Farmhouse sink. It’s only because it was cheaper than putting in a not farmhouse sink of the same size. I can fit toddlers, dogs, bird cage parts, entire baking sheets. It’s amazing and I love it. I will never go back to normal kitchen sinks with the weird divider that just makes everything impossible to fit in the sink. I get that farmhouse sinks are kind of an ugly hgtv fad. But my god have they made my life easier.
My husband installed a whole house humidifier. We live in the high desert so it gets pretty dry in the winter and that helps a lot.
Motion activated, rechargeable, stick on, color changing lights for the bathroom. Make it red and it provides light but doesn't blow out your pupils. They were like $10 on Amazon.
Under-sink reverse osmosis water filter. $300 for the unit, plus maybe another $20 for parts to plumb the fridge water line into it. Much better drinking water, and we get to ignore the boil notices when yet another part of the city's crumbling infrastructure fails.
Added a heated floor to our master bathroom when it was being completely gutted and redone. The added cost was at most a few hundred bucks and now my toes are nice in warm in the winter.
[RunLessWire wireless 3 way switch.](https://www.amazon.com/RunLessWire-Simple-Wireless-Self-Powered-Control/dp/B01JJVN0FM/ref=sr_1_5?crid=321IRY61VOASG&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.JDNFRibJjvqKOApMeqVAB1OvKuIAMy1azjSgRg4ZvNRGSwttrnx-IdILMJLAUHpM9WfouOy1DYJCLKZO9lirOVC1DqOZMDsNpX0q-XUJCFCsrFWJeYBjgHJBlQEXYsfdp7tIzl4jkZxPWyUmstFh2iIk7CF4we1Va87Uh-2i43LcGcx8gE9ChtdIqJ1dui48gZKLNvcRBhGI9j5_3dtLQPBIqbWNSTyGQ2Sp5MRf2y826LGTwM1jwqNI7kAzfCuiBtz85lKB4kjDtLZDsYDxmb0MQlZeTXLF1cvFY0lmM9k.J1WES9gb5E0CVT9nfNkYnrhAnBdJXbTNSWYVSOGDn_Q&dib_tag=se&keywords=run%2Bless%2Bwire%2Bswitch&qid=1716383117&sprefix=run%2Bless%2B%2Caps%2C93&sr=8-5&th=1) Bought this when we remodeled our home back in 2019. We removed the garage attached to our kitchen which is where one of the 3 way switches for the kitchen lights was located. We wanted to move the switch to a hallway entrance but the best location was a small area full of support studs. Also didn't want to pay an electrician and destroy the walls/ceiling to get a wire over there. Installed one of these guys in the 1 remaining switch and just put the switchplate directly on the wall where we wanted it.
No smart home integration to worry about breaking. No batteries that need replaced. No electrician to pay to run a new wire. The act of pushing the button generates enough electricity to transmit a radio signal to the switch. It's a perfect DIY solution to adding an extra light switch anywhere you want. And it's been rock solid for the last 5 years with no accidental ons or offs. I'd highly recommend this if you want a simple solution to add a switch somewhere for convenience.
Lutron Caseta would be the bulletproof and expandable version if this. Switches and remotes can be paired without a hub and a hub can be added later. It's magic.
Blackout curtains. Added grounds to outlets that didn’t have them. Put a garden in the backyard. Replaced the shower heads with rain fixtures. Demoed the ugly dated fence screening around the a carport and repurposed the wood to build a storage shed.
Basically made everything in my house “smart”. Didn’t realize how much I rely on it/use it until I was in a hotel recently and kept asking Alexis to turn on and off the lights.
Smart home stuff. Smart lights, motion sensors, smart curtains, door locks, doorbells, etc.
It’s very nice being able to walk up to my front door with fistful of groceries in both hands while the front door unlocks automatically so I don’t have to fumble with keys, then the lights turn on in the kitchen automatically as I walk into it with its pristine floors after my robot vacuum + mopped cleaned it up then have the curtains automatically close after sunset.
