Increase Wealth with a Brush and a Plan

We all know that the way to financial independence and wealth is to cut spending waste and become a super-saver. It’s all about living debt free while investing our savings for our future selves taking advantage of compounding returns. However for some frugal living non-consumerist folks they can also Increase Wealth with a Brush and a Plan. What I am I talking about is our home.

I think it is easy for us to become complacent with our homes. We frugal living folks only think about making updates or improvements when we consider putting the homestead up for sale and the Realtor drops a truth-bomb on us. Then we do what we need to do for the new owner and don’t get to enjoy the fresh renewed place ourselves. We get caught in the old “if it isn’t broke why replace it” mentality.

But there are some things we should do not only to make the old homestead more appealing but can actually improve our utility thriftiness and increase our home’s value. We can Increase our Wealth with a Brush and a Plan, with the operative word here “Plan”. Meaning not going overboard for trend-sake but making our homes more valuable with some smart updating.

Not only do we get to enjoy the benefits of the remodeling but if we decide to make a move we are all that much closer to having an attractive property to get the highest sales price.

Easy Face-lift to Increase Wealth with a Brush and a Plan.

Making your home look better than it has in years while also increasing its value:

Grab a good brush, time to Re-paint some rooms-

Simply one of the most frugal ways to make a dramatic improvement to a room is to lay down a fresh coat of paint. It makes any room look clean and crisp. You can also choose colors that will change the room’s feel or vibe. Think twice about using intense darker colors as they can make a room feel smaller. Make your room feel more open and welcoming by choosing lighter and warmer hues. If you have your heart set on a darker color then try to limit it to an accent wall so it plays off of the lighter colors and makes them pop.

Here are a few painting tips:
Buy good brushes and rollers.

Don’t go super cheap with your brushes. A good brush will save a lot of time. You will find that you can lay down a crisp line and cut the amount of paint overflowing any tape you have used. Good brushes can be washed and reused for years. Keep the cardboard packaging sleeve that comes with the brush so you can put it back on after washing the paint out. This will help the brush keep its shape while drying.

The First coat should be with primer.

This will cut the amount of paint your walls will soak up. Especially if it has been a long time since the last painting. This is particularly important if you are covering over a previously painted bright or deep color. Primer will seal the walls and help prevent the color from bleeding through your new paint.

Plan on painting 2 coats of pain.

It will usually take a couple of coats to give your room even and full coverage. Some colors may need more than 2 coats.

Paints with Primer included.

There is a lot of advertising for paints that have primer mixed in with it and claim for full coverage without first laying down a primer coat. I have not tried these and I suggest you do research for any product reviews to make sure they do as claimed before going that route. Any paint and/or primer should be researched on-line. Although painting a room is a frugal face-lift, paint isn’t cheap. Get what works best for the least coast.

Make sure you use good painter’s tape.

Tape with good painter’s tape where you are changing color or trying to avoid getting paint past where you want it. Look for the blue tape that is called Painter’s Tape or if you have textured surfaces give Frog Tape a try to keep crisp, sharp, and even lines.

Frugal Renovations to Increase Home Value and Your Wealth.

Some updates are worth considering for increasing your home’s value:

Increase Wealth with a Brush and a PlanKitchens and Bathrooms-

These rooms are the target of most renovations and having a plan will help keep things from going overboard and costing more than you want to spend. Whether it is flooring changes, updating faucets, new cabinet hardware, or painting your wood cabinets there are a lot of options and products to choose from.

Painting Kitchen Cabinets

We are going to paint our Maple kitchen cabinets this fall and have already bought the paint. I watched several YouTube videos and believe I will pull this off without a hitch.

Change or add Kitchen Cabinet Hardware

My buddy found all new stainless steel drawer and cupboard hardware on eBay for a song when they did their updating and I plan on trying the same.

Choosing Tried and True Design

Stay away from the latest trends and stick to classic looks that stand the test of time and have staying power. You don’t want to have to redo things a few years from now.

Counter Tops Can Be Expensive. Rethink Alternatives

Granite and Quartz Counter Tops are all the rage and have been for a few years but they are not cheap. If your counter tops are in good shape try refreshing your cabinets first and see if it works for you. If you can’t stick with what’s there and don’t absolutely have to have the stone to do your thing then consider trying less expensive counter top options.

Time Appliance Purchases with Holiday Sales

New Appliances are sometimes needed. I have had trouble letting go of old and tired appliances that still work but they are not only out of date color wise (Almond) they are power and water inefficient. My 1988 fridge and dishwasher probably cost me $30 a month to use. Aside from that I have had to pay some costly repair charges over the years. We plan on replacing our appliances this November/December when the retailers offer huge discounts when buying all four kitchen appliances together.

A New Sink and Facet Makes a Bigger Impact than you might think.

