52 DIY Home Projects You Can Do in a Weekend

Sometimes, all you need is a day or two to complete a home improvement project that has been on your list for months. Here are 52 DIY home projects throughout the house, yard, and even garage that require only an hour or two, an afternoon, or a full weekend to complete. The cost of these projects will vary based on different factors—and some don’t require a penny.

Start From the Top: The Attic

Sometimes, we forget about the attic since it’s not a room we often use. Spending some time up there can make our time below more comfortable.

• Insulate your attic

• Clear out and organize your attic

Continue Home Projects in General Living Spaces

Many of these ideas can apply from the living room to a kitchen or bedroom. Consider these home improvement projects as part of a checklist for rooms throughout the house or outdoors.

• Add shelving to maximize vertical space.

• Paint your rooms

• Change locks

• Caulk windows and door frames

•  Replace or fix broken windows and door hinges

• Give your furniture an update

• Prepare your furnace for extreme cold weather

•  Install a smart thermostat

• Wash your windows

• Install a home security system

• Steam clean your carpets

• Replace hardwood or carpet flooring

• Replace broken or chipped tiles

• Frame and hang your artwork

• Hang your television screen

• Add crown molding

• Check (and replace, if necessary) batteries in fire and carbon monoxide detectors

• Check that your fire extinguishers are accessible and function properly

• Clean and clear vents 

• Build a home gym

• Sew decorative pillows or window treatments

• Replace window treatments

• Update any faux flowers or introduce new live plants into your home

• Go through books and donate any you no longer want or plan to read

• Replace or upgrade the light bulbs throughout the house

• Replace drywall or fix holes in walls

• Replace a door

• Change your furnace filter

Don’t Forget Those Garden Projects

Many of us are spending more time than ever outdoors. Here are 11 projects and ideas to help make your outdoor time more enjoyable.

• Stain the deck

• Re-sod your lawn

• Install a smart sprinkler system

• Install a drip irrigation system

• Use spray paint or stain to refresh outdoor furniture

• Build an outdoor fire pit

• Build a wood bench

• Build an outdoor picnic table

• Build a compost bin

• Add landscape lighting

• Build raised garden beds

Kitchens and Bathrooms Don’t Need a Remodel to Look New

You don’t always need to remodel a kitchen or bathroom to make it feel like an upgrade. Here are more than a half-dozen weekend DIY projects to add to almost another dozen kitchen DIY projects you can complete over a weekend.

• Replace faucets

• Replace your kitchen backsplash

• Clean out your refrigerator

• Clear out and organize your pantry

• Clear out and organize your junk drawer and kitchen cabinets

• Throw out old medicine from the medicine cabinet

• Install a new toilet

Update Your Bedroom and Closet Spaces

The rooms meant to be our refuge sometimes look like a war zone with clothes all over the place and things that need to be mended and forgotten. Take a day or two to take stock of what’s in your bedroom and closets. Your clothes and mental space will thank you.

• Go through your bedroom closet and donate and upcycle old clothes

• Go through your jewelry box and arrange to fix broken jewelry

Give the Garage Some Love and Attention

Whether you have an attached or detached garage, it seems to be the spare room that becomes unintentional storage or a mishmash of things we throw there because we don’t know where else to put them. Put on some music and go to town, giving your garage some much-needed love and attention.

•  Add more lighting in your garage

• Clear out and organize your garage