This is the first story in a three part series about how to give your home a refresh for $50,000 or less (in some cases a lot less).
Are the homes around you selling for more than a million dollars? Does it seem like all your neighbors are putting in six-figure rebuilds or gut renovations? If so, you are not alone. Spring real estate season is upon us and open houses are in full swing, with some Arlington neighborhoods commanding average sale prices above $1.5 million. That has a lot of us wondering how to keep up—without breaking the bank.
Transforming your home is all about figuring out where to go high and where to go low, says Arlington-based interior designer Samara Goodman of Samara Interiors .
“There are lots of ways to renovate and refresh a home with small to medium-size projects, rather than multi-story additions,” Goodman says. You can start by focusing on what she calls “getting the 90’s out.” (No offense to the 90s.) Here are some relatively small and affordable upgrades with a big impact.
Replace doorknobs, light switch plates and outlet covers. Still looking at the same dated accents that were installed 30 years ago? Try swapping them out for new hardware in a contemporary finish such as brushed nickel. Hinges and window latches may also be replaced to match, or removed and refinished with a protective spray coating like Rust-Oleum. The costs for these upgrades can range from from hundreds of dollars for specialty doorknobs to a mere $50 for a multi-pack from the hardware store. White or paintable outlet covers and switch plates typically run just a few dollars apiece.
Update your lighting scheme. For interiors that feel lighter and brighter, trade recessed lights with dark or black housing for new ones with white housing. While you’re at it, replace all of your light bulbs with updated LED bulbs for improved energy efficiency. Be sure to pick the right color (energy-efficient bulbs now come in a range of temperatures, from warm to cool) and the right number of lumens.
Paint it. It’s amazing what a difference a fresh coat of paint can make, and paint is one of the least expensive ways to completely change the look of a room. If you’re inclined to DIY, be sure to take time to properly prep the walls by patching cracks and spackling holes—and know what to do if you discover lead paint or asbestos. For the bedroom makeover above, Goodman painted the walls a dark gray, using white trim, furniture and window treatments for dramatic contrast. The clients splurged on custom carpentry to turn the wall behind the bed into a statement piece.
Splurge on new countertops. If funds are limited, the kitchen is a good place to focus. “Money in the kitchen is always well spent,” says Goodman. “People judge the home by the kitchen.” Can’t afford a complete re-do? Try replacing a single design element, such as the countertops—which, while pricey, are not as expensive as cabinets. “Cabinets are in the five figures and countertops are usually in the low four figures,” she says. (The white quartz countertops in the project above cost between $4000 and $5,000.) In this case, the designer also lightened things up with a new backsplash, new faucets and new lighting. But she kept the existing cherry cabinets.
Give your bathroom a facelift. A new look in a bathroom can be transformative, Goodman says, and relatively low cost if you maintain the same footprint and focus on cosmetic improvements such as fixtures and wallcoverings. “What gets expensive is when you’re moving the plumbing,” she says. “If you can keep the same footprint and you’re just replacing fixtures, you don’t actually need a permit. That will save you money.” For the owners of a small, one-story home in Donaldson Run, Goodman transformed the bathroom by replacing a long vanity with a shorter one and using part of that reclaimed space to add a new dividing wall between the sink and the commode. She paired new flooring and crisp white trim with peach paint. The plumbing runs behind the walls remained unchanged.
Modernize your fireplace. Arlington has an abundance of postwar Colonial homes with old brick fireplaces. You can change the entire look of a living room by keeping the chimney structure intact while replacing the surround, mantel and hearth. “If you have a beautiful 1930s tile, leave it in,” she advises. “But if you have tile that’s builder grade, take it out and put in some granite. Black granite around the fireplace is classic and timeless. And it’s so small you don’t even need a big piece of it. The labor is what’s going to cost you.”
Reupholster existing or secondhand furniture. Not every makeover demands new furniture. Secondhand pieces are not only a good deal, Goodman says, they are often better quality than the new stuff. “Visit estate sales and look for that good solid wood furniture—Henredon, Broyhill, Drexel. You will pay less for that than for something new that might not even have the dovetail joints or be as good quality.” Bonus: Buying previously-owned furniture is better for the environment and keeps things out of landfills.
For the makeover above in Chain Bridge, Goodman removed the room’s dated wood paneling and ceiling beams, updated the fireplace surround and framed the window with new floor-to-ceiling drapes by Ralph Lauren. She reused the clients’ existing rug and furniture.
She remembers being surprised by how big the room looked once those dark wood walls were out of the picture. “It’s actually a room that’s big enough to have two seating arrangements,” she says. “We re-used three of their chairs. I didn’t even have to recover the Houndstooth ones. I just put them in the back behind the sofa with a little seating area at the bookcase. The other chair was sentimental, so we had it recovered in a navy blue velvet.”