Take a hard look at your sinks. If they are colored enamel sinks in white or almond/bone, or whatever color they can look tired and scratched. Sometimes replacing the sink and faucet will do the trick and most folks can DIY these changes.

Seek out DIY classes and online tutorials

Most modest homes come without tile back splashes in the kitchen. By adding a tile back splash you can totally update the look of a kitchen. Home Depot even offers occasional classes on how to do it.

Whatever you plan to do you can do on-line research and even see how-to tutorials on YouTube so you know what you are getting yourself into.

Lighting-

Bad lighting can cause a room to be uninviting, drab and enclosed. Making simple changes in lighting fixtures and/or design can be inexpensive when compared to the overall improvement gained for the room.

Use different fixture types in a room to get exceptional results.

For example: Use recessed light fixtures to spread the light in the whole room.Try hanging a pendent over your kitchen island. Use under the cabinet track lighting which will make your kitchen feel bright and open.

If you are not sure what to use consult a lighting designer.

Find a lighting designer or ask the specialist at the home improvement center you are visiting.

Hire a Pro if you are not trained or knowledgeable about electricity and residential power

You should hire an electrician or someone with the skills and background to change out your fixtures. The home improvement center you are visiting or if working with a lighting designer may offer this service.

Electricians are the ultimate power specialist but you may find a competent handyman or other contractors who can handle the job for less cost. Using a pro should be very much considered when making fixture changes in an old home.

Changing out a light fixture is one thing if reusing the same location. But wiring in a new light location or moving a light, anything that requires a change in the wiring or circuits needs to be done per building code. If you don’t have the background then get a pro. It is a safety issue.

The Bottom Line

Anyone should be able to Increase Wealth with a Brush and a Plan. Giving your home a little attention doesn’t have to be an expensive home remodel. Of course if that is what is needed then do so with a budget and a plan.

Choosing professional help may be necessary. If you do select a pro make sure to get references and check them out before handing over any money. If you want to tackle things on your own then make sure any electrical or structural changes are done to local building code and get all necessary permits.

Finally, you can watch all kind of how-to home improvement videos on YouTube if you need a little educational boost. Once you finish with the inside then start thinking about frugal updates for the outside along the lines of Curb Appeal.

Are you a do it yourself type tackling or planning on tackling some home improvements?

Do you have other low-cost suggestions?

9 thoughts on “Increase Wealth with a Brush and a Plan

  1. Good tips on painting — we always try to do our own painting as well. You can also save a few dollars by mowing your own lawn and cleaning your house own home. Also, if you can start a home business, you can write off the expenses related to one room in the house (utilities, printer ink, etc.)

    1. Hey Steve, Thanks for the comment. A nice looking and well kept yard adds to the curb appeal and would also add value to a home. Good tip on saving taxes by having a home based business.
      Tommy

  2. I love giving furniture a makeover with some paint. Unfortunately, a room is too big a project right now. When we moved in, I was all hustle and got the kitchen drawers and living/dining room (one spills into the other) painted. Then ran out of gas. Our bedroom never even got a lick of color. Maybe one day. But anything we do is solely for our own enjoyment anyway. We don’t plan to sell it at any point, not even the far future.

    1. Hello Abigail and thanks for the comment. I am with you. We don’t plan on moving either but a good paint job lasts a long time and who knows what we may decide 5 years from now. The last time I painted our main floor was 1999 and it still looks fine but I can see a paint job coming in the next year or so. We painted the bedrooms in 2008. I would rather do it at our pace than wait and cram it all in at once because we decided to sell the place. I hate painting so its not a fun chore for me.
      Tommy

  3. I can’t thank you enough for letting me know how important it is to hire an electrician if I don’t really know what I’m doing. I am going to be remodeling my kitchen soon, and I was thinking that I could handle the lighting on my own. That being said, I really appreciate you making me aware that I need to hire someone. I’ll make sure I do this right away.

    1. Thanks for the comment Brandon. Many people can turn of the power to a light fixture at the breaker box and replace an existing light fixture with a new updated and more efficient one. An Old house that may have out of code wiring, changes in where the light will be placed or adding new lights needs know-how and a pro is definitely the right way to go about it. Safety is worth the cost and still increases home value.
      Tommy

  4. Fabulous Share!

    I do agree that lighting can make your home more luxurious. The only thing which really makes the difference is your selection of lighting.

    1. Thanks for the comment Lawrence. I agree with you. I have to admit that I need good advice when picking out new lighting fixtures. Luckily my adult daughters have more of a designer eye and better taste than I do.
      Tommy

  5. Good tips on painting , usually people do painting themselves to save some money but it doesn’t always result as planned because painting required experience and skills. I would suggest to hire a professional to get the job done for you.

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