My Favorite (Affordable) DIY Home Projects
Ever find yourself sitting around thinking about how you want to do a project or two in your house but you just don’t know what to tackle? This list of easy DIY home projects can be your inspiration!
Some days I find myself sitting on my couch thinking about how I’d really like to take on a project, but I’m just not sure what. My problem is often less that I don’t have enough ideas and more that my brain is stuffed with too many ideas, but either way – it can be hard sometimes!
I’m not really tackling any DIY home projects in our own house right now, thanks to the fact that our house is on the market. So, I thought today it might be fun to share some of my favorites from the archive. These are all projects I’ve done in this home (or in previous homes) that I would tackle again and again. They’re easy, they’re affordable, and they can be done in a weekend or less.
So, if you’re looking for some inspiration for your DIY home projects, I’ve got you covered today!
20 Affordable DIY Home Projects
Paint a Room
This is hands down my favorite way to make a huge impact in a space without a ton of money or time. It’s truly incredible what a couple of coats of paint can do, and I just get so excited thinking about the possibilities. It’s a beginner-friendly project and anyone can do it – promise. Learn how to paint a room here!
Estimated Cost: $50-$100
Estimated Time: An afternoon
Hang a Gallery Wall
Gallery walls are a classic way to add a ton of personality to a space. You can stick to a grid accent wall if you like straight lines, or you can go with the flow and skip the measuring entirely. There’s no wrong way to do it! I’ve hung tons of gallery walls over the years and I never get tired of them. Learn how to hang a gallery wall here.
Estimated Cost: $100-$200 (depends on how much art you already have on hand!)
Estimated Time: 1-2 hours
Create Some Floating Shelves
This is one of the few projects from our last house that I replicated almost exactly here in this one! The floating shelves in our living room are one of my favorite additions to our home, and I can’t imagine the space without them. It’s a DIY project that requires a little more DIY confidence/tools, but it’s totally beginner-friendly. See the full tutorial here.
Estimated Cost: $150
Estimated Time: A day
Paint Your Concrete Patio
I just painted our back patio this past November after dreaming about doing it for literal years, and I wish I had done it sooner! It was such an easy project that made our patio look so elevated and beautiful. I would do this again and again in future homes! Here’s a full breakdown of how to paint your patio.
Estimated Cost: $150
Estimated Time: A weekend
Create an Outdoor Plant Wall
I created this outdoor plant wall on the side of our last house on a bit of a whim. I had a blank wall that needed some interest and I was working on the backyard, so I decided to just go for it. It ended up being one of my favorite spots in the entire house! It was such an easy and affordable project (especially if you already have some plants/planters). I’d love to do this again someday in a future house. Here’s the full outdoor plant wall project.
Estimated Cost: $200
Estimated Time: An afternoon
Paint Your Vanity
Remember how much I love paint for transforming a space? This is a great example of that. You can give your entire bathroom a completely new look with just a few coats of paint. I’ve done it a few different ways – you can learn how to paint laminate cabinets here, and learn how to use a cabinet transformations kit here.
Estimated Cost: $100
Estimated Time: A day
Make Over Your Counters
Why stop at the vanity? I’ve used this countertop painting kit twice in this house and I still can’t get over how gorgeous it is. It’s a really fun project that allows for a lot of creative license, and it’s SO SATISFYING. Our counters were so ugly before, but they make me smile now! See the full transformation and tutorial for our faux marble counters here.
Estimated Cost: $200
Estimated Time: A weekend
Build an Art Ledge
The art ledge hanging behind our sofa is one of the things I get asked about more than anything else. And, thankfully, it’s a really easy project to tackle! You can learn how to build an art ledge here, and learn how to style an art ledge right here.
Estimated Cost: $30-$50
Estimated Time: 2-3 hours
Install a New Pergola
If you need some shade in your backyard, this is such an easy way to get it on a budget! We debated how to add a cover to our back patio for years before we finally settled on purchasing a pergola. I wish we had done it way sooner, because it was a great (and really easy) solution! See how we installed our pergola here.
