Home improvement fanatic Chris Grundy knows his way around a toolbox. The host of Cool Tools and Blog Cabin on the DIY Network is the right man for the job, if the task at hand is making smart home renovation choices.
Here are Chris Grundy’s tips for renovating your home:
What’s a good project for a first-time DIY-er?
Furniture is a great way to start. Find an old chair, an old table, an old desk. If you mess it up, so what? It’s not going to be detrimental to your home, to your walls, or to your plumbing. You paid 20 bucks for an old chair, and if it doesn’t work out, it doesn’t work out–but you learned something.
When renovating your home on a budget, what makes the biggest impact?
You could do the aesthetic things. A great thing to add value is to replace your hardware–your hinges, your handles. I just did a place, and all we did was replace the baseboards, but it made the house look so much better. It didn’t cost a lot of money, but it made a big difference.
Where can renovators find savings, and where should they splurge?
Anything behind a wall or under the floor or in the ceiling, I say go top-of-the-line. I know it’s not pretty and you’re never going to see it, but if you have to come back a year later to fix something, it’s going to cost you more money. If you want to save some money, you don’t have to get brand new appliances, brand new fixtures, or brand new flooring for that matter. Look on the Internet; just type exactly what you’re looking for, and someone’s probably selling it.
If you’re renovating your home to add value, what should you consider?
Kitchens and bathrooms add value to your home. If you have an outdated kitchen or an outdated bathroom, those are going to be your highest return on investment. But you don’t want to spend more than you can make immediately on that return.