_{SOURCE: investopedia.com}

Transform your home into a dream oasis with these simple DIY projects.

With a few tweaks and adjustments, your home can become the envy of the block. Discover these affordable DIY projects that can increase the value of your home and create a cozy atmosphere that you’ll love.

1. Install crown molding

Putting in crown molding is a surprisingly easy task that can add character to your rooms. Buy the molding from a home improvement store, cut it to the size that fits your room (or have the store cut it for you), and attach it to the top of the wall with a nail gun. These decorative strips may even come already painted. Installing crown molding does involve a bit of woodworking skill as well as the right tools, but it is very inexpensive to do yourself.

2. Improve window treatments

The cheap vertical plastic blinds, paper shades, or horizontal aluminum blinds that may have come with your house don’t add value to your home. Consider replacing them with plantation shutters, wooden blinds, or drapes. Again, if you are selling, choose neutral options that can help you get a better price for your home. 

3. Paint or stain kitchen cabinets

You could buy all new cabinets and save money by purchasing prefabricated (rather than custom) cabinets and installing them yourself, but that’s more work and money than painting or staining your existing cabinets. White cabinets will brighten a kitchen, don’t usually go out of style, and are easy for a future owner to repaint if they want something different. You’ll need to remove all the hardware from your cabinets, including the doors. You’ll also need to clean the cabinets first, so dirt and greasy residues won’t ruin your work. Consider sprucing up your bathroom cabinets as well.

4. Upgrade landscaping or clean up existing landscaping

Flowers and other plants are a great way to brighten your home’s exterior. Use greenery in front of your house and/or along walkways to draw attention to your home. To get the most for your dollars, choose perennial plants, which come back year after year, rather than annuals, which, as their name suggests, last a year or less. Patch any bald spots in the yard with fresh sod (or plant grass seed if you have time) and trim existing trees and bushes to complete the yard’s new look.

What’s your favorite DIY home projects?