Small Remodeling Budgets, Big Upgrades

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If you've got a smaller home with no more than five to eight front windows without shutters, consider adding some to improve the curb appeal, advises Sullivan. However, on a $1,000 budget youll likely only be able to afford vinyl shutters, which start at $21 per pair at Home Depot (wooden shutters start at $46 per pair). You'll spend the remainder of your $1,000 budget having a professional install them.

If you already have exterior shutters and theyre in good condition, apply a fresh coat of paint to give them new life. The cost of hiring a painter to update exterior shutters varies by location, but it can be less than $1,000 depending on the quality of the paint and other materials, such as primer, being used. In Washington, D.C., for example, the average cost of painting 16 shutters for eight windows starts at $581.55, according to Homewyse.com, a Web site that offers cost projections for labor and materials. In Seattle, it'll run you $650.81.

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Small Remodeling Budgets, Big Upgrades