For many, buying a vacation home is a dream come true. You’ve worked all your life to get to the point where you can have a little oasis away from your everyday life. It’s a place where you can relax and enjoy life, whether it’s near a beach, close to golf courses, or in the middle of the woods. 

While it may be a dream come true, you may have to compromise on some things if you have a limited budget for it. You may have a perfect location in mind, but the prices are too high. Don’t despair, though. You can still purchase a low-cost property and make it look and feel like it was much more expensive. Here are some of the top tips to make your cheap vacation home look like a million dollar property. 

Buy A Container Home

A container home is exactly how it sounds. It’s a home built out of a shipping container. That might not sound like a million bucks, but it can certainly be made to look like it. For one, buying a shipping container home is cheaper than a standard home, whether it’s your primary residence or a vacation home. You can combine containers together to scale up, or keep things as simple as possible. They are extremely versatile, meaning you can have any layout you want, any color, and any utilities you need. 

They are especially useful when you have limited space, such as being in the woods. Custom container homes can be built to your specifications that will fit perfectly on whatever property you own. That way you can save money on your purchase, and use the savings to make your new home look as fabulous as possible. 

Avoid Overdoing Themes

Think of any vacation homes you’ve ever visited. In many cases, they have a theme that runs through the home. Cabins in rustic locations may have animal heads on the walls, and components that bring to mind old country homes. Homes by the beach are often baby blue inside with images of boats or seashells on the walls, and nick nacks on tabletops. 

The truth is, when a theme is overdone it can make the decor look tacky. Not only that, but it can get very expensive to buy all of the items, images, and stuff that you will have cluttering your home. The best thing to do is to invest in some sophisticated pieces that give a hint of the surroundings. It will look more sleek, less cluttered, and surprisingly more expensive. 

Coordinate Your Colors

Much like you don’t want to overdo it with your theme, you also don’t want to overdo it with your colors. Instead of having bold shades to show how fun and exciting it is to be in this vacation home, be more subtle. You can certainly have bold colors, but use them as accent walls to keep it subdued. By using some of the natural colors of the environment inside, you can create a lush and warm environment while also extending the vacation feel of your location. If you are in the cabin, have some accented brown and earth-toned walls. If you’re on the beach, go with light blue or tan. Again, subtle touches will make your home look more sophisticated and stylish. 

Minimal Furniture

Much like overdoing a theme can make your home look tacky, too much furniture can have the same effect. Cramming your space with furniture is also expensive and makes your home harder to navigate. Instead, invest in some choice pieces that provide comfort, but also keep your rooms open and airy. Clutter can give off a feeling of stress and discomfort. You want your vacation home to feel relaxed and breezy to both yourself and any visitors you might have. For a truly sophisticated minimalist look, go with simple pieces that have accents on them, such as boldly colored throw cushions or seat backs. 

Minor Changes

Sometimes all it takes are some small changes to turn your cheap vacation home into a stunning million dollar property. For example,  you can spend bigger on updated hardware for your kitchen cabinets, closets, and doors. They may seem like little things, but they can give a great impression, much like wearing an expensive watch can. You can also make sure that your exterior is freshly painted or resurfaced on a regular basis so that your home always has a brand new feel to it. 

We can’t all have vacation homes, much less million dollar ones. However, that doesn’t mean that we can’t strive to have one that feels more expensive. With some simple tips and tricks, you can turn your cheap vacation home into a dream come true and something you can show off to your friends and family.