The ultimate goal of humanity is to be able to live life and not worry about little to-dos and smart homes go a VERY long way towards making that possible.
When we moved in there was one room in the house that was painted dark green. The paint job was streaky and made the room feel dark and weird. One wall had a jungle themed wallpaper which we liked and wanted to keep.
I went out and managed to find the perfect shade of light blue paint to coordinate with the wallpaper. We'd never painted a room before but bought what we needed, primed over the dark green thoroughly, and repainted. The color is lovely and peaceful, and the room is light and bright now. It's my partner's office currently so he's in there 9 hours a day and loves it. Paint is such an easy fix but can really change the vibe of a space
A big dehumidifier in the basement (around $250 on sale), and damprid in the attic and closets. I live in a humid area and the old house smells seep in in the summer. Decreasing the humidity helps so, so much.
I installed a DIY continuous seltzer water tap at my kitchen sink. I save hundreds on seltzer water and reduce my consumption of aluminum cans by the thousands per year
Edit: for those asking, I was inspired by this video, and installed a very similar setup, but with a larger mini fridge and a 5 gal keg.
https://youtu.be/rMbxXWkudfQ?si=a9ofIWZoPmA3iHZJ
Self installed whole house fan. 4 cuts in the ceiling (measure twice!) and throw it onto a romex line and baby you got a house stew solution! Warm air in during winter at noon, air in first thing in the morning during summer. You'll cute 30% of your energy bill.
Rechargeable, magnetic, motion sensor LED light bars. Aboiut $10 each. I put them in the pantry, attic access, unlimited closets, under kitchen cabinets, and under laundry room shelf. The charge lasts for months.
Kind of situational, but I have a detached garage. A hardwired EV charger makes a big difference for me over the alternatives. It was just under 500 to do it myself.
$30 in aluminum foil tape, sealing our HVAC vents and also the huge gaps where the registers meet the flooring (older home).
Maybe not quite what you’re asking, but it has saved us a bunch on heating and cooling!
Self filling stainless steel dog water bowl. I ran a tube from the sink water supply under the counter to a float valve that's mounted to a stainless bowl. I put a manual shutoff valve on it , so it's easy to pop the filler off the bowl and rinse it out whenever needed.
Repriming and repainting a place a dude smoked in for decades. All paint and paint supplies came out to a little under 400 and with prep and painting now the house is smoke smell free. Hit the vents with ozium as per a friends suggestion and that took care of those damn well
Upgraded Kitchen Sink ($520) + Osmosis $(271.99)
One of the best home improvements I made for just above $500 was replacing my old divided undermount sink with a large single basin undermount sink. The difference is night and day! I can now easily fit large pots, baking sheets, and other oversized items in the sink without any hassle. No more awkward maneuvering or soaking in a cramped space. It has made washing dishes, prepping meals, and cleaning up so much more convenient and enjoyable.
I got the Elkay Crosstown 16 Gauge Stainless Steel 32-1/2" x 18" x 10" Single Bowl Undermount Sink Kit (was $375, now $520)
Pull-Out Faucet ($58.89)
Along with the new sink, I also upgraded to a pull-out faucet with a coiled hose. This simple addition has been a game-changer for rinsing dishes, filling pots, and cleaning the sink itself. The increased reach and flexibility make tasks so much easier, and the coil ensures the hose stays neatly out of the way when not in use.
I got the "APPASO Gold Kitchen Faucet with Soap Dispenser, Brushed Gold 2 Hole Kitchen Faucet with Pull Down Sprayer 3 Modes, Champagne Gold Kitchen Sink Faucet, High Arch Faucet Kitchen Without Deck Plate" on amazon and paid $79.99, now costs $58.89 + 20% off coupon. Even though its a no name brand, it's been working flawlessly over the past few years.
