Like many homeowners, you may have eyed a home improvement project in the past only to come up short on time or inspiration.

Don’t feel bad. Nearly half (43%) of all homeowners say their biggest challenge around home improvement decisions is finding DIY time, which also may explain why the same percentage of people say they have unfinished home improvement projects — typically two.

Since many of us are spending much or all of our time at home, now might be a good time to channel some of that cabin fever into a project that could add value to your home or infuse it with new energy.

Whether you’re looking to increase the property value of your home ahead of a sale or closing on a house you can’t wait to make your own, chances are there’s a renovation or remodeling project in your future. This means you’ll have a lot of things to consider, not least among them how to find a contractor, how to mitigate costs, and, no less importantly, how to translate your Pinterest ideas into reality. AD is here to help. We tapped some of our most trusted renovation sources and combed our archives to bring you this compendium of power home remodeling ideas for every room, including tried-and-true advice from the experts, checklists to help you get started, and stunning before-and-after kitchen, bath, and living room transformations for inspiration. So, whether you’re revamping a space to make it more functional or simply more beautiful, this handy guide is your one-stop shop for all things home renovation.

If you are looking to change up your home, there are so many great ideas to boost your inspiration! But your first step is establishing your goals and priorities, the rest will easily fall into place! These projects vary in complexity, but all of them are suitable for beginners who are willing to jump in, get their hands dirty and have some fun.

Smart tech upgrade

There are countless smart home products you can choose from, and some require little more than changing a light bulb or plugging in a device. A few to consider:

Smart doorbell/camera: Installing one is similar to changing out a light switch. The process involves removing your old doorbell and connecting the device to your Wi-Fi.

Smart locks: Do you have a family member who is always losing their house key? Replacing a traditional door lock with a keyless entry you access using a touchpad or smartphone app is an easy solution.

Smart home hub: Amazon, Google, Apple, Nest, Samsung, and others offer smart home hubs, which allow you to interact with compatible devices through a central system. The hub itself is typically “plug and play” and easy to set up. But you may need to do some initial troubleshooting to get all your devices connected.

Smart lights: This project is as simple as buying and installing light bulbs. However, the upgrade requires coordination with a smart home system because each one has its own requirements and controls. If you already have a home system, be sure the lights you choose are compatible. If you’re thinking of buying a new system, keep in mind that it needs to work harmoniously with the products you already have.

The garden is important too

Gardens are oftentimes totally forgotten, in most cases, people will just cut grass and place a few chairs on the lawn and call it a day. But owning a garden is already a luxury, not many people have, so why not take full advantage of it? An easy improvement you can add to your garden is placing a pergola and customizing it as you wish!

This kind of partial sheltering is easy to make, all you need is to get four posts and a roof, but you can find more information about pergolas. All in all, your garden needs something more than just plastic chairs and a sun umbrella, adding a simplified version of a gazebo, might do the trick!

If you have the know-how to build a garden shed, you can find any number of plans and tutorials online to suit your taste. And if you’re not quite up for that challenge, you can still improve the one you’ve got or buy a garden-variety one and make it your own. Start by imagining whether you need it for storage or extra work or living space, and go from there. Here’s some inspiration to create your own custom garden workspace.

Garage Storage Shelves

Expand your storage space and learn the basics of woodworking by building and hanging custom shelving in your garage.

Why it’s a great starter project: Most garages are strictly utilitarian spaces. In other words, you have more leeway for imperfections and the inevitable mistakes you’ll make along the way when you’re learning basic DIY skills. And this is a good project on which to learn about planning and how to maximize cuts to make the best use of a sheet of plywood.

What it gives you an excuse to buy: A circular saw is a must-have for this project. You may also want to pick up a ripping fence accessory for the saw to make your long cuts easier. And if you already have a circular saw, this project is a great time to invest in a compressor and nail gun.

Cabinet Pulls

Updating your kitchen doesn’t have to involve major renovations. You can create a whole new look by changing out the door and drawer pulls, painting your cabinets, or removing cabinet doors to create an open-shelving effect. Or, if you have too much wall space and too few cabinets, you can easily install open shelving from scratch.

