How to Add Character to a Builder-Grade Home

A builder-grade home is made with inexpensive products, fixtures, and finishes so a construction company can cut costs – especially if they’re building a neighborhood of homes.

This can mean a lower initial cost for you, the buyer, but it also means a bland home constructed with cheap, often flimsy materials that won’t stand the test of time.

It’s smart to replace builder-grade features little by little to increase your home’s value. It’s also necessary if you want to add character.

5 Ways to Add Character to a Builder-Grade House

Think of a builder-grade house as a blank slate. Whatever you upgrade will instantly add value and personality to your living space.

1. Add Window Trim

Most builder-grade houses will have window trim that’s either plain, minimal, or non-existent. If this is the case, framing the windows with decorative trim can add a boatload of character to each room.

2. Change the Door Knobs/Handles

Standard door knobs are de rigueur in these homes. They’re a dime a dozen. To add more personality, switch them out for unique or vintage hardware. Do this on your entry doors, your kitchen cabinets, or your closet doors throughout the home.

3. Add Wainscoting

Builder-grade often means plain walls with plain baseboards, no upper molding, and paint in a plain, cream shade.

To take your walls from boring to interesting, think about adding wainscoting, bead board, or even board and batten (a decorative wall design featuring a square pattern made of painted boards). Go as far up the wall as you like, and paint the top portion of the wall a color you love.

4. Put Up Faux Wood Beams

If you live in a cookie-cutter house but would prefer to live in a historic home, look at the type of architecture you love for inspiration.

Do you love old farmhouses? Why not install faux wood beams – a farmhouse design staple – in strategic areas? It adds tons of character, contrast, and interest to any bland, builder-grade room.

5. Upgrade Your Kitchen Sink

Your kitchen is probably as cookie-cutter as the rest of your house. If you want a quick change that immediately adds personality, switch out the plain sink for one with a definitive style.

Do you love modern design? Then try a square-cut sink in an industrial finish, like concrete. Are you still aiming for a farmhouse look? Then you can’t beat a big apron sink.

A Builder-Grade Home Is Full of Potential

If you bought a builder-grade property to save money, you made a smart investment. Now, it’s time to update and upgrade the place so you can enjoy living there – and enjoy the return on investment when it’s time to sell.

Start with small updates and work your way up. This is how you turn that blank slate into something you’re proud to call your abode.