Free Home Improvement Projects

15 Frugal Home Improvement Projects That Will Cost You Next to Nothing

Continuing with my theme of “Ideas for When You’re Stuck at Home” (see my list of At Home Date Night Ideas here), I’m here today with 15 free home improvement projects you can tackle with what you probably already have in your house and that will cost you next to nothing.

PSA: I’m not advocating that you need to be a busy body during this entire quarantine phase of life, but if you’re like me it can be hard to sit still for this long. I mean I’ve already watched all the episodes of Tiger King, seen every national pandemic movie available on Netflix, made homemade bread, and tried Dalgona Coffee. So what else is a girl to do? Bring on the home projects! 

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Refresh last season’s mulch

If you applied fresh mulch last season and put down a decently thick layer, you may be able to rake it and get another season out of it. You can see the difference in the picture below. I was excited to see that we could put off that expense for a little bit longer. 

Rake Out Flower Beds

Here in PA leaves from the fall and winter are crammed everywhere. Freshen up your beds and get them ready for spring by raking out all of the dead leaves and branches. Your spring and summer blooms will thank you.

Rearrange Artwork

Don’t buy anything new, just use what you already have. Try taking something from another room and repurpose it in a new area where it might work better. 

Make a flower arrangement from what’s in your yard

It’s currently spring as I’m writing this, so the Daffodils are in full bloom in my yard right now. Since I’m limiting how often I go to the store I’m making my own arrangements from flowers and greenery in my garden. 

Rearrange furniture

By now you’ve had plenty of time to stare at your current living situation over the past few weeks, and you might be getting a little restless with the way things look. Do some research on Pinterest for different room layouts and try moving your furniture around for a new, more pleasing arrangement. 

Pressure Wash Everything

Please name a more satisfying free home improvement project. Go ahead… I’ll wait. 

The fence on our deck will need to be replaced eventually, but to squeeze some more life out of it, I washed off years of mold and mildew with our pressure washer, and it looks like new! If you own a home and don’t own a pressure washer… it’s time. I actually look forward to using mine. We have this Ryobi pressure washer from Home Depot and I love it! It will be some of the best money you’ve ever spent… I promise. 

Other places to pay attention to: vinyl siding, garage door, walkways, outdoor furniture (even the cushions and pillows!), and kids play equipment. Now go crazy!

Touch up beat up trim

We’ve only been in our house for a year and a half, and already the white baseboards and trim have taken a beating (thanks to 3 little boys and a new hoverboard). Walk around with a cup of white trim paint and touch up spots that need some love.

Paint your fireplace

When we moved in I knew right away that I wanted to tackle that fireplace. I actually just used some extra ceiling paint we had in the garage and a junky paintbrush. A super simple free home improvement project that completely changed the look of our living room. Here are some simple DIY instructions from Better Homes & Gardens.

Spray paint outlet covers

Do your switch plates and outlet covers need a more modern touch? Beige might work fine with some decor, but a clean white plate can really brighten things up. You can even spray paint them and save yourself from buying all new ones. 

This spray paint bonds to plastic and you can order it from Amazon so you don’t even have to walk into Home Depot.

Paint your front door

A fresh coat of paint could really make a statement when it comes to curb appeal. A bright color could really make it pop. But white or black are always a safe bet. All you’ll need is about a quart of paint, a nice paint brush and a bright sunny day.

Paint a piece of furniture

Most people have some spare paint from a past project stored in the garage. So if you have a piece of wood furniture you’re tired of looking at, give it a facelift. You’ll need a sander or deglosser, a paint brush (our favorite brand), and some paint. 

This week I finished a dresser I’ve been storing in our garage and I just used extra paint from a room we painted in our house (I still need to order some hardware). You can order the other supplies from Amazon if you’re missing anything. 

Bleach your tile grout

Mix together 5 parts water and 1 part bleach for an effective grout cleaner. Make sure you’re wearing gloves and open any windows nearby. Use a grout brush or even an old toothbrush to scrub away years worth of grime. 

Deep clean your furniture

If your couch cushions have removable covers, check the washing instructions and then give them a run through the wash. Most pillows you can throw right into the washing machine. Down pillows wash especially well in the washer and can even be thrown in the dryer. 

Remove scuffs from walls

Walk around your house with a careful eye looking for scuff marks. I guarantee there will be more than you thought. A magic eraser usually does the trick. Or you can just spray all-purpose cleaner onto a rag and scrub the scuffs away.

While you’re at it, here are some other areas in your house that might be getting overlooked.

Declutter

Now is a GREAT time to clean out closets, reorganize your pantry, or to organize the garage. Hopefully we’ll emerge from this in prime yard sale season and you’ll have a chance to make some extra money too. 

These are just ideas to inspire you if that’s what you need right now. But if the weather’s nice and you’d rather just make yourself an iced coffee and wave at your neighbors from your front porch all day, I’d call that a win too. 

Give me more! I’m bored!

Need some more ideas to tackle when you’re bored? Here are a few more posts that might help:

• Try out the whipped coffee craze!
• Plan an at home date night!
• Learn how to travel for free!
• Clean all the places you usually forget about!

Whatever you decide to do with your time, stay healthy and stay sane! (Oh, and make sure you pin this on your Pinterest boards. That’s important too!)

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Free Home Improvement Projects