We’ve compiled a list of quick and easy home improvement ideas to get you started on your next home improvement project.

If you enjoy doing projects around the house, you’re already on your way to saving money. However, with proper forethought, you can alter the vibe of a whole space with a single project that only costs a few hundred dollars.

Easy Home Upgrades You Can Do on a Budget

Choose from our list of value-added upgrades that are all under $500—some even less. They will not only be kind on your pocketbook today, but some of them will also save you money in the future. Take a look at our simple home renovation ideas below.

Use Paint to Refresh Your Rooms

Picking up a paint can and letting loose on your dreary, washed-out walls may give them a flash of bright depth (or wash away your décor sins with virgin white). That’s the magic of a fresh coat of paint: it reshapes your world. As a result, painting is the most popular DIY home improvement project.

While you don’t have to be an expert to learn how to paint like one, decent paintwork demands more than just slathering some color on the wall. From the initial scratch of the pole sander to the final feather of the brush. So here is a tutorial for you:

2. Add Crown Molding the Easy Way

Adding crown molding is one of the best home improvement ideas. Crown molding is at the top of most renovation lists because it adds beauty and value to a property, not because people like spending a Saturday perfecting the corners.

Crown molding is a lightweight polystyrene foam covered with durable plaster. It cuts easily with a handsaw and goes up quickly with the joint compound. There’s no coping, no challenging angles, and ragged joints vanish with a smear of mud. So, with only a weekend, you can transform a basic room into an attractive space—while still making time for the rest of your home renovation ideas.

See How to Install Foam Crown Molding for full step-by-step instructions.

Install a Low-Cost Stair Runner

Want to gain a strong grip on slick stairwells? Make your own runner. Jaime Shackford, took on the project herself after receiving a quotation for $2,500 to carpet her dangerously slippery oak staircase. She made her staircase non-slip by using simply two off-the-shelf woven runners ($125 each) and components from a home center.

Rewire a Vintage Entry Lantern

Many hanging lanterns from the early part of the twentieth century were simple in form, looking to have been fashioned by blacksmiths rather than machines.

These rustic lanterns were popularized by tastemakers of the day, such as Gustav Stickley and the Roycroft artisans, and typified a back-to-basics design mentality. If you found one at a yard sale or have one tucked in the attic, you may urge guests to “come on in” by repurposing an antique lantern. Once you get the parts, it’s a simple and inexpensive job.

Renew Old Flooring With Paint

The ruby-red floor of Sara and Andrew’s Massachusetts farmhouse master bedroom didn’t match their young and vibrant personalities. However, with a restricted budget, refinishing was not a possibility. So, to modernize the area, they painted the floor in a light checkered pattern, using beige and white to complement the cool blue walls.

Here, we demonstrate how a little measurement and a few of coats of long-lasting floor paint can bring a lot of individuality to a space for a low cost.

Make Shade and Add Privacy With Interior Shutters

Sunlight flowing through windows may be an annoyance. Not to mention the neighbors who have additional nighttime hours to peer into your well-lit living room. You could add shades to keep nosy eyes out, but swinging wood shutters would be far more appealing.

Interior shutters were the first “window decorations,” and they’re still a terrific way to add architectural and historical charm to both Southern and urban homes. They also assist to keep out the bitter winds of winter and the scorching heat of summer. They also attach to a tiny frame that fits within the window opening or around the outside of the casing, making them simple to install on any window.