If you can’t afford to completely redo a room, there are still things you can do change its look and feel. Most of these changes will cost you under $50 and some will cost you nothing at all.

• Paint the room. Choose a contrasting color to the one you had before, so it’s truly noticeable. If you can’t afford to buy paint for the whole room, paint one wall in a vibrant color and make that wall the center of the room.
• Change the curtains. A lively, flowery curtain will give the room a completely different feel than heavy drapery would. Play with options or choose whatever is on sale.
• Cover the floor with a rug. Simple rugs can be found at discount stores for as little as $20-30. Don’t worry about covering the whole floor either. Just place it in the center of the room or in the area you want to accentuate.
• Move the furniture. Simply changing things around will make the room feel different. You can also switch pieces of furniture with something from other room or use a side table as a nighttable or vice versa.
• Hang art on the walls. You won’t be able to afford a one-of-a-kind painting for $50 but places like IKEA sell posters ready-to-frame that look like the real thing.

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If you have a spare bedroom in your home, chances are is turning (or already has) into a catch-all room, where all the extras goes and no real order can ever be made of anything. If that’s the case, don’t despair. You can rescue the bedroom and convert it into an useful, organized room.

The simplest idea is to turn the room into a guest bedroom. This requires no additional purchases (providing you already had a bed and wardrobe or chest drawer in there). Clean up the items you don’t need, pack up clothing or seasonal decorations and you’re ready to have company over.

The second most useful idea may be to turn the room into a home office. Even if you don’t work from home, you can still use an office to help you organize paperwork and bills, to spend some time reading alone or to store the computer and other office equipment. An office needs a desk, a comfortable chair and a shelving unit or drawers to organize office supplies and other extras.

If you have kids, making the room into a playroom will allow the kids to play at their hearts’ content without you having to worry about seeing toys strung over the whole house. If company shows up, you can simply close the door and not worry about the mess. Also, having a specific room designated as a playroom will make it easier to child-proof and make sure it’s safe and free of sharp corners or dangers when the kids are jumping around.

If you need a storage room and there’s nowhere else your stuff can be relegated to, you can use the bedroom as storage, as long as you find a way to do it cleverly. Buy cardboard boxes or plastic containers where you can divide and store things according to season or use. Cupboards and drawer systems will take care of paperwork and other flat items, while you can use hanging bags to store out-of-season clothing or sport equipment. If you organize it well enough, there’s no reason why the room couldn’t serve as both storage and bedroom or office.

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If your house is in complete chaos, the idea of making sense of it all may seem overwhelming. However, there are some basic things you can do to get started in organizing and cleaning up your home.

STEP ONE: Prioritize

Look at what needs to be done and make a list with two columns: big changes and small ones. Big changes will include anything that requires purchasing furniture or driving to the library to donate a pile of books. Small changes will include organizing the kitchen drawers or clearing up the desk.

STEP TWO: Do it one room at the time

Things will get overwhelming fast if you think about everything that needs to be done. Choose one room and get to work on that one. Only move to the next one when you’re done or when the next step requires you to buy something or go out of the house. Start with the rooms that you use the most.

STEP THREE: Separate into piles

Divide everything that is lying around into three piles: everyday or often use, used seasonally, never used. Anything that goes into the third pile should automatically be put aside to donate or throw away.

STEP FOUR: Be ruthless

Discard anything that you don’t truly love, won’t use or is broken, especially if you already have a replacement and are just holding on to the older item “just in case it can be repaired one day.” It won’t, so let it go.

STEP FIVE: Find appropriate storing

Things will never be organized if you don’t have a proper place to store them. Whether it’s shelves, cardboard boxes or full pieces of furniture, having storage space means you’ll be more likely to put things away, rather than letting them pile in the corners.

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Buy a few good pieces of furniture. If you have lots of paperwork, countless books and piles of files, you need adequate storing space. A plain glass desk may sound appealing, but it will do you no good when it comes to organizing your office. Instead, buy a good desk with lots of drawers, shelving units with deep-set divisions and a filing cabinet that will accept thick files of all sizes.

Establish work zones. Make your desk a work center and store supplies and books in a different corner. If there are items, such as files and books, that need to be moved from place to place every day, get a few “transition” baskets and make sure things eventually return to their rightful place.

Keep frequently-used items handy. If you only use your scanner once a month, there’s no much sense in having take space on the desk. Instead, store it away on a drawer or cabinet. Printers, fax or other items that are used everyday should be near the computer and easily accessible.

Create a mail-processing area. A basket for incoming mail and a different one for mail that needs to be sent out is the bare minimum you’ll need. Keep envelopes, stamps and labels in a box or drawer nearby.

Do not allow non-office stuff to make its way into the room. It’s easy to let toys, magazines and empty coffee cups to linger around. You probably can’t expect to keep junk out of the room all the time, but make it a goal to get things out by the end of the day so they don’t accumulate.

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Small spaces present special challenges to decorators, as they often require non-standard furniture to fit into corners and crevices where “normal size” items would not. If you have a small room but little money to spend, though, there are still some things you can do to make the most of the space.

Buy furniture that serves more than one purpose. An ottoman can become a coffee table in a pinch and a bookcase can serve as a room separator if you live in a studio or need some privacy for your desk or work area.

Get rid of clutter. Nothing enhances space in a room like getting rid of things that don’t belong there. You don’t need to get rid of all your magazines, but throw away the ones you already read (or don’t plan on reading) and then arrange the rest on a nice basket in the corner. Or buy a TV stand with drawers and store your magazines inside.

