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easy home updates
Contractor installing very contemporary brushed steel tile back splash on luxury kitchen remodel job.

These easy home updates can be done in one weekend

Remodeling the house can be tricky. You don’t want to drop a ton of money on something you might not love.

Melissa Reynolds shares some 3-D remodeling apps that will give you a sense of what to expect, and some easy home updates you can pull off in a weekend.

Find more home inspiration on Melissa’s website, www.brasshouseinteriors.com.

 

You can thank Joanna Gaines from the TV show Fixer Upper.  Her computerized renderings gave clients a chance to see how their renovations would look.  It became a “try-before-you-buy” home remodeling experience!

As much as we would like to hire Joanna, it’s probably not happening.  However, we got digging around and found that there are a couple ways to get computer renderings of your own home before you spend a dime with a design or construction firm.

Interior Designer Melissa Reynolds says the average homeowner can visualize a home remodeling project with two apps that are worth investigating.

Recommended Home Remodeling Apps

1-Hover (https://hover.to/).  Allows you to import a photo of your own home, and obtain a realistic 3-D image. Good for exterior finishes, roofing and paint colors.  (** Our apologies for an incorrect mention of this app name in the Studio 5 interview.  Please note this correction.**)

2- Live Home 3D (https://www.livehome3d.com/)  Import your blueprints. Or input existing measurements. You can build a custom floor plan, and modify it any way you like.  Check out color schemes. Play around with furniture placement.  You can use this to visualize one room or an entire house.

Most Bang for Buck: Easy Home Updates

In addition, Melissa recommends the following easy upgrades for any homeowner:

Replace interior doors

This is a very overlooked part of the home when considering doing any type of upgrade.  The simple task of upgrading all interior doors, however, makes the BIGGEST impact in an older home.  Lots of older home doors are dingy, have no paneling, and just no character at all.  Replacing them with new ones will immediately help the home to feel newer.

Upgrade hardware on interior doors and cabinetry

If you are upgrading your doors, you also have to upgrade your knobs. This is surprisingly inexpensive and will also add such a great impact.  No more of those old dated brass knobs!  Also, if your kitchen is dated and you can’t do a full remodel now, simply upgrade the knobs to something more modern and it will change the feel as well.  Same goes for cabinetry in the bathrooms.

Change out the kitchen back splash

Same theory as above, if you can’t go for a full remodel right now, simply change the back splash to something more modern.  I actually did this with my previous home, and I think it ended up costing us $400?  It added so much character to the kitchen.  It instantly felt refreshed and I didn’t hate my kitchen as much:)

Get rid of those old flush mounts

I know we hear about upgrading lighting all the time, but I’m specifically talking about the ugly flush mounts that are in bedrooms and hallways.  It’s crazy how they just always get overlooked, but I’m telling you, the second you replace it with a nicer flush mount, you instantly start noticing them!  I say it all the time to my clients, DO NOT overlook lighting!  It makes a huge impact and the same goes for flush mounts.  There are also SO many resources to buy very cute and affordable flushes!

Add mill work

Adding mill work is a surprisingly simple task that can be tackled in one weekend.  Whether its tongue and groove, shiplap, board and batten, all of these elements make a room instantly feel custom. It just takes some math, MDF board and a nail gun, and you’ve got an instant upgrade. I have also done this project many times myself, and the difference it makes in a space is phenomenal.

Melissa Reynolds offers a skilled and diverse online-only design experience. Melissa is passionate about creating a space you can feel comfortable in and that best represents your personality.  Her e-design service helps clients all over the country have the opportunity to work with talented interior designers, but at their own pace and with much smaller budgets. Find and follow Melissa at www.brasshouseinteriors.com

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