GInstitute Home Improvement and Remodelling

At the height of any real estate market sale, you might stumble upon some cheap property that you thought was your dream home, but is far from picture perfect. No landscaping, a bit run-down, a sad-looking Charlie Brown tree in the front yard, but with tons of character in that small space called a house.

Mix high and low

You can mingle inexpensive furniture with high-end materials and furniture. For instance, use plumbing pipes for hanging expensive ikea curtains; place custom pillows atop a bargain couch; an antique coffee table on an old oriental rug.

Repaint secondhand furnishings

Recoat or repaint old framed mirrors, chairs, coffee tables, etc.

Search thrift stores

You can find great oil paintings and furniture at thrift stores for under 5 bucks.

Create multi-purpose areas

With no proper dining room, a breakfast or kitchen table can functions as such, and also doubles as an art or work table for dad and the kids. You can add the vinyl cushions for comfort and décor. Kitchen or living room benches provide storage space under their hinged lids. You can even wallpaper the walls with bold colors so they clash with your furniture or tables.

Repurpose furniture

For instance, an old candy making table or an old serving tray can serve as a mobile kitchen island.

Create attractive storage space

A tray atop a narrow storage cabinet can hold ingredients for cocktails. Other ideas include using peg boards for the kitchen, in the work area, or as a headboard.

Mix art

A mix of inexpensive art like old paintings, sculptures, and even old fire hydrants can be complemented with inexpensive colored wallpaper.

Use wallpaper as artwork

In small spaces or bedrooms, playful wallpaper can grace a single wall such as children’s animal wallpaper.

Be bold with color

Bright colors actually make small spaces or bedrooms look bigger.

Shop salvage

You can shop around from second-hand stores or garage sales for items you can salvage and convert. For instance, you can turn an old garage complete with windows and door into a guesthouse.

Reinvent materials

Split or broken concrete from a former backyard parking strip can become your semi-paved pathway to your door or in your backyard. You can do the same with broken vinyl, tiles, stones, and shale.

Artful reuse or recycling of metal and other materials

A side yard gate or backyard fence can be built from salvaged metal. Or a discarded syrup barrel becomes a rain water harvester.

What good is a rake you can no longer use in the garden? Actually, there are countless ingenious ways to give a second life to outdoor tools that have become inadequate for their intended purpose. So before disposing of a trusty old helper that cannot be used anymore in the garden, spend a minute looking over these repurposed rake projects, especially how you can use them around the house again. Each suggests that with creativity you can make something useful and beautiful, even out of a rake with rusty tines or a broken handle.

Store Accessories

Always losing your keys? Try making this repurposed rake project: an organizing station perfect for the entryway. To make one, separate the handle and head of a bow rake. Paint the rake head in your favorite hue, then fasten it to an attractive backing that’s suitable for mounting such as with crosscut wood that does the job beautifully.

Door Wreaths

If you own a rake old enough to be if not beautiful, then visually interesting, consider repurposing the tool as the basis for an offbeat door wreath. Ornament it throughout the year with seasonally appropriate flowers, leaves, branches, or berries. Remember to keep it lightweight, though, so it hangs easily with wire. Perfect during Christmas to hang those door decors.

For Holding Pictures

Here’s a great repurposed rake project for anyone who loves farmhouse-style decor: Use the tines of a lawn rake to hold photographs, postcards, and other printed keepsakes you wish to display. Show off several priceless mementos on a single rake head, saving the cost of as many store-bought picture frames.

Displaying Glassware of Hanging Kitchen Items

Rake heads painted firehouse red look so natural storing wineglasses and they almost seem as if they were destined for that very purpose. Or you can use them to hang kitchen items like pots, pans, pot holders, and other kitchen items that need to be hanged. Mount yours with a combination of washers and screws; just remember that to support any considerable weight, the rake must be fastened to a wall stud.

Hanging Plants

There’s a certain poetic justice to the idea of repurposing a rake outdoors; after all, that’s where the tool was meant to be used. In this case, rather than collecting leaves on the lawn or tilling flower bed soil, the rake is staked into the ground with a couple of hanging plants suspended from its rigid tines.

A can of paint is not going to burn a hole in your pocket yet covering your walls with fresh paint will have a big impact on the appearance of your home. You do not have to buy custom-made furniture to replace your old ones either. If your old furniture is beyond repair, you can go online or watch out for garage sales to look for used furniture that are still in good condition. If you want something new, then be on the lookout for upcoming sales to avail of great discounts.

Conserving Energy

Most households now are looking for ways to improve so that they can save on energy. For instance, if you are still using incandescent bulbs, try shifting to LED bulbs that use less energy, have longer life spans, and are more efficient. Another way is to check your plumbing system and repair any leaking pipes or faucets. These energy-saving steps in improving your home should actually be one of your priorities since it will come back to you as future savings.

Look to Your Door

Sadly, most homeowners are focused on beautifying their exterior walls or upgrading their furniture and appliances, but totally neglect to give their doors the attention it deserves. The door is the gateway to your home. It is what your visitors first see once they arrive at your home, so make sure that you impress them the moment they enter your home and when the time comes for them to leave. You can opt for a wooden door with pretty carvings or a more modern design for the sake of safety such as a metal door.

A Spotless Bathroom

Most homeowners hate the idea of cleaning their bathrooms, which is important because some visitors use it as a basis to judge your hygiene. To make cleaning easy, you should therefore design an easy-clean bathroom. For instance, use solid surfaces on your walls instead of tiles where you have to scrub every grout line in between. Another great idea is to use vinyl coverings for your wall, which can easily be wiped clean with a wet sponge.