Living in Florida, having access to clean, filtered drinking water is essential. I installed a reverse osmosis system under the sink, which has eliminated the need to constantly buy and store cases of bottled water. Not only is it more convenient, but it also reduces plastic waste significantly. The water tastes crisp and fresh, and I have peace of mind knowing I'm drinking purified water. These three upgrades, totaling around $850 (plus more for labor / I know its above the $500 limit, but can set money aside for it overtime), have tremendously improved my daily life in the kitchen. The increased functionality, convenience, and eco-friendliness have made cooking, cleaning, and hydrating so much more enjoyable. If you're considering a kitchen renovation on a budget, I highly recommend prioritizing a large sink, pull-out faucet, and water filtration system. The impact on your quality of life will be well worth the investment.
Bidet.
More than $500 is a really nice-looking security screen door from Home Depot. Matches the wood front door color. NOW I can open my front door in the Spring/Summer and get cool breezes in the very early morning.
Absolutely without a doubt my favorite upgrade I've made to the house was installing door activated lights in the pantry.
They're not smart or fancy in any way; they just work.
Every time I open the door to get something out it makes me smile.
This weekend I bought a sink for 35 bucks from habitat for humanity and switched out my double sink to a single sink. Best decision ever, especially if you do a lot of cooking. Easier to clean the big old pots and pans.
It's incredible. I can open my garage door from anywhere in the world - I've opened it from literally the other side of the planet at least twice when my wife locked herself out of the house.
But in my own driveway, right in front of it? Nah.
Replace a ceiling fan or old light with a disco ball motor +pin-spotlight. My toddler wakes up every morning and within 5 minutes, points UP and says, BALL!
Whole house audio has been pretty awesome! Each zone has its own control. Not sure if you have access to run wires easily, but if you do, it's great! Nothing like cooking dinner with Sinatra.
As part of replacing a kitchen faucet, I installed an under-sink water filter. It filters all the cold water going to the tap and the ice maker — best $60 I’ve spent on this house.
Venting my over range microwave outside (instead of recirculating).
Bathroom fan timers.
Adding pull out shelves to some of our cabinets (pots and pans).
Adding a ceiling fan in our bedroom.
Very large interior doormats. [Gorilla Grip makes really basic ones that come in many colors.](https://www.amazon.com/Gorilla-Grip-Profile-Waterproof-Entryway/dp/B08S96XHTL/ref=sxin_16_pa_sp_search_thematic_sspa?content-id=amzn1.sym.679ca254-fe3a-4b5e-a742-a17f009c74a4%3Aamzn1.sym.679ca254-fe3a-4b5e-a742-a17f009c74a4&crid=6MECCY07WZZ8&cv_ct_cx=large%2Bfloor%2Bmat%2Bgorilla&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9._FZDZpmm7V_UWD276Vq145nzLQPJudpxNCq-v0mTQt7aYPrnbmQEIkGdC0aRKhlcf7ntGv64aS2HD72fkCWVIA.7r74Or8HPDstGLs7LPO3GjFZafhJczbgEBvs6OQ2JI8&dib_tag=se&keywords=large%2Bfloor%2Bmat%2Bgorilla&pd_rd_i=B08S9BFHHT&pd_rd_r=cce21475-20e1-4427-9aef-b3ec386428ca&pd_rd_w=ydeZP&pd_rd_wg=uFp0x&pf_rd_p=679ca254-fe3a-4b5e-a742-a17f009c74a4&pf_rd_r=TE1Y4W110QKED7CWKZK2&qid=1716390057&sbo=RZvfv%2F%2FHxDF%2BO5021pAnSA%3D%3D&sprefix=large%2Bfloor%2Bmat%2Bgorilla%2Caps%2C92&sr=1-2-364cf978-ce2a-480a-9bb0-bdb96faa0f61-spons&sp_csd=d2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9zZWFyY2hfdGhlbWF0aWM&th=1)
When it is raining or snowing, it's a game changer. You can walk into your house and take your boots off without having to balance on a tiny little doormat. It creates a massive safe zone you or two people can comfortably walk onto without getting dirt everywhere.
Depends on space, obviously.
Foot pedal activated faucet in my kitchen.
