HGTV on a budget

I guess I am strange.  I have to live a house for awhile before I start changing paint and upgrading light fixtures.  Everyone else I know has painted, changed out carpet and started a major master bath remodel before the first moving box hits the door.

I have spent the last year thinking about what I want to fix-up but I have just now gotten motivated to do something.  Maybe that is because we have had major problems with this house.  (The septic, the foundation, water under the house, the a/c, plumbing, and on, and on, and on)  I was never so thankful for a home warranty in my life.  Now it feels like things are starting to be resolved.  I have been watching HGTV the last few weeks and have gotten motivated to start making some changes. 

My first project was removing the ugly wallpaper in the dining room.  It was just not my taste.  It was too busy and too country for me.  We picked out a baseboard rather then a true chair rail to use for two reasons: 1) it was cheaper 2) it was wider to match the space of the wallpaper we took down. The whole project cost about $40 and made a huge difference.  I just feel like it has a cleaner look and is more sophisticated now.

Maybe this speaks of the number of times we have moved in the last 20 years but I am always thinking, "If we had to sell this place quickly, what would help us sell?"  This led me to the next obvious project, upgrading our light fixtures.  Most the fixtures seem to be original to the house, which was built in 1995.  Polished brass was huge in the '90's but is a bit dated now.  I was looking to replace a couple of spotlight fixtures.  I found a style that would work and was looking at spending about $70.  My husband said, "What if we refinished them?  We would throw them out anyway."  What a brilliant man!  We bought a can of textured spray paint and tried it.  I think the fixtures look great and cost about $1 in paint.  Now they match the aged bronze in the kitchen.

I would really like to remodel our master bath but I think it will have to wait.  Our oldest daughter is getting married this spring so I think our money will be going in that direction for awhile.  For now, I will concentrate on smaller projects like retouching paint, replacing broken switch plates, and updating the light covers on the ceiling fans.  Maybe in a couple of years we can do some major work around here.  For now I feel very blessed to have a home and land so perfect for us.