We had an all white kitchen: white cabinets (old, crappy IKEA, vintage 1990?), white laminate countertops, white vinyl floor. All of it old and beaten-up looking and while we are OCD about cleaning the kitchen, it never looked clean. So we finally replaced the counters with grey laminate, and the floor with marble-stamped vinyl tile, and while it'll never be mistaken for a high-end kitchen, it looks sooooooooo much better now. We also had the cabinets painted. It cost maybe $1100 total ($600 for the countertop, $100 for the tile, and then $400 for labor).

Anonymous wrote:Swapped out all of of the preexisting, white plastic switch plate covers and replaced all with oil rubbed bronze covers. Huge difference.

I also have silk cord covers that blend with room wall colors. Nice, simple improvement.

We did this too and I agree, made a huge difference for negligible money.

Elfa

Ripped out the basement wall-to-wall and put in tile (ceramic or porcelain, I cannot remember which or the difference)

Replaced standard shower head with one with both a fixed and a hand-held sprayer. Easier to clean the shower, and also easier to wash DD's hair. I would really like one with a hand-held sprayer on a height-adjustable pole.

Dimmer switches rock.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Light sensors for the outdoor lights. $10 each and now the lights by each door go on a dusk and off at dawn. I used to just turn them on and leave them on all the time (on CFL's) but it still cost money. This will save money and do it right, lights on at night, off during the day.

Can you post a link? I've never seen ones you can add to existing lights!

I bought these. You screw it into the lamp and then screw the light bulb into this socket and it converts and existing light into a dusk-to-dawn light.
http://www.lowes.com/pd_314355-207-SLC5BCWL_0__?productId=3126425&Ntt=dusk+to+dawn+light+control&pl=1¤tURL=%3FNtt%3Ddusk%2Bto%2Bdawn%2Blight%2Bcontrol&facetInfo=

Installed microwave over the range.

Anonymous wrote:Light sensors for the outdoor lights. $10 each and now the lights by each door go on a dusk and off at dawn. I used to just turn them on and leave them on all the time (on CFL's) but it still cost money. This will save money and do it right, lights on at night, off during the day.

Can you post a link? I've never seen ones you can add to existing lights!

Anonymous wrote:Installed nice looking paper towel rack on the wall of each bathroom, near the sink.

You use paper towels in the bathrooms? Seems like a huge waste of resources.

Under-cabinet lighting in the kitchen helped out a TON!

I moved all the kids clothes (4 under the age of 5) to the down stairs play room. This made morning and after bath a breeze!

painted kitchen cabinets white
changed out white shutters with black ones.
replace"boob" lights with nicer halway lights

elfa closets...love having thigns better organized.

Replaced the shower head. Super cheap, super easy, and makes a huge difference -- we had a super crappy shower head before.

Anonymous wrote:Tubular skylight to a formerly dark and depressing room

+1. We did this in our upstairs hall way (top of the stairs) and the results are completely dramatic. It's changed the entire house. It's like daylight there during the day when before it was just dark. We used Solatubes - two of them.

We put a retractable clothesline (like the kind you sometimes see in hotel bathrooms) in our laundry area. I love it.

Insta Hot. Awesome.

I had my center island cut in half and moved a casual dining table in its place. The table is basically in the center of the kitchen, next to the dish cabinet and dish washer. Very practical.