Easy Upgrades to Builder Grade or Dated Spaces - Part 1
There are some key factors of a home that screams builder grade, meaning that the most basic materials are used in new construction (depending on the cost of the home of course) primarily due to costs. Builders provide relatively lower allowances for everything from cabinets to fixtures, lighting, etc. to keep their costs down and profits higher. Whether you’re in a new home or your own home has lost its edge, here’s a four-week series on how to upgrade the look and feel of your home within a reasonable budget. This applies to smaller apartments, condos or homes.
Here goes.
Part 1
Paint
Nothing helps give a home an immediate facelift than paint. It's also the most cost effective change you can make in your home and something most of us can do ourselves if we don’t want to hire a professional. My advice is to almost always choose a simple neutral color and use it throughout your home. There are several reasons for this but the main one is that it allows your eyes to travel throughout a space more easily. It’s also so much easier to remember what color you’ve used for future touch ups or when needing to repaint for one reason or another.
A few of my favorites from Benjamin Moore are:
Simply White
White Dove
Balboa Mist (pale gray)
I suggest you order samples from Samplize.com in colors you’d like to “try out” in different rooms with different lighting. It’s a great way to “see” the color on your walls or trim without committing to it and having to re-paint if you don’t like it. Check them out at www.samplize.com.
Remove Popcorn Ceilings
Oh popcorn, shmuckcorn! I love popcorn at the movies. I do. However, popcorn ceilings were used in many homes in the United States primarily from the 1960s - early 1990s, you could become sick of popcorn. Popcorn ceilings provided a cost- and time-efficient way to easily hide imperfections and give a dimpled and finished look to a ceiling. The problem is they look terrible. If your home was built before the 1990s chances are your popcorn ceiling has asbestos in it so removal should be done by a professional.
Personally, I’ve removed popcorn ceilings from at least three of my homes and have been so glad I did. It’s an immediate upgrade and looks so much better than the popcorned effect. I’ll warn you – it makes a mess and you would want to do this prior to moving in – or when you can be away while the work is being done.
Upgrade Baseboards and Trim
Older homes typically have hefty baseboards and trim around doors and windows. New construction – not so much. It’s a relatively easy fix to upgrade in two ways. You could simply remove existing baseboards (as I did in a condo that looked as though the baseboards were made of a plastic-like material, not wood), or add a small piece of base cap or half round molding 2-3 inches above your baseboard (depending on the thickness you prefer) and paint the trim and drywall below including the existing baseboard white. This will immediately elevate your baseboards.
Another trick for door or window trim is to simply add a piece of molding to the top of the door or window. This is the most cost-effective way to enhance the appearance of the door or window frame and it won’t break the bank in the process. I did this in two properties that I bought, rented and flipped.
Here’s an example of adding molding to a built in closet from a hotel in Saratoga that I fell in love with. Doesn’t it elevate the entire room?
Moldings
Don’t get me started on moldings. I just love them. Love. Them. Ceiling moldings (dental, egg and dart, simple trim), ceiling medallions to frame light fixtures, wall moldings (picture frame, board and batten, chair rail), etc. all add character to a home. Again, older homes typically have some of the architectural interest that makes a home . . . a home. It’s a relatively easy add on and makes a huge impact in a room. This can be more of an investment depending on what materials you choose and if you hire someone to install the molding, but in my opinion – it’s worth it.
Here’s another tip. Just like what I suggested you do to beef up your baseboards above, you can do the same with ceiling moldings as well. Simply use base cap molding 3 inches or more underneath your existing molding and paint the drywall and newly installed molding white to enhance the moldings you have. Here’s a picture of what I did for ceiling molding in my current home. Very inexpensive to do and makes a big impact.
Next week, I’ll focus on kitchen upgrades including cabinets, countertops and backsplashes. See you then!
P.S. - Let me know if I can help you. I’m an email away and we can set up a call to discuss your decorating dilemma.
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