Avoid making the room look too busy. Resist the urge of decorating the walls with a dozen small framed photographs and instead hang a single medium-size painting. Stick to just a few pillows for the sofa and choose flat ones that can be used on the floor as additional sitting if necessary. One large couch is better in a small room than three small chairs, as the second option would not only take more space, but also reduce the walking area considerably.

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Whether you’re getting ready to move and want to increase your home’s value or just moved into a new house and are desperate to remodel, you may be weary of tackling any changes in the kitchen. Traditionally, kitchens are more expensive to remodel than any other room because changes usually require structural reconstruction, including moving gas or water pipes, electric cords or built-in furniture (such as cabinets).

However, there are some simple changes that can be made in the kitchen that will significantly increase its value, as well as changing the look and making you feel like you just invested thousands.

Give Cabinets a Facelift. Paint them if they’re wood, or replace the doors for new ones in a different style. Glass ones are great if you’re the organized type and want a modern look. Otherwise, go for something with texture, such as shutter-like doors or something with molding. You can also replace the cabinet hardware and choose knobs that are brushed metal or

Get Rid of Fluorescent Lights. They make the room look dated and yellowish. Install track lighting if you can afford to pay a professional, or buy a couple of floor lamps and place in opposite corners. If you have a large table, create a centerpiece by grouping several candles and placing them on a tray in the center of the table.

Replace the Floor. You don’t need to spend a fortune or even hire a professional to change your floors. Instead, buy self-adhesive vinyl flooring at the local home improvement store and simply place it on top of your current floor. While each product comes with its own instructions, it’s usually just a quick process of no more than a couple of steps.

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Not having a backyard does not preclude you from having a garden. In fact, it’s perfectly possible to set up a garden completely indoors, making use of a room, a balcony or a windowsill. Whatever the size of your indoor space is, a garden can make a home livelier, healthier and a lot more fun.

Setting Up A Garden

The first step in setting up a garden is choosing the space for it. If you have a balcony, consider a few large pots to create a green open space as well as increasing privacy. If that’s out of the question, look for windowsills that can be put to good use. If all else fails, turn a corner of your favorite room into an indoor garden by setting a few shelving units that can accommodate planters of different sizes.

Choosing the Right Greenery

A garden should serve a specific purpose. In a living room, it can help soften spaces or make a room feel more “complete,” especially if you have little furniture. A kitchen garden, on the other garden, can be an access to cooks and a nice way to provide aroma and character to the room. You also need to keep in mind the space itself, how much light it gets and how big the planters will be. This will determine the type of plants that will thrive in your chosen space.

Finally, choose sturdy plants and flowers if you have little experience, as delicate greens may need more attention than you’re able (or willing to give).

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Most people paint their houses. And after a few years, they paint their house again, and again, and again. There are, however, better ways to spend one’s time than by climbing up a ladder with a brush every spring.

Aluminum siding offers a welcome change from this chore. Aluminum is an excellent, durable alternative as it is both corrosion-resistant and holds up well in all types of weather. Additionally, aluminum considerably alters energy savings in the home by acting as an additional insulator for temperatures inside the home. If well maintained, homeowners can expect aluminum to last anywhere from 30 years to the life of their home.

As far as siding materials go, aluminum is quite cost effective and remains an industry standard to this day. For those wishing to further lower there remodeling costs, aluminum siding is manageable enough that it can be installed as a do-it-yourself project with a bit of planning. As far as maintenance goes, aluminum siding only need be washed with a little soap and water about once a year to clean off the grime.

Aluminum siding can be purchased in two general forms. The first is plain siding that may or may not be primed, allowing homeowners to paint the siding as they wish. The second is pre-painted in a variety of different paints and textures and homeowners choose from a catalogue of some sort.

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Lately, it seems as if just about everyone is having to keep a closer eye on their wallets than they would like to. So, with this in mind, spending thousands of dollars to gut and replace cabinets may not be feasible. Still, for homeowner’s seeking to improve the value of their house, waiting for that bucket of money to drop out of the sky is not an option.

As an alternative, consider refacing existing cabinets and use the extra money elsewhere. Taking much less time to complete, refacing cabinetry can make old cabinets shine like new at just a fraction of the cost.

Refacing is just a face lift of sorts. Doors are usually replaced while the cabinet box itself receives a veneer of some kind, matching it to the new doors. Drawer fronts are often replaced as well. When the basic work is completed, detail work and new hardware is installed to finish the transition.

Additionally, if the existing cabinet doors are smooth (also known as flat panel), then replacing the doors is not necessary, as a veneer can also be used in a different style or color. This means further savings.

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Kitchen cabinets are what most people think of when they imagine what the typical kitchen is outfitted with. In fact, finding a kitchen with anything but cabinets is not so easy. If the goal is to create more space in the kitchen area, however, then a great way to go would be to place those cabinets in boxes and instead install open shelving. French kitchens are often designed in this manner and have some benefits. The first is that everything in the kitchen is readily accessible. The second is that as there are less dark spaces and this means there will be fewer bugs using the area as their new home. Third by exposing the walls behind the cabinets the room becomes that much more larger and inviting to be in.

Another great idea is to design something in a country vein by using stained and distressed lumber to give the space an older feel. Using cuts of lumber that are atypical will also add some flavor. Instead of using one inch pieces for shelving try five quarter which will lend a more plentiful feel. If there is to be much weight on the shelves choose a wood that is of sufficient hardness like red oak, maple, mahogany, ash or even southern yellow pine.

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