DIY Updates on Our First Home

Before selling our home in less than a week, we did a number of simple updates on our townhome.

This was the pivotal point that Ash and I realized that we were actually handy.

From installing French doors to simple painting projects, we worked hard on our home to make it market ready.

However, we were kicking ourselves for not completely these projects sooner.

We could have enjoyed these areas of our home for much longer than a few short weeks if we hadn’t waited until we put our house on the market to make these updates.

Kitchen Updates

Our kitchen was definitely not up to par with some of the other townhomes in our neighborhood that were on the market. Ours had blue painted cabinets (which actually was pretty on point for style), yet the quality of the cabinets was poor.

We had old laminate countertops and no backsplash.

We also had this very simple pantry that was literally a nook of shelves with a curtain.

I always hated our kitchen, yet every time we had parties, that’s where everyone ended up.

Updates we did on the kitchen:

• We replaced an old hanging light fixture. Replacing light fixtures is a simple way to make a huge upgrade. A new light fixture that fits the style of the room/home makes a big difference.
• We took the curtains off our pantry nook and added French doors! They looked absolutely amazing. We saved money doing this too – check out how we added these French doors to our pantry.
• To replace our countertops, we hired a contractor. We didn’t have much counter space and figured we would get the money back with the sale of our home. Along with the new countertops came backsplash (how to install tile backsplash). With the old cabinets and the new countertops and backsplash, it was like a brand new kitchen.
• We swapped out a large table for a smaller one to fit the space better.
• We added crown molding to the ceiling. Crown molding had been installed by the previous owners in most of the rooms in our home, except the kitchen. So, we finished the job!

All of these things contributed to a whole new look for our old kitchen. This is why we were kicking ourselves for waiting so long to do these updates. We only got to enjoy them for a few weeks before we moved. However, that made us realize not to wait when we got settled in our new home.

Curb Appeal Projects

In addition to landscaping and lawn maintenance, the biggest curb appeal project we did was add porch railings to our front porch.

Our home was a cookie cutter townhome in a neighborhood of homes that all looked the same. Everyone had small porches that were close to their neighbors.

In walking around the neighborhood, I noticed that the homes looked so pretty and more private with porch railings.

I picked out the materials I wanted, and Ash made this a reality.

It definitely worked wonder for our curb appeal because it was the first thing our realtor commented on.

If you are looking for other curb appeal projects, check out 4 DIYs that will increase your curb appeal.

Painting Projects

We freshened up the paint on a lot of little things in our home.

Because we had a lot of scuffed baseboards and chair rails, a fresh coat of paint worked wonders for these.

We also put fresh coats of white paint on our front and back doors. This is a great time to add a little flair to your door with a fun pop of color.

If you have any bright colored or outdated colored walls, it’s a good time to paint these neutral.

Aesthetic Updates

In addition to the above DIY projects, we also completed some very simple fixes. We swapped out faded switchplates and air vents for new ones.

This might seem unnecessary; however, if you have faded or off-colored switchplates or air vents, you will notice a huge difference when you replace them.

Another thing we did was to fill the nail holes from the pictures we had hanging up. This is an easy fix with some joint compound, sandpaper, and paint, and it’s a nice thing to do.

Last, we had a few rugs that were in bad shape stretched.

Home Binder

One last thing that we did was leave a home binder for the next homeowners. This detailed all the work we had done (with prices and personal information blacked out), so they could use the same contractors or find the same stone, paint, or flooring again if needed.

I think this is also such a nice thing to do for the next owners because it shows how much you cared about your home – and that you care enough to share it with them.