Easiest DIY Renovations to Transform a Room

If you need easy, budget-friendly ideas on how to transform the rooms in your home, then look no further! These tips can help add value to your home and make it more appealing to buyers if you are trying to sell. At under a couple hundred dollars per update per room (or as low as $5!), you can enjoy a modern, refreshed look in less than a day.

1. Paint It All

A fresh coat of paint can make a huge difference when transforming a room. Pick a clean, neutral color for the entire room—including trim. In my house, I went with a light, pure gray for the walls (Behr Dolphin Fin) and a bright white for the trim (Behr Ultra Pure White). For the ceilings, we chose a creamy white (Behr Swiss Coffee). Don’t forget to choose the right sheen! Eggshell is a safe choice for walls, satin or semi-gloss for trim and doors, and flat/matte for ceilings. At around $40 per gallon of paint, you could finish a room in as little as 1-2 gallons, depending on the size of the room.

2. Add an Accent Wall

This one is a great option if you want minimal work (usually) and high payoff. Simply painting one wall a dramatic color that contrasts with the rest of the room can create a show-stopping space. If you want to add a bit of texture, consider adding some wainscoting, shiplap, or board and batten paneling. Home improvement stores sell paneling that makes it easy to add an entire half-wall of bead board, wainscoting, or more in just a few pieces. Paint these half-wall accents to match the rest of the room, or contrast it with the wall color. I used Behr Black Suede for our primary bedroom accent wall and loved how it turned out!

3. Swap Your Baseboards

Those short 2-3 inch baseboards are very dated. Luckily, upgrading is not difficult at all. Aim for at least 5-inch baseboards and go for a simple, modern look—straight 90-degree angles, nothing too fancy. Without all the frills, these simple baseboards are pretty affordable at around $1.50/sq.ft. Simply remove your old baseboards, cut your new ones to fit, paint them, and install. Caulk the tops for a clean, seamless finish.

4. Be Gone, Flush Doors

Does your room look drab and dated? Perhaps it’s that flush slab door bringing down the room. A new door with paneling can transform the entire room, especially when you add an upgraded, modern door handle. A new door will run you around $60-$100, and a new handle is roughly $20-$30. Replacing a single door and handle only takes about 30 to 60 minutes!

5. Update Old Windows

When we first moved into our 1979 home, the almond-colored vinyl windows seriously dated the place. I easily fixed this with a little bit of spray paint (yep, you heard correctly). I taped off the windows, covered nearby furniture with a plastic drop cloth, and sprayed on a few coats. I used about one can of paint per room and it took less than an hour to prep and paint. At about $5 per can of paint, this is definitely a low-budget project. I used the Rust-Oleum Painter’s Touch 2X (Flat White), and it has shown no signs of wear even after a couple years. If you’re feeling especially daring, try out the trendy black windows (I was not brave enough, so I stuck with trusty white).

6. Switch Out Outlets and Switches

Are your outlets and light switches almond or off-white? Are they the standard duplex outlet style (round outlets)? It may be time to upgrade. Try plain white outlets, switches, and faceplates in a decor style (rectangular outlets). At around $3 per outlet/switch (about $1.50 each for the new outlet and new faceplate), this is a low-budget update. I’m not going to go into the logistics of wiring a new outlet or switch, but I will say that YouTube is your best friend! With a bit of practice, I can now switch out an outlet in about five minutes. Just don’t forget to turn off the power at the circuit breaker before you start working!

Have you tried any of these renovation tricks? Let me know how it went in the comments below!