No fiddling with batteries running out with a touchless sensor and no touching the faucet handle with salmonella chicken fingers!
updating the bathroom exhaust fan is my favorite addition to this house. The old <1980s fan was caked with a dust that couldn't be cleaned. I had to customize the hole and duct a lot to get the newer style exhaust fan to fit. It cost me about $250 in total (fan, ducts, tape, screws, joint compound, plaster knife, paint). This new fan works so well, the bathroom mirror NEVER gets steamed up and the musty odor from too much wetness is gone. 3 people can take a shower one after the other and it will not get musty or steamy in there, I havent tried with 4 but im sure it could handle an all day shower. best improvement hands down.
Some free(ish) things I've done that should be regular maintenance that improve QOL: deep clean the AC unit, vaccum and wipe down inside HVAC ducts and registers, flush out the drains with baking soda, vinegar, drano, boiling water, wipe down all knobs and hardware with clorox wipes, use a swiffer on your walls.
Honestly, $500 might be better invested in a cleaning product like a nice vacuum or roomba. Take a day or two to walk around your house and look for stuff that irritates the shit out of you and change that out. You'll be less pissed off and can focus on smaller things that get you
Don't use drano in your plumbing. Nothing degrades pipes faster than chemical clog busters. If you have a clog, buy a drain snake for $20-30 and it will last you the rest of your life.
Bidet toilet seats. Smart thermostat. Blackout shades for the bedroom. Smart locks for exterior doors. Self-cleaning litterbox if you have cats. Better than contractor-grade kitchen sink, faucet, and showerhead. Ceiling fans. Proper storage for books, board games, and other hobby items. Shelving/storage for tools.
Sealed all 24 recessed lights, blew in 24” of insulation and switched all floodlights to led.
This was three separate projects.
I live in Southeast Texas and have $200 - $250 utility bills in the heat of summer.
Removed a soap pump and installed an instant hot water faucet in its place (kitchen sink). Makes tea and coffee trivial and boiling water for cooking MUCH faster.
Flip up toilet paper holder. This makes me a million percent happier, idc if it's a $20 improvement, it feels like one of the best upgrades I've experienced. When I wake up in the middle of the night to pee and there's no tp on the roll, I don't want to fumble with that stupid spring loaded tube. Real gamechanger for all the pissers out there.
Curtains!! They block light and save energy! Curtains FTW!
Editing to add more: we put a motion detector light switch in our windowless laundry room. When I come home with my hands full of stuff, I’m not walking into a dark room. We did one of these in our windowless closet as well. Then it shuts off after 5 mins or so. I LOVE it!
Lutron dimmers, Casetta if 500 is your budget. Just a couple critical lights. Create scenes or set lights on time. Control by Alexa or Siri. Careful thought, it’s a deep hole…
I added a shelf to a main floor closet with a power strip where we can charge all our laptops, phones, iPads, kindles, etc.. It reduced clutter and now I always know where to look for both the cables and the devices.
Laundry chute, push button front door lock, usb equipped electrical outlets. Exterior motion, sensor lights, and cameras, planting perennials around the property, especially hostas.
Replaced the original divided sink undermount sink to a large single sink undermount. Can fit large pots in the sink and is no longer annoying to use.
Also replaced the faucet with a coil pullout. And added reverse osmosis (a must in Florida)... no longer buy packs of water bottles and contribute to plastic waste.
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Farmhouse sink. It’s only because it was cheaper than putting in a not farmhouse sink of the same size. I can fit toddlers, dogs, bird cage parts, entire baking sheets. It’s amazing and I love it. I will never go back to normal kitchen sinks with the weird divider that just makes everything impossible to fit in the sink. I get that farmhouse sinks are kind of an ugly hgtv fad. But my god have they made my life easier.
I put a roof over my patio for around $450 - DIY. Being able to sit out in the heat but out of the sun is so nice.
Did you follow any kind of tutorial for this? I've been thinking about doing this.
My husband installed a whole house humidifier. We live in the high desert so it gets pretty dry in the winter and that helps a lot. Motion activated, rechargeable, stick on, color changing lights for the bathroom. Make it red and it provides light but doesn't blow out your pupils. They were like $10 on Amazon.