Estimated Cost: $300
Estimated Time: Half a day
Hang a Fence Chalkboard
If you have young kids, this is such a fun addition to the backyard! We did it in our first house when Jackson was little, and again here when Grant was really small. The kids love drawing right on the fence, and it’s always so fun to see the art they create. Learn how to make a fence chalkboard here.
Estimated Cost: $50-$75
Estimated Time: A day
Paint a Ceiling
I didn’t paint a lot of ceilings before moving to this house. But now? Every bedroom, plus the bonus room and the powder room have painted ceilings! I love the difference it can make to take a paint color all the way to the ceiling. Or, to add an accent paint color like we did in both Jackson and Grant’s nurseries. Learn how to paint a ceiling here.
Estimated Cost: $75
Estimated Time: A day
Create an Accent Wall
Some people day they’re dated but I think a good accent wall will never go out of style. A few ideas for how to make it happen include:
- Just painting a separate color
- Hanging wallpaper (peel and stick wallpaper is great for this!)
- Adding shiplap
- Add picture frame molding or bead board
Find lots of accent wall ideas right here!
Estimated Cost: Varies depending on accent wall you choose!
Estimated Time: A day to a weekend
Swap Out a Light Fixture
I think this is a really underrated way to make a huge impact in your home. Light fixtures can be really affordable, and they can change the whole look of a room. Try swapping out the overhead light in a room and just tell me if it doesn’t make a major difference. You can also try adding in wall sconces or a lamp for a fresh addition!
Estimated Cost: Varies (can be under $100 or over $1,000!)
Estimated Time: 1 hour
Organize Something!
You know I couldn’t make it through this entire list without talking about organization, right?! I love organizing tiny spots in my home, and I’m a big believer that the more those little spaces are organized, the more organized your whole life feels. You can find tons of my organization projects right here.
Estimated Cost: Varies – can be free!
Estimated Time: 1-2 hours, up to a full day for a big project
Shiplap (Or Trim) Your Kitchen Island
Giving your kitchen island a makeover is such a fun way to make a huge impact in your kitchen without much effort. There are tons of things you can to do spruce it up, but these are my favorites. I added shiplap to our kitchen island shortly after we moved in, and I added a trim treatment to my friend’s island! Both are gorgeous and so simple to do.
Estimated Cost: $200
Estimated Time: A day
Add New Hardware to Cabinets
Hardware is similar to lighting – it’s one of those often-ignored things that can make a drastic difference. If you swap out the hardware on your cabinets or your furniture, you’ll be shocked at how much different things look! This can be crazy affordable too, depending on what you choose! Learn how to add new hardware to cabinets here.
Estimated Cost: $50-$100
Estimated Time: 1-2 hours
Build a Raised Garden Bed
Wanna really dig in (hah!) to something you can build and be super proud of? This raised garden bed is easy to build (perfect for beginners) and the perfect way to start a garden. It’ll look gorgeous in your backyard all year long. Get the full plans here!
Estimated Cost: $200
Estimated Time: A weekend
Swap Out a Door Handle
Door knobs! Yet another one of those tiny little details that shouldn’t be ignored. I added this beautiful glass door knob to the powder room in our house, and people are constantly commenting on how much they love it. It’s such a simple change but it really goes a long way. Learn how. to replace a doorknob here.
Estimated Cost: $25-$50
Estimated Time: An hour
Hang Some Window Treatments
Hanging a curtain rod and some fresh curtains can really transform an entire room. It’s easy to do, and if you haven’t taken the time to add window treatments to your space, you’ll be shocked at how much it helps! Learn how to hang curtains right here.
Estimated Cost: $100
Estimated Time: 1-2 hours
Create a Plant Stand
And finally this is one of my favorite things to do when I have the itch to build something but don’t know what. A plant stand is always a good idea! I have lots of them in the archives (just search “plant stand” to find ’em all) but you can really get creative here. This is the perfect way to scratch the DIY project itch if you don’t have much else you can work on!
Estimated Cost: Varies, depending on the project
Estimated Time: 1 hour up to 1 full day!
Want More DIY Home Projects?
I hope you can see it doesn’t take a full renovation to get a whole new look in your home. Here are a few more quick links if you want more home improvement ideas on a budget!