7 Fancy Home Upgrades That Look Expensive But Don’t Cost a Lot
Written by
John Csiszar
Edited by
Amen Oyiboke
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Even if you buy what you think is your dream house, you’re likely still going to want to make changes to it over time. But with homes reaching a record level of unaffordability, there’s often not much left in the renovation budget to make big changes after you make that big purchase.
Fortunately, there are plenty of fancy home upgrades that look expensive but don’t cost a lot. Here are seven upgrades you can add to your house without breaking the bank.
Heated Towel Rack
- Expected cost: $100-$400
Want to add a five-star hotel touch to your bathrooms? Consider adding heated towel racks. Especially in colder climates, there’s nothing better than wrapping yourself in a warm, soft towel after a nice shower or bath. Even in warmer locations, you can use a heated towel rack to color-coordinate your bathroom and add a bit of luxury. Best of all, heated towel racks are not that expensive. Although you may have to work with an electrician, you can snag the hardware itself for a few hundred dollars, or even less.
Fresh Paint
- Expected cost: $500-$5,000
Nothing brightens up an interior space more than a fresh coat of paint. Whether you’re simply refreshing the same look or going in a whole new direction color-wise, fresh paint has one of the highest returns on cost of any upgrade. Best of all, you can do all the work yourself if you’re looking to cut down on the budget. Just get some painter’s tape, watch a few YouTube instructional videos, and you’ll be ready to go!
Stylize Your Doors
- Expected cost: $500 – $5,000
Better Homes & Gardens suggests transforming the look of your home by stylizing some or all of your doors. If you’re looking for a minimalist aesthetic, consider adding pocket doors, which seamlessly dissolve the divide between rooms. They’re also space-saving. Another option is to add a barn door to your closet or bathroom, which can provide a rustic or industrial look. Depending on the type and number of doors you’re installing, you can expect to spend from a few hundred to a few thousand dollars.
Extend Your Ceiling Height
- Expected cost: $100 – $1,000
High ceilings are synonymous with luxury and opulence. They’re often associated with palaces and mansions. But raising the height of your ceiling can be an extremely expensive undertaking, even if it’s structurally possible at all. But there are tricks you can use to seemingly extend your ceiling height, all with little effort and low cost.
One option, according to Better Homes & Gardens, is to use window treatments to trick the eye into thinking that the ceilings are higher. For example, if you hang your curtain rods closer to the ceiling and use long, flowing drapes, it can extend the apparent height of your room. Depending on the materials used, you could potentially upgrade an individual window for less than $100.
Add Molding
- Expected Cost: $100 – $1,000
According to Better Homes & Gardens, adding molding to select areas of your home can add dimension to your home for a very low cost. One technique, known as “picture-framing,” involves simply adding narrow strips of molding in an even and symmetrical pattern, naturally drawing the eyes to specific sections of the room. The technique, which Better Homes & Gardens calls “eye-pleasing,” also adds a bit of texture to make rooms stand out from the ordinary.
Modernize Your Lighting
- Expected cost: $500 – $5,000
Lighting can transform a space, and it doesn’t have to cost a fortune. There are so many potential combinations of light and fixtures that you can use in a home that you can easily find an inexpensive solution that could quite literally make your home look completely different.
Some options include installing wall sconces in your hallways or bedrooms, changing your incandescent bulbs to LED ones, or adding recessed lighting. Another popular option is hidden lighting, which can backlight cabinets, shelves, or even televisions.
Lighting can vary wildly in cost, but if you shop around and focus on getting the most bang for your buck, you can make significant upgrades for between a few hundred and a few thousand dollars.
Add Bluetooth Speakers in Your Bathrooms
- Expected cost: $150 – $450
Whether you like to rock out when you’re in the shower or relax while taking a bath, adding a Bluetooth speaker to your bathroom can be a huge upgrade that’s easy on the wallet. Some ceiling light/fan combinations now include Bluetooth capability, helping transform your bathroom into a sanctuary for as little as $100. Note that, as with some of these other upgrades, you may have to work with an electrician to ensure correct installation.
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