile, taupe/chocolate/celadon color scheme.

* - New Tub for children's bath $350
* - Fixtures for tub $110
* - New tile and grout for tub surround $300
* - Contractor to install tub, tile and both toilets $750 and he supplied the cement board and the rest of the supporting stuff.

If you have to pay for labor, there isn't a lot that 1K can buy. DIY is the key.

New laminate countertops in a kitchen, even a pretty large kitchen, can be done for under 1K if you DIY.

A pretty tile backsplash. Even at a relatively pricy $30 a square foot for something special, it's still under 1K for the average kitchen if you DIY.

New knobs and pulls, DIY again. It's pretty easy to go overboard on this, but doing it under 1K should be doable.

New tile floor, DIY. Even if you have to buy a wetsaw, there are plenty of bargain tiles out there that look great!

Replace a window with a french door. If you're OK with a moderate priced door and can DIY it yourself, including redoing the exterior and interior trim, you can do this for under 1K. The bigger factor will be if you have the right sized window to change out where you don't have to reframe any of the headers.

A paver patio adds a lot to any landscape and is inexpensive to DIY. A 10 x 12 patio and some new furniture can be done for under 1K.

A new landscaped garden bed with a focal point like a pretty bird bath or new mail box can be done for well under 1K, and that's with decorative edging as well.

A new accent chair in a funky color can be had for under 1K. You can also roam Craig's List and recycle an older one with new upholstery.

A basic new stainless steel refrigerator can be had for under 1K, especially with the Cash for Clunkers appliance rebates that many states are offering.

There is plenty that can be done for under 1K that dramatically impacts a home's current livability and will still be appealing at resale time.

I just finished redoing my Master bedroom, hallway and bath on a budget. For under $1000, I put up new rods and rings, plus Faux silk drapes on 5 window/door openings. Bought 3 new lamps w/shades, 3 framed prints, two framed ornate mirrors and some Faux books. I re-purposed several items, including an antique corner shelf and added new towels, and knick knacks for a spa look in the bath.