There is one big temptation that comes with buying a new home, and that is that it is brand new and there is nothing that needs to be done with it. No knocks on the wall, no bumps or scrapes, and no DIY. You even get that new carpet kind of smell. However, in more cases than not, it can have a ‘cookie cutter’ look to it with any older home charm missing from it. It can take some time to get used to seeing an older home as a home that has some potential to be your dream home. But those modern touches, teamed up with older home charm can work together to get you the home that you want. It is also something that as an owner of an older home, is easier to do than you think. So with that in mind, here are some quick and simple repairs and upgrades that you can do, to help an older home look and feel like new.
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Replacing Door Handles
Something small, but that can make a big difference is changing the door handles. In an older home, they could be cool and vintage-looking. However, the chances are that they are actually just pretty retro (and not in a good way), and need to be changed. You could even have different ones throughout the house, but not in a way that you are looking for. So something that is pretty inexpensive to do, and relatively simple to do is to change the door handles. If you want to do it yourself, then you just need to find the door handles or the door knobs that you want to have. Your budget can be totally flexible, depending on what you want to spend and how many door handles you want to replace. With a screwdriver and a little know-how, you can get them all replaced easily, and it can be a simple thing to create a more modern look. Don’t forget a lick of paint and then the doors will look like new!
Upgrade to LED Light Bulbs
When you’re in an older home, there could be the chance that it is a little darkly lit as the windows could be small and not changed for years. However, when you live in a dimly lit space, discovering LED light bulbs is something that will create a massive difference to the look of your home. LED light bulbs can be bright and powerful, but they use up much less energy than their traditional counterparts. This is not only a good thing for your energy bill, but also helps you to do your bit for the environment. When you upgrade the lights in your home to LED bulbs, you can improve the impact of the lights and lighten up the whole house. LED bulbs do tend to cost a little more than traditional bulbs would, but they do last for a while, and will save you more money in the long run.
Floating Shelves
Updating a home can be all about creating more space. In an older home, the rooms will tend to be a little smaller, though there may be more of them. So you need to maximize the space in the home, in order to really get it to look as you want it, and then you can go from there. One thing that can modernize any room is to have more storage space, but do that through floating shelves. They can help the home to look modern, but also help the home to have more space. Of course, in order to do it all yourself you will need a few tools to help you, such as a level measure and a drill, to get the holes in the wall just right. There are a lot of reviews online for the best cordless drill, but there are more reviews here that you could read if you need to get one for yourself. Then you can be adding shelving in all of the rooms, for storage, as well as for trinkets and an updated look.
Update with paint
You should never underestimate the power of updating a room with paint! This is something that is the most simple thing to do, as we can all paint in some way or form, right? Of course, you do need a good base to get you off on the right foot, as lumpy walls will be difficult to paint, and not end up looking that good anyway. Preparation is also key, to make sure that the walls are clean and clear, and ready to go. But once you get into painting, there are endless possibilities. You could even paint something like a brick fireplace or brick wall, to create something completely new.
