13 Small (and Affordable) Home Upgrades for Big Impact

By: Melissa Dittmann Tracey

Published: June 16, 2025

Transform your home into a beautifully designed space — without the spendy price tag.

Home improvement pros and DIYers tout a fresh coat of paint as a favorite among low-cost home upgrades for big impact. But what else can you do to accessorize and decorate? Sometimes the little things can make a bigger difference than you’d think. 

Professionals share the following easy and low-cost home upgrades to add a designer’s touch all around the house. These projects may even help increase your home’s perceived value. 

For the Bathroom

1. Frame It

Estimated cost: starting around $100

That edgeless, builder-grade mirror hanging above the bathroom vanity may be prime for an update. Jessica Love, an interior designer with Urbane Design in Austin, Texas, suggests using DIY frame kits, like the ones from MirrorMate. Measure the mirror and choose from numerous frame styles and materials, like wooden walnut or shiny brass. The frame kit includes clips and metal strips to attach to the existing mirror. A once-forgettable mirror instantly looks customized and styled to the space, Love says.

2. Infuse Some Green

Estimated cost: $5 and up

Simply adding greenery can liven up bathroom spaces and soften harsh lines from all the heavy fixtures, designers say. Try a statement plant on the floor, like the vertical sword-shaped leaves of a snake plant or the feathery foliage from a bird’s nest fern. Or you could incorporate smaller plants, like a mini aloe in a white ceramic planter or an iron fern in a rounded marble vase.

Many renovators say they’re incorporating greenery to update their bathrooms for aesthetics, air purification, and odor-fighting abilities, according to the 2022 U.S. Houzz Bathroom Trends Study, a survey of 2,500-plus remodeling homeowners. Tight on space? Love suggests topping a shelf or vanity counter with an air-purifying indoor plant on a natural tray (for texture) along with a favorite candle.

3. Modernize Hardware

Estimated cost: hardware starting at about $2 apiece for cabinet pulls, faucets for $200 or less

Just swapping out the faucets and drawer pulls is a small home upgrade that can refresh an outdated bathroom. Try trendy gold or black cabinet pulls or a modern boxy-style faucet. “Mixed metals are trending right now,” Love says. “We’re seeing black with brass and brass with chrome.” Love’s favorite resource for inspiration is Build.com, which features a variety of manufacturers and styles.

4. Soften the Lights

Estimated cost: about $100 or less apiece ($93 to $173 per fixture for installation by an electrician)

Wall sconces can warm up the bathroom lighting, says interior designer Jessica Nelson of Jessica Nelson Design in Seattle. She suggests wall sconces hung on each side of the vanity mirror in a black, brass, or chrome finish. The bulb color’s temperature is important, Nelson adds. “My sweet spot is between 2700K [Kelvin] and 3000K. I do not recommend going any cooler than that,” she says. “2700K is a crisp but warm white, and 3000K is my personal favorite. It’s a really soft warm light.”

For the Bedroom

5. Add Molding to the Walls

Estimated cost: about $200, including a designer’s input

Installing molding on the walls behind the bed is an impressive home upgrade. Krisztina Bell, founder of No Vacancy Home Staging and Virtually Staging Properties in the Atlanta area, recently used black molding zigzagged across a wall to dress up a white, blank slate behind the bed frame. She says designers and woodworking artists are readily available on sites like Etsy.com (search under “professionally designed custom dimensional accent wall”). They will custom design a 3D digital model of the molding to fit your wall and provide an instruction packet, shopping list, and cutting and installation instructions so you can DIY.

6. Decorate With Mirrors

Estimated cost: Around $250

“I love adding a statement wall mirror to a bedroom,” says Channa Alvarez, interior designer and production designer at Living Spaces, a national furniture retailer in La Mirada, Calif. She suggests hanging a new mirror above a nightstand, dresser, chest, or bed. Try a mirror in an unusual shape, like a diamond, hexagon, or square silhouette. “If you’re itching for a redesign but don’t want to spend so much, a mirror is the perfect buy. It’s simple, affordable, and light-enhancing.”

