10 quick steps toward home improvement
1. Enlarge your tub’s showering space with a curved shower rod.
Supplies: Curved shower rod, pliers.
Cost: $30-$100. Time: 30 minutes.
2. Paint soffits and fascia for an exterior face-lift.
Supplies: Dropcloths, exterior latex paint, primer, brushes, paint tray.
Cost: $25-$50. Time: Two hours per every 25 feet.
3. Change the hardware on your kitchen cabinets.
Supplies: New handles and drawer pulls, screwdriver.
Cost: $30-$75. Time: Three hours.
4. Give your bathroom a new look with a new medicine cabinet.
Supplies: Medicine cabinet, hardware, drill.
Cost: $90-$750. Time: One hour.
5. Clean out your medicine cabinets. Throw away expired drugs and items you don’t use.
Supplies: Cleaning solution, rag or sponge.
Cost: Nothing. Time: 15 to 20 minutes.
6. Install low-voltage and solar-powered lights-lanterns along walkways and paths.
Supplies: Lights, wire, wire cutters and transformer.
Cost: $150 and up. Time: Two or more hours.
7. Add elegance and interest to a living room or den with crown molding. Crown molding comes in wood, medium-density fiberboard and polyurethane foam. What you buy depends on your budget and the look you want.
Supplies: Crown molding, drill, nail gun, miter saw, wood glue, coping saw, stud finder, chalk line, tape measure, finish nails, framing-square and acrylic caulk.
Cost: $250-$1,600 for 12-by-12-foot room. Time: One to two days.
8. Give your home more security with a replacement door.
Supplies: Security door, drill, level, lag screws, screwdriver, lock set and hammer.
Cost: $60-$300. Time: Three hours.
9. Build a birdhouse and hang it from a tree.
Supplies: Plywood, tape measure, saw, screws, screwdriver, sandpaper, paint and birdseed.
Cost: $10-$15. Time: Two hours.
10.Install a wallpaper border along the upper wall or at chair-rail height (36 inches from the floor) in a guest bedroom.
Supplies: Wallpaper border, wallpaper paste (if border isn’t pre-pasted).
Cost: $50-$120 for 10-by-12-foot room. Time: Two or more hours.