Who says home improvement has to be expensive? A couple of hundred dollars and a little creativity can go a long way.

After watching so many of the Home Improvement shows an television, here are a few ideas for refreshing your home's look on a small budget:

It's amazing how small details can liven up a room. Take a bathroom for example. Replace your old sink faucet with a new one, install a new shower head and volume controls in the shower/bathtub, put in some new towel bars and a shower curtain, and voilà - your bathroom has a whole new sparkle to it!

Continuing with the theme of small details, let's now talk about the kitchen. Old, worn cabinet hardware can be easily replaced with new hardware, such as knobs, pulls and hinges. This is easy and inexpensive. Longing for new kitchen cabinets, but have no budget for them? Even though it is timeconsuming, refinishing your existing cabinets is far cheaper than getting new ones, but the end result can be just as nice looking.

There are a number of inexpensive ways to liven up your walls. The most obvious is paint. Easy to do and easy on the wallet, giving your walls a splash of new color can give any room a dramatic new appearance. For a more sophisticated look, try your hand at sponge-painting or faux-finish.

Your local bookstore (or even more conveniently, the Internet) has plenty of practical guides with step-by-step instructions. And, to add one more elegant element to your walls, how about crown moldings? Even a moderately skillful do-it-yourselfer can install them, and the friendly folks at your local home improvement store are always ready to help with expert advice.

To a great extent, a room's ambiance is determined by its lighting. Upgrading your light fixtures or installing new ones is great way to dramatically change the look of a room. Fortunately, there are many inexpensive lighting options available, from lamps to chandeliers to wall lights. Try experimenting with different lighting types, positions and brightness settings to achieve a romantic, or cozy or cheerful new look for a room.