For the Living Room

7. Texturize and Accessorize

Estimated cost: $50 to $150 to update a few accessories

“A room can appear one-dimensional when it’s missing texture,” says interior designer Lance Thomas of Thomas Guy Interiors in Lake Charles, La. Designers may add texture by incorporating dressers with fluted designs, chunky knit throws, velvet ottomans, or leather accent chairs. You can adapt that idea by scoping out items from other rooms in your house that you can mix in the living room to add texture and depth. Or shop secondhand stores for small items you can refinish, repurpose, or re-cover. For example, re-covered accent pillows are an affordable way to add texture to your furniture.

“Perhaps the best thing about accent pillows is they’re an easy seasonal item, making your living room feel different without costing as much as a new furniture buy,” Alvarez adds. “Throw pillows are a great and inexpensive way to incorporate new trends or add color to your living room.” Also, functional accents — like a set of three seagrass baskets — can be great for a corner or near a fireplace, Alvarez says. Then, “place throw blankets in them to give the room a cozy, inviting feel.”

8. Wallpaper the Shelves

Estimated cost: about $50 to $60 for a small roll

For homeowners who may be too timid to jump on the wallpaper comeback trend, try it in small doses and with less commitment (especially when using a removable peel-and-stick type). Interior designer Mel Bean of Mel Bean Interiors in Tulsa, Okla., suggests adding wallpaper to the inside back of a bookcase or other shelving unit to dress it up. Recently, she used a jagged, striped gray-and-cream-colored wallpaper behind each shelf on an all-white built-in to add texture, color, and a more custom look.

For the Kitchen

9. Bring in Some Bling

Estimated cost: starting at $2 apiece for cabinet hardware, $60 to $150 for pendant lighting (extra $40 to $120 per fixture for installation by an electrician)

Don’t let an all-white kitchen become boring, Bell says. “Add industrial or contemporary black hardware and lighting to make a kitchen look more chic. Gold is trendy; or chrome, nickel, brushed silver, and stainless steel hardware and lighting are always safe bets,” she adds. Bell likes sites such as Overstock.com, Wayfair.com, or Amazon.com for affordable, stylish mid-century mod, industrial, or futuristic pendant lighting options. 

For example, she used shiny gold canned pendants in an otherwise all-white kitchen to highlight the island. “Even just changing out one main fixture or series of pendants above a kitchen island can change the whole look of a room instantly without having to renovate the entire kitchen,” she says. 

10. Dress Up the Pantry

Estimated cost: starting at $1 each for baskets and glass jars

Pantries have emerged as a kitchen favorite, so they’re a good choice for a home upgrade. They’re rated as essential or desirable by at least 80% of home shoppers, according to the National Association of Home Builders “What Home Buyers Really Want” consumer survey. Retailers such as the Container Store, Ikea, and Dollar General offer baskets and glass jars in all shapes and sizes. 

“Invest in a label maker and go to town organizing your pantry so everything matches and looks almost decorative or too pretty to take snacks from,” Bell says. “This helps create visual order in the space too.” For example, stow pasta in a glass container, put the packaged bread and other products in shelf-sized baskets, and color coordinate the canned goods.

For Outdoors

11. Accentuate With Flower Boxes

Estimated cost: $150

Boxes filled with flowers along the bottom ledge of your outside windows can enhance your home’s architecture and colors. “Flower boxes have this cozy and charming feel,” says Jackie Mosher, co-founder of Dzinly, a company in Royal Oak, Mich., that helps homeowners and real estate professionals digitally design exteriors. “They can add interest, dimension, and some personality.” Fill them all year-round. Mosher suggests using three different types of flowers (for example, greenery, a taller plant in the center, and a colorful accent flower). 

The size, proportion, and positioning of flower boxes are important; don’t overdo it, she adds. Not every window needs one. Maybe it’s just the large picture window or the windows on a second story. To test placement, Mosher suggests duct taping cardboard cutouts to the windows to view the possibilities before drilling any holes.

12. Swap Out Lighting Fixtures

Estimated cost: $200 to $250

Bring in a statement light above the front door for a functional and dramatic home upgrade. A hanging pendant or chandelier on the front porch isn’t just for extra illumination. It can enhance curb appeal, Mosher says. She suggests a fixture that’s about one-third or one-fourth the size of the front door (including the trim) and having it hang about 66 inches from the ground. “So many times, we hang them too high,” she says. “Let your front porch light be the loudest. The lights on the exterior should be your jewelry — your ‘wow.’” 

