Improve your home and increase its value without ever hiring a contractor. With simple advice and instructions, you can do it yourself! You will save hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars by learning the simple skills to do home improvements on your own time. Moreover, you will enjoy the satisfaction of doing it yourself.

Get really good references for contractors you use on your home improvements. It is far too easy for a con artist to take your money and run, leaving you with a wreck of a home and no more money to fix it. Don’t trust just anyone. Make sure you have plenty of excellent references, from people you really trust.

An easy way to make the worn our furniture and scuffed up floors look like new is to add new lighting fixtures. There are many styles of lights that create a comforting aura of light. While you may think the adding light to the room emphasizes the impurities, but guests will only notice the bright and cheery glow of the house.

Consider a truly “green” makeover to your landscaping. A popular new trend in landscaping is to make your garden fit the climate and area that you live in. Gone is the need for the perfect green lawn all year round. If you live in a dry climate, consider creating a landscape that are tolerant to drought and you will save money in watering costs and help the environment.

Before painting, cover outlet covers with some aluminum foil. Aluminum foil will protect covers from paint, and it is not as difficult to use as tape is. And cleaning up is a snap! Just make sure the paint is dry before removing the foil.

If you’re thinking about putting down carpeting for your home, make sure to choose carpeting in dark colors only. Light colors such as beige, white, or light brown tend to pick up dirt and stains, making your carpeting appear cheap and used. Opt for colors like dark green or dark brown to hide what shouldn’t be seen and prolong the life of your carpet.

Devote some time into weather-stripping your home. Even though your house might be insulated, there are probably small crevices around windows and doors through which air will leak. That means your house will lose cool air during the summer and warm air during the winter, leading to a higher energy bill when you run heating and cooling appliances. Weather-stripping your doors and windows will keep that from happening.

Check someone’s references if you’re thinking about hiring them for your remodeling gig. Think of this in terms of importance as you would when looking to hire an employee. You need to figure out their background as thoroughly as you can and be sure that there are others that have been happy with what they’ve done.

Now that you know how to begin your own home improvement projects, you won’t have to put off those little repairs until a contractor can come by to fix it. You will save time and money, and you will impress your family and friends with your handy skills!