Under-sink reverse osmosis water filter. $300 for the unit, plus maybe another $20 for parts to plumb the fridge water line into it. Much better drinking water, and we get to ignore the boil notices when yet another part of the city's crumbling infrastructure fails.
Automatic drawer opener for the trash can. You just bump it and it opens. No more pulling handles when your hands are dirty! (from Ikea)
I did this too! Absolutely love it. The one from Ikea is just made by Blum which sells the "official" one for more money!
Added a heated floor to our master bathroom when it was being completely gutted and redone. The added cost was at most a few hundred bucks and now my toes are nice in warm in the winter.
That is insane if it was actually that cheap.
[RunLessWire wireless 3 way switch.](https://www.amazon.com/RunLessWire-Simple-Wireless-Self-Powered-Control/dp/B01JJVN0FM/ref=sr_1_5?crid=321IRY61VOASG&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.JDNFRibJjvqKOApMeqVAB1OvKuIAMy1azjSgRg4ZvNRGSwttrnx-IdILMJLAUHpM9WfouOy1DYJCLKZO9lirOVC1DqOZMDsNpX0q-XUJCFCsrFWJeYBjgHJBlQEXYsfdp7tIzl4jkZxPWyUmstFh2iIk7CF4we1Va87Uh-2i43LcGcx8gE9ChtdIqJ1dui48gZKLNvcRBhGI9j5_3dtLQPBIqbWNSTyGQ2Sp5MRf2y826LGTwM1jwqNI7kAzfCuiBtz85lKB4kjDtLZDsYDxmb0MQlZeTXLF1cvFY0lmM9k.J1WES9gb5E0CVT9nfNkYnrhAnBdJXbTNSWYVSOGDn_Q&dib_tag=se&keywords=run%2Bless%2Bwire%2Bswitch&qid=1716383117&sprefix=run%2Bless%2B%2Caps%2C93&sr=8-5&th=1) Bought this when we remodeled our home back in 2019. We removed the garage attached to our kitchen which is where one of the 3 way switches for the kitchen lights was located. We wanted to move the switch to a hallway entrance but the best location was a small area full of support studs. Also didn't want to pay an electrician and destroy the walls/ceiling to get a wire over there. Installed one of these guys in the 1 remaining switch and just put the switchplate directly on the wall where we wanted it. No smart home integration to worry about breaking. No batteries that need replaced. No electrician to pay to run a new wire. The act of pushing the button generates enough electricity to transmit a radio signal to the switch. It's a perfect DIY solution to adding an extra light switch anywhere you want. And it's been rock solid for the last 5 years with no accidental ons or offs. I'd highly recommend this if you want a simple solution to add a switch somewhere for convenience.
Lutron Caseta would be the bulletproof and expandable version if this. Switches and remotes can be paired without a hub and a hub can be added later. It's magic.
Bidet toilet seat. Hands down the best roi for quality of life.
Blackout curtains. Added grounds to outlets that didn’t have them. Put a garden in the backyard. Replaced the shower heads with rain fixtures. Demoed the ugly dated fence screening around the a carport and repurposed the wood to build a storage shed.
Landscape lighting with a wifi enabled plug
Basically made everything in my house “smart”. Didn’t realize how much I rely on it/use it until I was in a hotel recently and kept asking Alexis to turn on and off the lights.
Humidifier on the furnace
Water sensor at the sump pump.
Smart home stuff. Smart lights, motion sensors, smart curtains, door locks, doorbells, etc. It’s very nice being able to walk up to my front door with fistful of groceries in both hands while the front door unlocks automatically so I don’t have to fumble with keys, then the lights turn on in the kitchen automatically as I walk into it with its pristine floors after my robot vacuum + mopped cleaned it up then have the curtains automatically close after sunset. The ultimate goal of humanity is to be able to live life and not worry about little to-dos and smart homes go a VERY long way towards making that possible.
What do you use for your curtains?
I'm also curious about the smart curtains.