If there’s no place for a pendant, upgrade the lights to the side of the door, such as with boxed lanterns in a black or antique bronze, she suggests. Her favorite site for inspiration: Bevolo.com, which recommends fixtures based on house style (modern, traditional, coastal, etc.).

13. Oversize the House Numbers

Estimated cost: $150 to $200

The home’s address numbers may seem insignificant for the outside design, but Mosher calls them one of her favorite inexpensive home upgrades. Large format, sleek black address numbers can add a modern vibe to a home, she says. “House numbers are like adding a statement watch to your outfit. It pulls it all together.”  

The numbers can be in all-black or in colors, like even pink or teal, depending on the home’s style, she says. The placement varies too, from the side of the front door to above the garage or anywhere along the front. “These can become a focal point and add some flair,” she says. Mosher’s favorite site for inspiration for house numbers: Modernhousenumbers.com.

Visit HouseLogic.com for more articles like this. Reprinted from HouseLogic.com with permission of the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS®.

Cleaning Hardwood Floors to Protect Your Investment

By: Melissa Dittmann Tracey

Published: April 8, 2025

Learn how to keep your hardwood flooring in pristine condition, no matter their age.

Many homeowners admit they have no clue about cleaning hardwood floors, according to surveys from the National Wood Flooring Association. But what you don’t know about hardwood floor cleaning and care could be hurting your flooring — and maybe even your home’s value.

“Hardwood floors are a big investment, and keeping them in great shape is all about preventing damage,” says Kevin Crawford, co-owner at TexFix, a handyman service in San Antonio and a real estate broker associate-owner at Crawford Luxury. “We see a lot of floors that have been scratched, warped, or dulled because of the wrong cleaning methods or just everyday wear and tear.”

Hardwood floors can add value to a home. Their timeless appeal is likely why wood flooring consistently ranks as one of the top 10 home features that home buyers say they want most when shopping for a home, according to the National Association of Home Builders’ “What Home Buyers Really Want” survey. Not to mention, homeowners rate hardwood flooring as one of their favorite remodeling projects, according to the National Association of REALTORS® “Remodeling Impact Report.“

Plus, wood flooring may be a wise investment in the long run: “Put in hardwoods, and if you take care of them, you’ll never have to install new flooring in your home again,” says Shawna Eikenberry, owner of Footprints Floors Raleigh. “You can just patch, repair, and even refinish them to change the look,” she adds. And they can last for decades.

Hardwood Floor Cleaning Maintenance Schedule

The National Wood Flooring Association recommends the following maintenance schedule to care for your hardwoods:

• Sweep or dust mop: Daily

• Vacuum (using the bare floor setting): Weekly

• Clean with wood flooring cleaner: Monthly

• Apply a new coat of finish or maintenance coat: Every three to five years

• Sand and refinish: Every few decades

  
  

Do’s and Don’ts for Cleaning Hardwood Floors

To prevent damage, follow these do’s and don’ts:

Do:

• Clean any spills immediately and ensure the floors are dry. Water can damage hardwoods.

• Consider a shoe-free policy: “Even a small amount of sand or grit can cause damage to the finish,” says Carly D. Harrington, owner of Floor Coverings International of South Atlanta.

• Use only cleaning solutions specifically made for hardwood floors.

• Maintain a consistent indoor temperature and humidity level in your home to avoid hardwood damage. The NWFA recommends keeping a home 60 to 80 degrees Fahrenheit and at 30% to 50% humidity year-around.

• Clean up any pet accidents promptly. They can lead to staining with dark or black spots on the floors, as well as lingering odors, Harrington says.

• Consider rearranging rugs and furniture occasionally or using light blocking curtains, especially in sun-drenched rooms. “Hardwoods will change color based on exposure to the sun,” Harrington says.

• Use throw rugs at all entryways and protective felt pads on the feet of chair and furniture legs to prevent scratching the floors.

  
  

Don’t:

• Allow dirt to accumulate on your floors; it can act like sandpaper and wear down the finish, Crawford says.

• Let standing water sit. Even a stray ice cube that falls from the freezer can cause floors to warp or become discolored, Harrington says.

