New Home Who Dis Series: 5 Easy Ways to Update Your House

I know that renovating a house can seem like a very daunting task and can be very intimidating. And most of the time, renovating the whole house budget-wise is impossible. But no need to fear, Kelsie’s broke-a** is here! I’m here to share with you 5 easy ways to update your house and give it a quick, easy, and cheap facelift over the weekend!

When my boyfriend first moved into his house he started to work on the big, “internal” projects (some electrical issues with the gas stove, water pressure issues, etc.). And while I have no experience with mechanics like he does, I do have a lot of experience with crafting and makeup. So what did I do? I made a list of the small things around the house that I could easily, quickly, and cheaply fix or update while he rummages around with the electricity and plumbing!

Also, I didn’t tell my boyfriend about these little updates I was going to do, I wanted to just see if he would even notice the makeover/facelift. I told him I was going to work on some little projects inside and I’d find him if I needed help with anything. His reaction to seeing the end product was priceless!! I’ll get into that later on…

Here was my list of what looked outdated, needed to be repainted, needed to be removed or fixed, etc:

1. All of the doorknobs in the house were that bright gold/brass color. And they were the round knobs… (here’s a link to the Spice Girls “Wannabe” music video in case those brass doorknobs weren’t screaming 1995 loud enough for you)
2. All of the spring door stoppers were also bright brass and the white tips had turned brown from being so dirty.
3. All of the hinge pin door stoppers looked like they were just retrieved off of the Titanic? They looked rusted for some reason… #WhatHappenedHere
4. In the kitchen and dining room, the windows had an arched top, but there were these large wooden pediments covering the window. I know that looked good in 1995 but I love windows and I don’t want these huge windows to be blocked! #ByeFelicia
5. All of the light fixtures (minus the entryway) needed serious updating

This was my plan of action to update of of these minor blemishes on an otherwise beautiful house:

#1 For the round, brass doorknobs, I knew that we wanted to update all of them to the levers (like this). However, those things are expensive!! And do you know how many doors there are in a 3 bedroom house?!?! Like a million… but seriously there are 18 doorknobs in the house. And if each lever is $24.99, we’re looking at a $450-$500 project. JUST TO SWITCH OUT DOOR KNOBS! #HellNaw

So instead, while we save up money to actually replace them all, I went to Walmart and bought a $6 bottle of spray paint and spray painted all of the doorknobs so at least they wouldn’t be that awful brass color! The whole project cost me $13 (I used two bottles of spray paint) and they honestly looked like brand new doorknobs, it was pretty shocking

1. I got the Rust-Oleum Flat Metallic Antique Nickel spray paint
2. Removed the door knobs completely from the door, even the piece on the wall where the doorknob fits into (it’s super easy just need a screwdriver!)
3. Laid them all out on the back patio on top of some plastic tarp (at first I was using newspaper but the newspaper would stick to the paint)
4. Spray painted every square inch of the doorknobs, base, lock, wall piece, and even the screws
5. Left them outside to dry for a few hours
6. Then reassembled back onto the door and BOOM! Brand new silver knobs!

#2 For the brass spring door stoppers, I went to Amazon and found a 12 pack of spring door stoppers for $10.99!! And they were Prime so I ordered them Thursday and got them Saturday!! This project only cost me $10.99 (I used one package because not every door needed one of these)

1. I ordered the 12 pack silver/pewter spring door stoppers
2. I removed the brass door stoppers (including the wall-base) and threw those things straight in the trash
3. I used a power drill to screw the new bases onto the wall – but you can also use a regular screwdriver
4. I screwed the new door stoppers into the bases – the edge of the spring screws right into the base so no tools required for that part and very easy to assemble!

#3 For the hinge pin door stoppers, I also went to Amazon and ordered a 10 pack of new hinge pin door stoppers for $12.99 (also Prime so got it on Saturday). This project only cost me $12.99 and they look so much nicer and cleaner.

1. I bought the 10 pack hinge pin door stoppers in oil rubbed bronze
2. I removed the old hinge pin door stoppers – which was pretty difficult because they were SO old and rusted to the door hinge…. But with some brute force I finally got the difficult ones off!
3. I added the new, cute hinge pin door stoppers and adjusted them to fit the space

#4 For the window pediments, honestly, I just climbed up on a chair and removed those bad boys… It was FREE to update those! Ha!

1. I climbed up on a chair
2. I used a screwdriver to unscrew the pediment from the wall (careful because they are really heavy if you have these!)
3. I put them up in the attic where hopefully mice will eat them and destroy them

#5 For the outdated/brass light fixtures, I just had to keep my eyes open for sales. For instance, Wayfair was having their big lighting sale so I ordered new bathroom lights. And I’ve also bought various light fixtures from Home Depot when we stop in. Both stores had very cute, very inexpensive lighting options that look amazing in the house! And here is where I actually had to get my boyfriends help to install them, I didn’t want to electrocute myself! But buying them and him installing them greatly changed the look of the room and the house altogether! #ByeByeBrass

1. For the master bathroom I bought Naber 6-Light Bath Bar in Polished Chrome and we used bright LED light bulbs so it’s perfect for doing my makeup!! ($30.99 during sale)
2. For the guest bathroom I bought the Kyndall 4-Light Bath Bar in Polished Chrome and put the same LED light bulbs ($26.99 during sale)
3. The front porch light was 1.) rusted and discolored, and 2.) didn’t actually work anymore so I bought the Hampton Bay 2-Light Aged Iron Outdoor Flush Mount ($42.91)
4. In both hallways, there were these bright brass lights that looked like an upside-down circus tent (just like this…) so fulgy! So I bought two Commercial Electric 11in Oil-Rubbed Bronze Integrated LED Flushmount with Frosted White Glass Shade from Home Depot ($24.97 each so $50 total)

First, when my boyfriend got into the house he noticed the new doorknobs and he was amazed!! He still brings up how much better the spray painted knobs look. Then he noticed the window pediments were gone and said how much brighter and bigger the rooms looked. Then I had to show him the spring and hinge pin door stoppers because he’s a guy and probably would have noticed there were even door stoppers to begin with. But he said they match the look we are going for perfectly and the house looks 20 years newer!

And of course as we add more new light fixtures, the house just keeps getting more modern and more “put together”. I don’t know what it was about the 90s and having every color light fixture imaginable… We’ve got a lot of brass, some white, some bronzed. Come on now. Still on my light-fixture list are new ceiling fans (I might spray paint the current ones but new ones are also pretty cheap), a new chandelier for the dining room (I really like this style), flush mount lights for the closets and laundry room, and an outdoor wall lantern for the front of the house!

So even if you only have $20 or less, you can still do a small DIY home makeover project and still make a huge difference in your house’s appearance. I promise, these small projects go a long way, they’re easy to do, and they cost about as much as an entree from Chili’s. It’ll be the best $6-$42 you’ve ever spent! And you’re friends/family/neighbors will think you’re a Pinterest Princess 😉