Americans have become home improvement and remodeling maniacs. Demand is so great in some regions of the country that contractors are doing overnight shifts because they can’t get labor during the day. But there are simple, inexpensive things you can do that will give a house a new look. The simplest are new paint and new carpet. The paint industry would have you believe that you need to spend tons of money to get a quality look. Well, that’s just not true. According to the L.A. Times, “boutique manufacturers” are trying to convince consumers that they must buy designer paints to get the result they are looking for. Some of these “palettes,” as they are called, cost five or six times as much. Are they worth it? No way, says Consumer Reports. The magazine tested each of the paints and found that paints as cheap as $15 a gallon were great to use. So, there is no need to spend a fortune on paint.