The key to updating your house without overhauling your wallet is to take it bit-by-bit, troubleshooting small problems along the way so you can focus on making an overall better home for your family.

First things first, though. Take a peek at the most lived-in rooms of a home, the kitchen and bathroom, and get started.

1. Take it easy

For a quick bathroom remodel project that won’t break the bank, Seattle-based interior designer Faith Sheridan recommends wedi, a flexible, foam-base waterproof building board system for tiling bathrooms and showers. Customizable designs that include sloped shower ramps that accommodate wheel chairs, shower benches and triangular seats. Great Grabz – decorative grab bars for the bathroom that allow for safety and independence without compromising design – are easy and quick to install. For added luxury? “Heated floors modernize a space, and aren’t as expensive to add as you might think,” Sheridan adds.

2. Clean it up

Want a kid-friendly kitchen that’s easy to clean? Rounded corners on countertops and kitchen islands make for a safe, easy-to-clean space, says Shannon Seip, co-author of “Bean Appetit: Hip and Healthy Ways to Have Fun with Food,” (Andrews McMeel, 2010). “Smooth surfaces, like granite and Corian, and sinks with edges flush to counters make it easy to wipe down messes,” Seip says.

3. Go for the green

Last but not least: “Going green is no longer a fad, it’s a movement.” says Sheridan. Add LED lights and light dimmers to your home for an easy update that bears the environment in mind. “Installing lights that last longer and are more energy-efficient makes everyone in the family more conscious, and more willing, to take part in creating an environmentally sound – and livable – space.”

Among the many innovative lighting products on the market today is Kichler TaskWork LED Tape, flexible, low-profile lighting with an adhesive back and snap-style connectors. Designed for DIY-ers, the 24-volt tape lighting is dimmable and can be applied in multiple ways: for wall washes, cabinet toe kicks, task lighting under cabinets or to enhance architectural details. The tape allows homeowners to be “more creative and efficient with how they use and layer light,” says Jeff Dross, director of education and industry trends.

 

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