Upgrading your place without breaking the bank

When moving into a rental home or apartment, think of your new place as the bare bones version of its true potential.  Most rental homes have all of the necessities already in place, but it doesn’t mean you have to live with them. So how can you take your place to the next level without flushing your own money down the drain improving someone else’s property? Look hard at the details.

• Cabinetry – A kitchen is truly the heart of any home and if you hate your kitchen you’ll likely never feel quite comfortable in your house.  Replacing an entire kitchens’ cabinetry is both expensive and incredibly dumb for a renter to do. Instead, take a good hard look at the cabinet and drawer handles in your new kitchen.  Are they dingy, old or broken even? Take a trip down to Home Depot, or Nothing but Cabinets and shop for some new knobs to upgrade your kitchen.
• Shower head – Swapping out those old shower heads for your own can make a world of difference.  Feeling like you’re showering in a hotel with those shower heads more resembling the power washer on your hose, than something meant for your skin, will certainly boost that upgraded feel.
• Closet Organizer – Making the most of your closet space is usually a pretty big concern for renters.  Mostly we run into this problem because upgraded closets with plenty of shelving, and features outside of that one hangar rod, aren’t typically found in rental units.  Take this challenge upon yourself and add organizers of your own. Rather than install expensive shelving, invest in removable storage racks like those at Ikea, and see if you can fit a small dresser in the closet. Not only will this save you square footage in your room, it will keep all of your clothing in one spot.

One of the most important things to remember is that by upgrading these features you are actually making an investment in your own living arrangement.  Remember to take all of your upgraded items with you to your next place! In order to do so, you’ll need to have the parts to replace them! Be sure to designate a special box stored in the back of a closet, somewhere out of the way to store all of the original hardware you swapped out to easily swap back in on move out day.

No one says you can’t upgrade these types of items on your own (unless you have an absurdly specific lease agreement), so why live with the basics provided by your landlord?  Making these simple, seemingly small upgrades will likely do more than you may imagine on the overall look and feel of your home.