slapping on a new coat of paint the right colour can do wonders.

i found a guy that did my home (paint whole interior ~2300sqft 4 bed 4 bath, basement, remove popcorn, skim, paint ceiling on main floor only) for $4200. did a pretty good job so im happy with it.

go on homestars, look at local companies that have good feedback and get quotes. some will even knock down prices if you can do some of the labour.

we want to do our backyard/deck and kitchen as well but still deciding on what to do first....

Spend your money in the kitchen, bathrooms or the flooring. Anything else and you won't see as high of a return. Also, you can sink all kinds of $$$ into a house and price yourself right out of the market. A killer kitchen will sell the house all by itself.

So I had the owner of painters plus in and while we are talking in the kitchen with the guy doing tile, she asks if i am going to do the cabinets, says she has a guy that does it very well and much cheaper than anyone else around. I say sure give him my info and he comes over that day. He takes a look, suggests a slightly different configuration and then hits me with a 7-15k range for the cabinets only. Says anything less is not worth the cost

I'm like, ya sure send me the quote in writing and i will get back to you [not]. After he leaves my contractor guy who was in the kitchen at the same time says the cabinets themselves are in good condition and he can resurface the doors and drawers for 2G's and make everything look like new.

Did he supply his own materials? (paint etc)?

So, it's kinda cold outside, I have some time, and started to ponder renovations that would add value for resale, and/or enjoyment. (Some are really easy jobs, just a hassle.)

I'm no Vas, so anything that requires more than a drill is likely hired help.

What we have:
- Corner town, ~1500 sq ft, starter home 'hood in Markham, 3 years old, 2 story + basement, 3 bedroom, hardwood on main + 2nd floors, basement unfinished, AC installed, fence installed

Enjoyment renos (ongoing, or thinking about it)
- re-paint both floors, currently have 'starter paint'. One touch, and you get a smudge
- replace lighting fixtures (kitchen already switched out)
- replace entry foyer, and/or second-floor central light with chandelier/fancy fixture
- swap out some light switches with dimmables, washroom fan with timer one
- add shelves/hooks/etc in garage (currently bare, except for garage opener)
- seal garage floor with some kind of DIY epoxy

Higher end / more work
- replace laminate countertops (kitchen, washrooms)
- if replacing countertops, nicer kitchen sink + faucet
- replace 50% of backyard grass with patio stones (ghetto or otherwise)
- reno basement with 1-2 bedroom/room, 3 piece washroom, closets, storage rooms
- install water softener (no one 'sees' this ... for resale I'd say no one cares)
- remove popcorn ceiling -- FUCK that... I should have paid $3k originally to get them flat.

['Upgrades' done]
- kitchen light fixture (nothing fancy, IKEA shit)
- SS appliances in kitchen (Samsung)
- Nest thermostat
- security system
- 1-2 dimmable switches

The basement has the washroom plumbling 'stubs' already in place, just not ideal. Where the stubs and the furnace/HWT are, it pretty much takes up half of the basement. No way I'm spending money on a starter home to move them.

As I see it, the kitchen upgrades won't add much value for resale, and frankly, while I love the look of granite/etc, I don't think it's worth the hassle.

Some homes have 4 bedrooms but look similar in size to mine. I 'lost' one due to laundry on 2nd. Though a basement bedroom is pretty ghetto, having an additional 'bedroom' might add value... (I know there's an MLS 'definition' of bedroom; without certain features, it's just a 'room'.)

The basement is oddly shaped obviously, due to a sunk landing, and the garage concrete pad...