DIY Home Improvement Projects for Beginners to Try Their Hand At

Building, repairing, and remodeling a home is a process that requires a wide range of skills and expertise to accomplish. Not every homeowner or real estate investor is going to have the background in construction to do things like plumb a bathroom, repair a load-bearing wall, or replace a roof. There are still home improvement tasks that even beginners can attempt, especially if they want to improve their skills and begin advancing on to more difficult projects.

Below is our list of five home improvement projects that can be done by DIYers who have even the most basic understanding of how to get the job done.

Painting

Painting is the obvious one. While there’s some knowledge and skill that goes into making the job faster, easier, and look more professional, if you’re just looking to touch up the paint job in a room, or you’re keeping the paint scheme really simple, it’s pretty foolproof. Remember that you’re going to want to mask off anything you don’t want to paint (the blue tape works best), and you’ll want a drop cloth of some sort to make sure you’re not painting the carpet. Also, consider shoe covers so you don’t track paint through the house.

Also, be sure you buy a sample of the paint color and test it first before buying a full can. Beyond that, wear clothes you don’t mind ruining, and have fun!

Landscaping

This one can be as tame or as involved as you want it to be (with prices to match). How you design the yard and what you put in it is up to you, but be aware that most gardening, trimming, hedging, planting, and so forth can be done by yourself. It’s hard work (especially if the weather is warm), but the curb appeal will make a difference when it comes time to sell. You’d be surprised how many people turn down houses or don’t even look at them, simply because of the appearance of the exterior.

Handles and Doorknobs

Most fixtures in your home are easy to replace and install. Typically, all you’ll need is a Phillips head screwdriver (and maybe a screw gun, if you want to avoid doing it all by hand). You can easily replace everything from the front doorknob and deadbolt to cabinet and drawer handles. After sprucing things up a bit, pride yourself on being a resourceful handyman (or woman).

Light Fixtures

This one’s a bit more tricky because it deals with the electrical circuits in your home. Before doing any electrical work like this, you’ll want to shut off the breaker, tag it to ensure no one turns it back on, and then double-check that the power is off before you start unhooking wires. If you’re safe about keeping the power disconnected, though, the rest is pretty straightforward.

Most lights will have a black and white wire (positive and negative lines), and your goal is to match color to color. Cap the wires with appropriately sized wire caps, and then screw the whole thing back into place. And just like that, you’ll have a new light fixture. Just remember to turn the power back on afterward!

Installing a Faucet

Faucets—whether they are kitchen or bathroom—are the easiest fixtures in the plumbing process. Replacing a faucet is something anyone with the right tools can do. Shut off the water beneath the faucet (there should be knobs on the supply lines that will allow you to do that), and then make sure the water is off. Disconnect the hot and cold lines, but be careful; there will still be water in the lines that needs to drain.

Once the lines are disconnected, there’s typically a nut that holds the faucet down to the countertop. Loosen that, and pull it free. You may have to disconnect the faucet from the drain plug if it’s a bathroom sink. Then put the new faucet in place by reversing the steps. Once it’s in place, you’ll want to use silicone caulk to seal around the base of the faucet to waterproof it (and if you don’t know what that is or how to use it, ask your local hardware store). Once you’ve done that, you’re all set. Turn the water back on, and enjoy!