Why it’s a great starter project: Replacing cabinet pulls can be as simple as unscrewing the old ones and attaching the new ones. But there’s often some issue that pops up at one point or another. Whether it’s using washers or negotiation with a pull that’s rusted onto a screw, there’s bound to be a challenge you can tackle — without worrying about doing irreparable damage or blowing a big budget.

What it gives you an excuse to buy: If you don’t already own a cordless drill, this is a great project to pick up this essential piece of the DIY toolkit.

Replacing a Torn Window Screen

Whether from a fallen branch, a pair of over-eager paws, or simple wear and tear, sooner or later most window screens will require a repair. It’s possible to patch a small tear, but you can also replace an entire screen. This is a great beginner DIY home improvement that will help keep insects out of your home and make your windows or screen doors more attractive.

Why it’s a great starter project: Removing the window screen will help familiarize you with the mechanics of your windows. And this will come in handy down the road when it’s time to do some maintenance on the windows themselves.

What it gives you an excuse to buy: The materials for this repair are inexpensive and will last for more than one window, which means you’ll have them on hand the next time a screen is damaged. Often a flat screwdriver or old credit card can pop the spline into place. But a spline roller makes things go smoother and decreases the risk of damaging the spline during installation. And a spline roller lasts forever!

Invest in art

Art is beautiful and it’s always welcome to have a painting or two on your walls – but what about making your home an art piece? Murals are extremely popular, not just for buildings and street art, but also for everyday homes! You can find an extremely talented artist to paint you a breathtaking mural in your backyard or in any of your rooms – it’s surely worth it.

This kind of art is amazing, just with one art piece on the wall, you can bring the whole room together! This will take a bit of research, Pinterest for inspiration, and Instagram for searching for the artist to draw the mural. But all in all, it’s a great investment to make and it leaves an impactful change to your home!

Paint a Room

A new coat of paint is one of the fastest and most economical ways to achieve an immediate and impressive change in a room’s look and feel.

Why it’s a great starter project: Painting is a must-have skill for any burgeoning DIYer. And whether you’re touching up a drywall patch or freshening up a guest room, painting is always the final touch that makes a project complete. Also, the great thing about painting a room is that if you don’t like the finished product, you can simply repaint it.

What it gives you an excuse to buy: There’s no shortage of great painting equipment to make the DIY experience go smoother. If you’re just starting out, this is a great time to invest in a roller and pan, trim brush, and clean-up equipment. But if you’ve already got the basics and want to acquire some new goodies, check out the best DIY painting tools.

A Ceiling Fan

Upgrading an existing light fixture to a ceiling fan adds an attractive feature to a room while cutting down your HVAC costs. Long considered a surprisingly big headache, recent changes in fan design have made installation far easier than it used to be. These changes allow the fan to dangle from a support strut while being assembled, thus bringing it into the realm of beginner DIY projects.

Why it’s a great starter project: As long as there’s an existing light fixture or ceiling fan present, upgrading to a ceiling fan involves basic wiring and assembly skills. And like most DIY projects, the challenges are really in the tiny things that don’t go exactly as expected. The worst-case scenario is that you rehang the existing fixture and tackle it again in a few days.

What it gives you an excuse to buy: Once you’ve begun to work with residential wiring, it’s time to pick up a voltage tester. Always keep it in your pocket as you work, to verify that the lines are not live before working with electricity. It’s an inexpensive tool that will make things safer and less stressful.

Sink Trap Clean-Out

Over time, the sink traps in kitchens and bathrooms become clogged. Disassembling one, cleaning it out, and reassembling it will teach you how the pipes go together, while also helping ensure that your sink drains correctly. And if your trap is an old metal assembly, this is a great time to upgrade to PVC. And fair warning: traps collect gunk and grime, so the cleanout home improvement process can be messy and foul-smelling — but the education is worth it!

Why it’s a great starter project: Just as faucet repairs are a great way to begin to learn how plumbing works, drain cleanouts are a low-risk, low-cost way to begin understanding drain line structure.

What it gives you an excuse to buy: If you didn’t already grab a pair of channel lock pliers for faucet repair, you’ll want to pick some up for this task.