If crafty projects are something that interests you, then congratulations! It means you’re already saving a lot of money. Luckily, with the right plan and a pair of skillful hands, you could easily transform an entire room with no more than one-weekend home project.

So why don’t you pick your favorite value-boosting upgrade that won’t cost you more than $500? In fact, most of them will cost you way less. Not only you’ll make something amazing that’s also incredibly soft on your wallet, but some of these ideas will teach you how to save more in the future. So here’s our list of top home improvement ideas:

Refresh your rooms with paint

You could easily give your drab, boring walls a bit of depth (or at least wash away all of your decorating sins with white), by simply picking up a nice paint color and re-painting them. That’s the magic of a coat of paint: it easily rearranges your reality.

That’s probably one of the reasons why painting is seen as one of the most needed DIY home-improvement upgrades! Naturally, you don’t really have to be a pro to paint like one, but there’s still more than meets the eye when it comes to a proper painting job, besides slathering some color on the wall. Another great thing about this particular DIY project is that it will only cost you $150!

Easily add crown molding

Crown molding is probably on top of any remodeling list, as it adds a lot of charm and value to any home, necessarily because you didn’t know what to do with your Saturday afternoon. However, there’s a better way to beat that miter-saw frustration. Trimroc molding from Canamould Extrusion is a great lightweight polystyrene foam coated in a sturdy plaster.

You can easily cut it with a handsaw, and it goes up very well with a joint compound. You won’t have to worry about coping or tricky angles. So when you have a free weekend, you could easily upgrade any of your rooms to an elegant, clean space. The whole project won’t cost you more than $120.

Install a brand new low-cost stair runner

If you want to get a very good grip on your slippery stairs, then you need a DIY runner. Why get an expensive quote of $2,500 to carpet your stairs, when you can take the matter into your own hands? You only need two off-the-shelf woven runners for $125 each, and quality supplies from the closest home center, and you’ll instantly get a non-slip upgrade!

Install a dishwasher to conserve more water

Your old dishwasher might wreak havoc month after month on your electric and water bills. Well, the time has come to switch it out for a brand new Energy Star-qualified dishwasher, which will definitely save you over $30 a year on power, and more than 500 gallons of water.

Also, if you don’t have a dishwasher, did you know that you’re wasting 40% more water washing by hand? Getting a brand-new dishwasher will cost you around $450, and you can easily install it yourself in only one afternoon!

Rewire an old-school entry lantern

Truth be told, the wide majority of hanging lanterns made in the first half of the 20th century were incredibly humble by design, as if they were crafted by blacksmiths rather than machines. Rustic lanterns were wildly popularized by the tastemakers of those times, like Gustav Stickley and the Roycroft crafters, this rustic approach was meant to symbolize a back-to-basics design sensibility.

If you found this type of old-school lantern at a backyard sale or you already had one in your attic, why not use it? You can re-create the whole vintage atmosphere by simply putting back into service a vintage lantern! It won’t cost you more than $140, and the effect it will have on your front door will definitely be priceless!

Renew old flooring with some fresh paint

If you buy a brand new home that has one of those eclectic burgundy red floors that don’t go along with anything else in your home, then you could update the space by painting the floor! So, with a little bit of measuring and a couple of coats of high-quality floor paint, you can add a ton of personality to your room, and it will only cost you $75!

Make some shade and add a bit of privacy with interior shutters

Sometimes, morning sunlight cracking up through windows can be one of the most annoying things, especially if you want to sleep more. Besides, your neighbors can’t miss the chance of peaking into your brightly lit living room, so there’s definitely something that needs to be done.

While you might install some shades to foil curious eyes, you could also consider swinging wood shutters. They are prettier. Interior shutters were known as the original “window treatments”, which are commonly used in Southern and urban homes, and they are a wonderful way to add a little bit of architectural and historical detail.

They might also help keep out winter’s chilly winds, or even summer’s oppressive heat. They’re extremely easy to install on any given window, as they attach to a thin frame that could either sit inside the window opening or even around the outside of the casing. Plus, it won’t cost you more than $400!

Give your kitchen cabinets a brand-new, flawless finish

You might feel as if your kitchen resembles a cave because of those dark, bulky cabinets that suck the light out of the room. When that’s the case, you need to consider a brighter makeover! This doesn’t mean that you have to replace all those gloomy storing spaces with brand-new ones.

After all, if the frames and the doors are still strong, why throw them away? Instead, you could clean them up and brush on brand-new sunny paint. You will instantly notice how your kitchen lightens up!

All you need for this weekend project is a strong cleaner, sandpaper, a good quality paintbrush, and a bit of elbow grease. You can do a lot of things without throwing out your money, as this particular project won’t cost you more than $200.

Add more flowers without spending a penny

Have you ever considered dividing perennials every three years? This way, you’ll have a wide variety of flowers, but you’ll also effectively control plant size, increase their growth, and, most importantly, multiply the number of flowers in your garden. The proper way to start it is by splitting apart spring- and summer-blooming flowers in August or before the fall frost. It will cost you nothing.

Install a water filter and get rid of all the expensive bottles

So many households already switched to bottled drinking water, caused by ongoing concerns over the purity or taste of their own tap water. These problems are present across the whole country, no matter where the water might come from.

Even so, there’s an easy fix to this, which is also less expensive than spending a lot of money on bottled water: get an under-sink water filtration system. You won’t pay more than $250 for it, but you’ll get fresh and clean water for life. That sounds like a deal to me!

If you enjoyed reading this piece, you might also want to try: 7 Important Must-Know DIYs for Every Homeowner