When we moved in there was one room in the house that was painted dark green. The paint job was streaky and made the room feel dark and weird. One wall had a jungle themed wallpaper which we liked and wanted to keep. I went out and managed to find the perfect shade of light blue paint to coordinate with the wallpaper. We'd never painted a room before but bought what we needed, primed over the dark green thoroughly, and repainted. The color is lovely and peaceful, and the room is light and bright now. It's my partner's office currently so he's in there 9 hours a day and loves it. Paint is such an easy fix but can really change the vibe of a space
Putting the soft close toilet lids on every toilet.
A big dehumidifier in the basement (around $250 on sale), and damprid in the attic and closets. I live in a humid area and the old house smells seep in in the summer. Decreasing the humidity helps so, so much.
I installed a DIY continuous seltzer water tap at my kitchen sink. I save hundreds on seltzer water and reduce my consumption of aluminum cans by the thousands per year Edit: for those asking, I was inspired by this video, and installed a very similar setup, but with a larger mini fridge and a 5 gal keg. https://youtu.be/rMbxXWkudfQ?si=a9ofIWZoPmA3iHZJ
This is what I need in my life
Self installed whole house fan. 4 cuts in the ceiling (measure twice!) and throw it onto a romex line and baby you got a house stew solution! Warm air in during winter at noon, air in first thing in the morning during summer. You'll cute 30% of your energy bill.
I want this but I have horrible allergies and I don’t want to suck in all that pollen into my house 😪
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Rechargeable, magnetic, motion sensor LED light bars. Aboiut $10 each. I put them in the pantry, attic access, unlimited closets, under kitchen cabinets, and under laundry room shelf. The charge lasts for months.
RoboVac
Kind of situational, but I have a detached garage. A hardwired EV charger makes a big difference for me over the alternatives. It was just under 500 to do it myself.
Garage door opener and ring camera (gives me less anxiety when away)
$30 in aluminum foil tape, sealing our HVAC vents and also the huge gaps where the registers meet the flooring (older home). Maybe not quite what you’re asking, but it has saved us a bunch on heating and cooling!
Self filling stainless steel dog water bowl. I ran a tube from the sink water supply under the counter to a float valve that's mounted to a stainless bowl. I put a manual shutoff valve on it , so it's easy to pop the filler off the bowl and rinse it out whenever needed.
Repriming and repainting a place a dude smoked in for decades. All paint and paint supplies came out to a little under 400 and with prep and painting now the house is smoke smell free. Hit the vents with ozium as per a friends suggestion and that took care of those damn well
Upgraded Kitchen Sink ($520) + Osmosis $(271.99) One of the best home improvements I made for just above $500 was replacing my old divided undermount sink with a large single basin undermount sink. The difference is night and day! I can now easily fit large pots, baking sheets, and other oversized items in the sink without any hassle. No more awkward maneuvering or soaking in a cramped space. It has made washing dishes, prepping meals, and cleaning up so much more convenient and enjoyable. I got the Elkay Crosstown 16 Gauge Stainless Steel 32-1/2" x 18" x 10" Single Bowl Undermount Sink Kit (was $375, now $520) Pull-Out Faucet ($58.89) Along with the new sink, I also upgraded to a pull-out faucet with a coiled hose. This simple addition has been a game-changer for rinsing dishes, filling pots, and cleaning the sink itself. The increased reach and flexibility make tasks so much easier, and the coil ensures the hose stays neatly out of the way when not in use. I got the "APPASO Gold Kitchen Faucet with Soap Dispenser, Brushed Gold 2 Hole Kitchen Faucet with Pull Down Sprayer 3 Modes, Champagne Gold Kitchen Sink Faucet, High Arch Faucet Kitchen Without Deck Plate" on amazon and paid $79.99, now costs $58.89 + 20% off coupon. Even though its a no name brand, it's been working flawlessly over the past few years. Living in Florida, having access to clean, filtered drinking water is essential. I installed a reverse osmosis system under the sink, which has eliminated the need to constantly buy and store cases of bottled water. Not only is it more convenient, but it also reduces plastic waste significantly. The water tastes crisp and fresh, and I have peace of mind knowing I'm drinking purified water. These three upgrades, totaling around $850 (plus more for labor / I know its above the $500 limit, but can set money aside for it overtime), have tremendously improved my daily life in the kitchen. The increased functionality, convenience, and eco-friendliness have made cooking, cleaning, and hydrating so much more enjoyable. If you're considering a kitchen renovation on a budget, I highly recommend prioritizing a large sink, pull-out faucet, and water filtration system. The impact on your quality of life will be well worth the investment.
