Buying a new condo might be unaffordable for many families these days. On the other hand, your condo might be old-fashioned after a while, so that your family complains about it.
So what can you do in such situations?
Home improvement is your best chance to refresh your condo’s appearance, optimize the performance of your appliances, and increase your family’s satisfaction.
This way, you can also save money by increasing the efficiency of your energy-consuming facilities and decreasing the energy bills. Of course, the initial cost might be a bit low, but in the long term, you will see positive results.
Besides, you can make many of these improvements by yourself and save extra money.
Here is a list of low-budget ideas that can improve the quality of your life in your old condo.
Revive your walls with painting
Whatever you pay attention to your condo to be clean, the walls will get dirty after a while. This problem will be exacerbated if you have a kid who loves to paint walls.
That’s why you have to get your walls painted after several years. Painting can revive your condo and refresh your family’s morale as if you’ve moved to a new home.
You don’t need to be worried about the labor cost as you can DIY with a cost of around $150.
Replace your old-fashioned flooring
Flooring is one of the most eye-catching elements of every condo, so changing it or even painting it can make a big difference.
You can paint the flooring with a budget of around $75, which is way more prudent compared with replacing your existing one.
Use interior shutters to save energy and increase your privacy
Direct sunlight, which comes from windows, is one of the most important energy-consuming factors in summers.
If you want your air conditioner to work less, you’d better use interior shutters.
These shutters can also increase your privacy in your rooms and make your children more comfortable.
By spending around $300, you can buy something beautiful to refresh your rooms.
Add an insulation
Another idea that can save you money in the long term is to add a layer of insulation to your walls.
Remember that many modern condos have such layers, but if yours doesn’t, you’ll face problems in winters.
You can invest an average of about $7 per square foot of your walls and expect a significant reduction in your energy bills.
You can also think of protecting your pipes in winters from being frozen by insulating them. Of course, if your pipes in the condominium are common, you have to get the approval of other units.
Use affordable backsplash in your kitchen
Getting rid of oily walls can be a frustrating task for women, so you’ll definitely need a good backsplash.
Traditional tile backsplash might be a bit out of date, and also, the installation process is really time-consuming.
Peel-and-stick tiles provide you with an easy-to-install process and a cheap backsplash compared with traditional tiles.
Installing these inexpensive materials that are available out there is really straightforward.
You can DIY and avoid paying workers. There are many colors in the market, and you can buy them for $25 per square foot.
Install a vent fan in the bathroom to prevent mold
Washing the bathroom walls from mold is a disgusting task, and women are always complaining about it.
If you buy a cheap ventilation fan for around $150, you can prevent growing mold on your bathroom walls.
This is one of the most affordable changes you can make in your condo. Remember that with this installation, you can have fresh air in your bathroom, making your life more comfortable.
Go for ceiling fans
If you think your electricity bill is flying because of your split cooler, you have to think of another air conditioning tech.
Ceiling fans might be considered old-fashioned by any family, but their popularity is growing as the electricity bills have soared.
With the unprecedented heatwaves, you have to use mechanical air ventilating systems longer, and split coolers are really expensive.
At around $200, they are the most affordable and comforting idea. They can make a dramatic reduction in the heat you feel as they cover all the space of your room.
Go for smart thermostats
Another idea regarding HVAC systems would be to use a smart and programmable thermostat.
As you know, smart homes are gaining popularity, and many families are trying to buy smart condos. Condoly reports that many new project and condo assignment deals are becoming smart.
Fortunately, you can add smart technologies to your old condo. For example, with a smart thermostat, you can control the temperature of your roomو and therefore, optimize the performance of your air conditioning system. Simple models are installed at the center of your home and cost around $25.
Takeaway
Home improvement is now a big trend in the real estate industry. Many families want to modernize their homes, but they can’t afford to buy new ones. In such situations, you have to shift toward low-budget ideas for improving your condo’s different sections. Try to consult with a professional team or at least with a neighbor who’s done improvement before. This way, you can avoid any mistakes that might happen in the remodeling project.
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