• Steam clean your hardwoods. The excessive heat and moisture can damage the flooring.

• Use the beater bar — or brushroll — setting on your vacuum. The rotating brush on the bottom of your vacuum can scratch the floor’s surface.

• Use harsh chemicals — like ammonia, bleach, oil soaps, and vinegar – on your floors; they can damage the finish and the wood.

• Wax or polish your hardwoods. It can build up and create a cloudy film over your floors.

• Use plastic or nonporous mats, like for underneath dog bowls or those waffle-like pads for under rugs. “These surfaces hold the water against the floor, causing discoloration and staining,” Harrington says.

  
  

3 Ways to Ace Hardwood Floor Cleaning

Flooring experts recommend taking special care when doing these three activities to clean hardwood floors:

Sweeping and Vacuuming

Regular sweeping or vacuuming can keep hardwoods clean, but avoid using standard vacuums with beater bars, or brushrolls, on hardwood surfaces. “Turn off the beater bar or use a microfiber broom,” Harrington says. Some vacuums allow you to turn off the brushroll setting. Another option is to choose a vacuum specifically made for hardwood floors.

Mopping

There’s a right way — and a wrong way — to mop your wood flooring. Because water can damage hardwoods, using a wet mop and leaving water residue behind is not a good strategy, Eikenberry says. Also, avoid steam mops, which apply pressure that “forces moisture into the wood. [That] can lead to swelling and warping over time,” Crawford adds.

Instead, “dry mop,” using a microfiber mop — along with a spray cleaner that is specifically made for hardwood floors, Harrington says.

Using Cleaning Solutions

Be selective about the cleaning solutions you use on your hardwood flooring. For example, vinegar — a favorite in house cleaning — is acidic and can penetrate the wood and leave streaks, Eikenberry says.

Instead, opt for mild, pH-neutral cleaners that are designed specifically for hardwood flooring, Harrington says. Look for the words “hardwood cleaner” on the bottle or ask professional flooring companies for suggestions. Always test new products in small, hidden areas of the floor before spreading it elsewhere.

Avoid Common Problems in Hardwood Floor Cleaning

Hardwood flooring is known to be durable. “The key is using the right technique to clean [the floors] while also protecting them from damage,” Crawford says. Watch out for these indicators of trouble:

• Discoloration: If hardwood flooring is in direct sun for prolonged periods of time, it can develop orangish tones or an uneven appearance. This may be most evident in west-facing rooms that tend to get a lot of sunlight. How to prevent: Consider moving rugs and furniture regularly or using light blocking curtains, Harrington says.

• Swelling: The floor can appear uneven, bulge in areas, or have planks that lift away from the subfloor. A certain level of expansion is considered normal, and professional flooring installation companies will account for this when they install them. Larger gaps between the planks may indicate a bigger problem. How to prevent: Keep excessive moisture from making contact with the floors and avoid high humidity, which can cause abnormal levels of swelling in the wood.

• Shrinking: The flooring may appear to have gaps between the boards or planks that have separated from one another. How to prevent: Make sure your home is not excessively dry; it can cause the wood to lose moisture and shrink

• Cupping: This happens when the edges of the wood planks on the floor raise or buckle. You might notice what appear to be concave shapes on your flooring. How to prevent: Keep excessive moisture away from your hardwoods. Water leaks, high humidity, improper installation, or inadequate drying of wet floors can cause cupping.

• Scuff marks or dents: Everyday activity can cause visible blemishes on hardwood floors. The culprits can be pet claws, furniture, or even dirt and shoes. Consider that a 125-pound woman wearing high heels can exert enough force to leave marks on hardwood floors. How to prevent: Adopt a no-shoe policy and use natural fiber rugs that won’t trap water spills at entryways and in high-traffic areas.

  
  

Treating Damage on Hardwood Floors

Minor scratches may occur on just the top-layer finish rather than in the wood itself. In that case, the scratches can often be repaired with touch-up markers, stain pens, and furniture repair kits. You can also try these hacks: Rub the natural oils from a walnut or pecan over the scuff marks to help darken the wood and disguise the scratches, Eikenberry suggests. A tennis ball or a little baking soda on a damp cloth may help remove scuff marks, Crawford says.

or deeper scratches, you may need a wood filler that matches the color of your floor. As an alternative, you can have your floors restained or refinished.