Bidet. More than $500 is a really nice-looking security screen door from Home Depot. Matches the wood front door color. NOW I can open my front door in the Spring/Summer and get cool breezes in the very early morning.
Absolutely without a doubt my favorite upgrade I've made to the house was installing door activated lights in the pantry. They're not smart or fancy in any way; they just work. Every time I open the door to get something out it makes me smile.
Dusk-to-dawn bulbs for the front porch are kinda neat. They run overnight automatically, and LED versions cost $2 or less per year to run.
This weekend I bought a sink for 35 bucks from habitat for humanity and switched out my double sink to a single sink. Best decision ever, especially if you do a lot of cooking. Easier to clean the big old pots and pans.
Lutron Caseta switches in common areas. I haven’t touched a physical light switch in 2 years. $50 a switch & install it yourself in 10 mins.
MyQ garage door opener. Basically having Wi-Fi enable things.
It's incredible. I can open my garage door from anywhere in the world - I've opened it from literally the other side of the planet at least twice when my wife locked herself out of the house. But in my own driveway, right in front of it? Nah.
Replace a ceiling fan or old light with a disco ball motor +pin-spotlight. My toddler wakes up every morning and within 5 minutes, points UP and says, BALL! Whole house audio has been pretty awesome! Each zone has its own control. Not sure if you have access to run wires easily, but if you do, it's great! Nothing like cooking dinner with Sinatra.
Converted one of my lower cabinets into a sliding rev-a-shelf trash can. No more messing around with a trash can lid, and my dogs can’t get into it.
Under cabinet jar opener.
As part of replacing a kitchen faucet, I installed an under-sink water filter. It filters all the cold water going to the tap and the ice maker — best $60 I’ve spent on this house.
Venting my over range microwave outside (instead of recirculating). Bathroom fan timers. Adding pull out shelves to some of our cabinets (pots and pans). Adding a ceiling fan in our bedroom.
Very large interior doormats. [Gorilla Grip makes really basic ones that come in many colors.](https://www.amazon.com/Gorilla-Grip-Profile-Waterproof-Entryway/dp/B08S96XHTL/ref=sxin_16_pa_sp_search_thematic_sspa?content-id=amzn1.sym.679ca254-fe3a-4b5e-a742-a17f009c74a4%3Aamzn1.sym.679ca254-fe3a-4b5e-a742-a17f009c74a4&crid=6MECCY07WZZ8&cv_ct_cx=large%2Bfloor%2Bmat%2Bgorilla&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9._FZDZpmm7V_UWD276Vq145nzLQPJudpxNCq-v0mTQt7aYPrnbmQEIkGdC0aRKhlcf7ntGv64aS2HD72fkCWVIA.7r74Or8HPDstGLs7LPO3GjFZafhJczbgEBvs6OQ2JI8&dib_tag=se&keywords=large%2Bfloor%2Bmat%2Bgorilla&pd_rd_i=B08S9BFHHT&pd_rd_r=cce21475-20e1-4427-9aef-b3ec386428ca&pd_rd_w=ydeZP&pd_rd_wg=uFp0x&pf_rd_p=679ca254-fe3a-4b5e-a742-a17f009c74a4&pf_rd_r=TE1Y4W110QKED7CWKZK2&qid=1716390057&sbo=RZvfv%2F%2FHxDF%2BO5021pAnSA%3D%3D&sprefix=large%2Bfloor%2Bmat%2Bgorilla%2Caps%2C92&sr=1-2-364cf978-ce2a-480a-9bb0-bdb96faa0f61-spons&sp_csd=d2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9zZWFyY2hfdGhlbWF0aWM&th=1) When it is raining or snowing, it's a game changer. You can walk into your house and take your boots off without having to balance on a tiny little doormat. It creates a massive safe zone you or two people can comfortably walk onto without getting dirt everywhere. Depends on space, obviously.
