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As any owner is aware, it is expensive to own a home and it takes a lot of work! The average homeowner can expect to spend 1-3% of the value of their home annually on home improvements. The article below will show you some cost-effective ways to improve your home.

Changing air filters is paramount. It is healthy for the inside of your home and will get more life from your furnace and AC unit. A lot of service repair calls are due to people not changing their air filters.

Add some storage areas to your home by using old shoe boxes for loose items. Use some old fabric or wallpaper to create an attractive design for the boxes. This is a wonderful way to give yourself extra storage or just add simple visual drama to a room.

Make puncture holes in paint can rims with a nail. The space where the lid fits in the paint can will fill up with paint, when putting the lid on it will go down the sides. To solve your problem just get a nail and make sure you drive holes around it to fix the channel.

Are there little nail holes in your walls? Pick up a little spackle and paint. You can find spackle at hardware stores. If the holes aren't too large, you will just need a small amount of spackle. You should be able to fill small holes by applying spackle with a bobby pin. Smooth the spackle when have successfully filled in the hole. Put on paint. The holes will disappear.

Don't forget to cover your floors when you paint. Taking this step prevents paint from staining your floors, carpeting and other objects. When painting, use newspapers on your floor to reduce staining. Try using a drop sheet or plastic to protect the floor of paint splashes.

Just because your bedroom doors are dirty, don't throw them out. Sand the door to show the bare wood to use as a foundation. Next, use a roller to paint the door with an oil-based paint. To spruce things up, install new, fancy doorknobs.

You should never undervalue the benefits that a top quality door can offer. Whoever visits you home will see your door first and again as they leave. If your door isn't insulated and doesn't fit well, a lot of heat can exit your home. A door can also be a real security concern if the frame or the locks are not recent.

Clogs in gutters can cause damage to your home's exterior. A clogged gutter is one of the primary causes for flooding basements. Regularly clean your gutters to avoid this problem.

If you have no shower in your home, you might want to consider adding one. This will decrease how much water you use, especially if there are children in your family, and showers are more accessible than tubs. As compared to baths, a short shower utilizes under 25 percent of the water needed for a complete tub soak.

If your home improvement project is on a tight schedule, be willing to shell out more money for the job. The contractor would love it if he was paid a ton to get the job done. They deserve more pay when that is the case. People always get more money for a faster job.

One of the most cost efficient improvements that you can make in your home is replacing old leaky windows with well insulated new ones. This is one home improvement project that can provide good value for anyone who decides to do it.

When you are planning to do home improvement projects, do plumbing and wiring first. The wiring and plumbing is located inside your walls so any repairs to them will need to happen first. Additionally, it's much easier and less costly to get your plumbing and electrical maintentance done when walls are already torn open.

If you are not able to take good care of your yard, try changing it to a low maintenance version to make it less work. Most low-maintenance yards feature plants that don't require lots of water and extensive beds of maintenance-free rock and gravel. Going with a low-maintenance yard will significantly help you save on water costs and reduce your time spent on maintaining your yard.

By using the tips you have read here, you can complete your next home improvement project without spending a fortune. You can still enjoy your house and keep you money by doing home projects and saving money while you do it.