When to Refinish Your Hardwood Floors

If your floors are looking dull, you may be tempted to reach for polish as a fix. Eikenberry says that’s a big mistake. In general, avoid using any products on your hardwoods with words like “polish,” “shine,” or “rejuvenate,” she says. “Your floors will look gorgeous when you first put it down, but it’s a short-lived reward. It can dull very quickly and then leave this cloudy film on your floors.” She says the only way to revive dull-looking floors is to have them lightly buffed and then apply a fresh coat of polyurethane wood finish on top.

For deeper scratches, dents, or damage to your hardwoods, you may need to have the floors completely sanded back to the raw wood and refinished. The cost to refinish hardwoods averages nearly $2,000, but the price can vary greatly. If you want a new look, refinishing also allows you to change the stain color of your hardwood.

Keep in mind, wood types vary in how often they can be refinished or how prone they are to scratching. For example, hardwood flooring’s durability and hardness are measured on a Janka scale, a rating of how susceptible the wood is to denting or showing wear. The higher the rating, the more resistant the wood will be to dents and wear and tear. In general, softwoods like pine tend to have lower Janka scales; hardwoods like hickory and Brazilian teak or walnut usually resist scratches and damage.

The number of times hardwoods can be refinished varies. For example, engineered wood flooring — a popular type of wood flooring — often can be refinished only one to three times, since the top layer is wood but underneath it is plywood. Hardwoods that have a wear layer that’s thinner than 2 millimeters, for example, may not be ideal for sanding, according to District Floor Depot. You may be able to refinish solid hardwood flooring 10 or more times, depending on the floor’s thickness.

Related: Should You Refinish Hardwood Floors Yourself?

Hardwood Floor Cleaning Affects Lifespan

The lifespan of hardwood flooring is one of the longest of any household material, possibly extending to 100 years or more. The lifespan greatly depends on you, however, and how well you care for the flooring.

“I’ve seen hardwood floors that are 20 years old that look brand new and then those that are only five years old that are in rough shape,” Eikenberry says. “I can’t overstate the importance of maintenance. Hardwood flooring is a valuable asset to your home with so many benefits. It’s important to take care of it.”

Visit HouseLogic.com for more articles like this. Reprinted from HouseLogic.com with permission of the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS®.

How Much House Can I Afford?

By: Stacey Freed

Published: April 5, 2025

Before you start house hunting, use tools and formulas to estimate how much house you can afford.

Curling up on the couch with your laptop and looking through home listings can be fun. But when you’re serious about purchasing your first home, things can get complicated. That cute 1,300-square-foot Cape Cod is listed at $320,000, and across town there’s a four-bedroom Colonial with an asking price of $625,000. You like them both but wonder, how much house can I afford?

While searching for answers, you’ll probably come across the “28%-36% rule” or the “43% rule.” You’ll also learn about house affordability calculators that help you factor in variables to estimate what you can afford. And finally, you can talk to lenders and loan officers about options and resources. Here’s how the options work and some of the pros and cons.

How Spreadsheets Can Help – or Miss the Mark – for Home Affordability

You could create your own spreadsheet with some simple inputs — asking price and down payment (a percentage or a dollar amount) — and calculate your potential interest and principal payment on a mortgage.

But that option carries two pitfalls, cautions Ashley Moore, a JP Morgan Chase vice president and lending manager based in Houston. For one, most people “making their own Excel spreadsheets may not have their ideas quite aligned with what lenders look at,” Moore says. And first-time home buyers may not know all the items they’ll have to cover at closing and monthly payments.

Luckily, many lenders, including Chase, have a house affordability calculator on their websites. That can be a great option, but you should understand a few things before jumping in.

Percentage Guidelines to Figure How Much House You Can Afford

Lenders consider the 28%-36% rule and the 43% rule to be guidelines more than hard-and-fast requirements. “Many financial advisers will tell you that anywhere between 25% and 28% of your monthly income is what you should spend on housing,” Moore says. For example, if you bring home $4,000 per month, and multiply that by 28%, you could afford a monthly mortgage payment of about $1,100. “Others say, maybe you look at the front-end ratio, with the housing expense being 28% of your gross income, and then 36% is the back end — your total debt service, including the housing costs,” Moore adds. This is known as your debt-to-income, or DTI, ratio.