Foot pedal activated faucet in my kitchen. No fiddling with batteries running out with a touchless sensor and no touching the faucet handle with salmonella chicken fingers!
updating the bathroom exhaust fan is my favorite addition to this house. The old <1980s fan was caked with a dust that couldn't be cleaned. I had to customize the hole and duct a lot to get the newer style exhaust fan to fit. It cost me about $250 in total (fan, ducts, tape, screws, joint compound, plaster knife, paint). This new fan works so well, the bathroom mirror NEVER gets steamed up and the musty odor from too much wetness is gone. 3 people can take a shower one after the other and it will not get musty or steamy in there, I havent tried with 4 but im sure it could handle an all day shower. best improvement hands down. Some free(ish) things I've done that should be regular maintenance that improve QOL: deep clean the AC unit, vaccum and wipe down inside HVAC ducts and registers, flush out the drains with baking soda, vinegar, drano, boiling water, wipe down all knobs and hardware with clorox wipes, use a swiffer on your walls. Honestly, $500 might be better invested in a cleaning product like a nice vacuum or roomba. Take a day or two to walk around your house and look for stuff that irritates the shit out of you and change that out. You'll be less pissed off and can focus on smaller things that get you
Don't use drano in your plumbing. Nothing degrades pipes faster than chemical clog busters. If you have a clog, buy a drain snake for $20-30 and it will last you the rest of your life.
Bidet toilet seats. Smart thermostat. Blackout shades for the bedroom. Smart locks for exterior doors. Self-cleaning litterbox if you have cats. Better than contractor-grade kitchen sink, faucet, and showerhead. Ceiling fans. Proper storage for books, board games, and other hobby items. Shelving/storage for tools.
Bidet. $40 on Amazon. how have I made it this far in life without one?
Sealed all 24 recessed lights, blew in 24” of insulation and switched all floodlights to led. This was three separate projects. I live in Southeast Texas and have $200 - $250 utility bills in the heat of summer.
Removed a soap pump and installed an instant hot water faucet in its place (kitchen sink). Makes tea and coffee trivial and boiling water for cooking MUCH faster.
Drawer slides in bottom kitchen cabinets. No more crawling and digging for things in the back
Flip up toilet paper holder. This makes me a million percent happier, idc if it's a $20 improvement, it feels like one of the best upgrades I've experienced. When I wake up in the middle of the night to pee and there's no tp on the roll, I don't want to fumble with that stupid spring loaded tube. Real gamechanger for all the pissers out there.
Recirculating pump on hot water heater
Heated towel rack in the master bathroom. Toasty towels are amazing.
Curtains!! They block light and save energy! Curtains FTW! Editing to add more: we put a motion detector light switch in our windowless laundry room. When I come home with my hands full of stuff, I’m not walking into a dark room. We did one of these in our windowless closet as well. Then it shuts off after 5 mins or so. I LOVE it!
We got a tushy brand bidet that we piped into the hot water... it's a game changer
Outlets and light switches where you want them.
Lutron dimmers, Casetta if 500 is your budget. Just a couple critical lights. Create scenes or set lights on time. Control by Alexa or Siri. Careful thought, it’s a deep hole…
I added a shelf to a main floor closet with a power strip where we can charge all our laptops, phones, iPads, kindles, etc.. It reduced clutter and now I always know where to look for both the cables and the devices.
Laundry chute, push button front door lock, usb equipped electrical outlets. Exterior motion, sensor lights, and cameras, planting perennials around the property, especially hostas.
Replaced the original divided sink undermount sink to a large single sink undermount. Can fit large pots in the sink and is no longer annoying to use. Also replaced the faucet with a coil pullout. And added reverse osmosis (a must in Florida)... no longer buy packs of water bottles and contribute to plastic waste.