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Low-Cost Home Improvement Tips Whether You're Moving or Staying Put

Huntsville, Ala. — If you're a homeowner, things haven't been so easy lately. The mortgage crisis is rippling through the economy. Homes have been sitting on the market for weeks or months. Remodeling activity has slowed. What's a homeowner to do?

According to the Appraisal Institute, investing in a paint job and new carpets can easily increase the value of your home. Creating more living space, such as converting a basement into a family room is worth considering.

The Institute also says that bedrooms and bathrooms are particularly important because they indicate how many people can comfortably live in a home.

Don't Forget the Walls When Renovating Your Master Bedroom Closet

"Many homeowners who make improvements to their master bedroom closets spend thousands of dollars on unique shelves and drawers, in an attempt to get organized, but forget about the walls," says CedarSafe Home Improvement Expert Pat Simpson, host of HGTV's Fix it Up!. "You can really dress up your master bedroom closet with cedar planks. And don't forget to line those drawers with cedar to protect your folded clothes."

CedarSafe Natural Closet Liner planks are made of 100 percent Aromatic Eastern Redcedar and line the walls of the closet. A cedar closet not only looks and smells great, it repels and resists moths, roaches, silverfish and mildew. It's also safer than mothballs.

A New Kitchen Without Gutting It

According to Remodeling magazine, a major kitchen remodeling project can cost $54,000. If you'd like to give your kitchen a new look for a few hundred dollars, Simpson says to consider replacing the hardware on the doors and drawers. Lighting will easily enhance a kitchen's appearance too. Remove the fluorescent fixtures and hang pendant lights over islands. Another affordable option: replacing kitchen countertops.

A Bathroom With Personality

A bathroom remodeling project can cost tens of thousands of dollars. Simpson has a better idea. For a few hundred dollars, install a new tile floor. In many cases, tile can be laid right over an existing floor. Consider removing that large plated mirror. Framed mirrors look great. A nice lamp works well on the counter.

"These improvements can cost a few hundred dollars per room, but can really make a difference if you plan to sell your home once the real estate market recovers," says Simpson.

Those simple changes might even make you happy enough to stick around in your current home.

CedarSafe Natural Closet Liner is the #1 cedar closet liner brand in America.  It is manufactured by Huntsville-based Giles & Kendall.  Giles & Kendall, and its predecessor George C. Brown Cedar Company, have specialized in manufacturing 100 percent Aromatic Eastern Redcedar products for more than 120 years. CedarSafe Natural Closet Liner repels and resists moths, roaches and silverfish, as well as mildew.  CedarSafe Natural Closet Liner planks and panels are available in the paneling or closet departments of Ace Hardware, Do It Best, Home Depot, Lowe's, Menards, True Value, as well as in lumberyards throughout the United States and Canada. Manufacturing facilities are located in Huntsville, AL, and Gainesville, MO.