MACON, Ga. — Whether you're looking to get new flooring or replace the faucet heads in your bathroom, you want to be able to do it without it costing you an arm and a leg.
Here are six tips you can follow for easy budget upgrades with tips from a store manager at Home Outlet in Macon
1. Make sure you have a home warranty
A warranty will help cover the cost of repairing or replacing major systems in your home like plumbing.
2. Consider the 1% rule
This means budget 1% of your home's purchase price. For example, if your home is worth $300,000, try to save $3,000 for expenses.
3. Install vinyl flooring
It's about $1-$6 dollars per square foot and Robin Schade at Home Outlet in Macon says it's easy to install yourself and it's waterproof.
"There's not as much upkeep on it as what would be on say laminate that you cannot get wet and you can't mop it. You can do all of that with a vinyl plank so you don't have the worry of a child slipping something or a pet having an accident. It's not going to ruin your flooring so the upkeep is soap and hot water," Shade said.
4. Do it yourself
Small fixes like paint chips, snaking a drain, or replacing a shower head don't require a contractor, plus they are safe and easy to do with help from YouTube.
5. Regular home maintenance
You should also keep up with normal home updates. Home cleaning, replacing smoke alarm batteries, and replacing HVAC filters are all easy and affordable fixes. These fixes will help you avoid a bigger home problem like a fire.
6. Redo bathroom caulk
When caulk gets old, it turns brown and cracks which can cause problems like mold and mildew build up in between the crevasses of the tub, toilet, and sink.