“But I don’t know the first thing about home improvement!”
“Flathead? Phillips-head? It’s all Greek to me!”
“Why can I just hire a professional?
If you’ve been making excuses again and again for why you can’t tackle a particular home improvement project, perhaps you’ve been looking in all the wrong places.
After all, there are so many tasks and fix-ups that can be done by just about anyone with a bit of elbow grease, research and determination. In fact, you might be surprised at just how many projects you can knock out within a single day.
Below we’ve outlined six tasks around the house that can ease you into the DIY lifestyle. While they aren’t all created equally in terms of difficulty, they do display just how easy home improvement can be.
Installing Blinds or Shades
If you want a small project that makes a big difference in the tone of your home, look no further than blinds and shades.
For example, blackout blinds tame excessively bright rooms while more transparent shade allow you to play with natural light in your living space. Either way, such a project requires minimal equipment and can be done in a snap, especially if you’re only blacking out one room.
Replace Your Light Fixtures
On a similar note, replacing light fixtures and bulbs in your home requires little more than a screwdriver a bit of patience in most cases. Furthermore, investments such as smartphone-controlled Phillips Hue bulbs allow you to take total control of the level of lighting in your home without much legwork.
Install a New Faucet
Messing around with plumbing can be intimidating, but bear in mind that upgrades in your kitchen and bathroom represent some of the most important when it comes time to sell your home. Faucets are relatively simple to replace, just make sure you take “before” pictures of your supply line and plumbing configuration before you get started.
Seal Up Air Leaks
Sealing and insulating are seriously simple but a significant aspect of keeping your home both protected and comfortable. For example, take note of why sealing matters so much for reducing outdoor noise, controlling humidity and keeping pests out of your home.
Considering the accessibility of sealing kits, caulks and foams, getting started with sealing your windows, doors and potential points of leakage is arguably easier than ever.
Put Up Some Wall Storage
Whether through shelving units or hooks, “hidden” and off-the-floor is all the rage right now for avoiding clutter. Think about spots you can hang shelves and hooks such as closets or in your office, giving you a bit of room for error if you don’t get it perfect the first time since you’ll be working in a less “public” area of your home.
Refinish Your Wooden Decor
Requiring a bit less in terms of manual labor, learning how to refinish wood is a less stressful, more cosmetic DIY skill that won’t cost you an arm and leg. Given the popular of stripped-down, rustic decor, refinishing or stripping wood is a toned-down home project that can give your furniture some personality without replacing it.
It’s easy to assume that you don’t have what it takes to be a DIYer. By sticking to these sorts of projects, however, you can open to your eyes to just how much you are capable of and use that confidence to work toward bigger projects in the future.