Many lenders look for a DTI of up to 43%. In fact, for a mortgage to be eligible to be guaranteed by Freddie Mac, Fannie Mae, FHA, the VA, or USDA, borrowers must have a monthly DTI of 43% or less.

In addition to income and DTI, mortgage lenders consider your credit history and credit score: The higher the better for creditworthiness. “You might enjoy more favorable loan terms or a get a better interest rate,” Moore says. They are also interested in your cash on hand, your savings, and your down payment money.

When you calculate affordability, factor in that your monthly outlay is more than just mortgage payments. Your monthly payment should be low enough that you “can still continue to live the lifestyle you’d like to live,” says Carly Napier, REALTOR® and full-service agent with Elysian Homes in Rochester, N.Y. Allow for expenses such as student loan payments, entertainment, groceries, car payments, credit card debt, and, yes, savings.

House Affordability Calculators Help You Factor in Variables

With basic house affordability calculators, you’ll be “entering your purchase price, monthly payment, or your monthly income that you want to stay within, how much you’re going to put down,” Moore says. Calculator information is “based on the property and the current market. It may not take into consideration your income and your debt.”

House affordability calculators let you figure how much house you can afford based on factors such as:

Down Payment, Taxes, Insurance, and Climate

“You can tell the calculator to be flexible with down payment. You can look at the taxes and the insurance of a particular neighborhood,” Moore says. You can even factor in climate change, which has increased the number and severity of floods, with more areas considered high risk. Flood insurance might be required or a strong option.

Overlooked Fees

Other house affordability calculators may consider items first-time home buyers often overlook, such as bank fees, attorney fees, settlement fees, title insurance, recording fees, appraisal fees, and homeowners association fees. You need to have enough funding to pay for these items. “Some calculators suggest that about 3% to 5% of a home’s purchase price needs to be saved for additional closing costs,” Moore says. It may be possible to roll some of these items into the mortgage or get seller concessions, where the seller covers those fees for the buyer.

Repairs and Maintenance

You also need some money on hand for “repairs and maintenance. You have to assume things will go wrong, especially in many competitive markets where, unfortunately, waiving home inspections is commonplace,” Napier says.

Potential to Tap into Home Equity

Another option is a home value estimator, which can help you see the estimated value of a home you’re looking to buy. “If you are already a homeowner, this kind of calculator can help you figure out whether you can tap into your home equity to pay off debt or liabilities or upgrade your home,” Moore says.

Keep in mind that a house affordability calculator “is a compass, not a GPS,” Moore says. “It’s a great way to start, especially if you’re at the beginning stages of looking. Maybe you want to buy a house in two years. An affordability calculator is not a crystal ball. It is just giving you estimates.”

Get Expert Help to Find Out How Much House You Can Afford

“Many people hear the words ‘mortgage calculator,’ and they think that relates to their own situation, but a mortgage is [like] a fingerprint. There are no two that are the same,” Moore says. Lenders have many programs and products to help first-time home buyers.

It’s a good idea to go to a lender or loan officer early in your home buying journey. Napier says iif buyers come to her first, she connects them with a loan officer she considers “a trusted adviser. They are available to answer all their questions and to serve as extra counsel during what can be a stressful time.”

A lender will know the options to help first-time home buyers. For example, “Chase has a $5,000 home buyer grant available in about 15,000 markets,” Moore says. “The grant is located in minority census tracts and allows individuals to use the money toward a down payment.”

Assistance programs are available to help self-employed individuals gain buying power or to provide loans for physicians, who often have considerable debt burdens. Napier suggests finding out about local home buyer grants such as the City of Rochester’s Home Purchase Assistance Program in her metro area. Lenders will have these details at their fingertips.

While all this information may seem daunting, help is available. You can start with a real estate agent for lender information. Every bank has a loan officer. Let them know you’re a first-time buyer and ask what you should look out for. With expert help, you can get the guidance you need to make an informed decision.

Visit HouseLogic.com for more articles like this. Reprinted from HouseLogic.com with permission of the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS®.