If you are looking to inject some character into your residence, you may want to embark on a series of inspirational home improvement projects. With some basic construction skills and an eye for style, you can both boost the visual appearance of your property and increase the value of your house. Here are four inspirational projects that most homeowners can easily handle. Create a World-Class Vegetable Garden If you consider yourself a lover of the outdoors, you might spruce up your yard by planting a lovely vegetable garden. With the right mixture of organic soil and fertilizer, you can put together a nice little growing area for your saplings. Bell peppers, tomatoes, cucumbers and squash are rather easy to grow and will flourish under most weather conditions. To keep away the rabbits and squirrels, you can construct small chicken-wire fences around each plant. For some added elegance, you might enclose the whole garden with a picket fence and a gate. Build a Series of Bookshelves As a homeowner, you'll likely find that you have books sitting around in various rooms of the house. With some carpentry skills, you can create small bookshelves as accent pieces. With a hammer, a box of nails and some quality lumber, you'll have no problems with the construction. The shelves can be primed and painted a variety of colors. In addition to books, you might also decorate your new shelves with vases, photographs, trinkets and other family heirlooms. Transform Your Floor If your house currently suffers from psychedelic carpet that seems to date to the 1970s, you can tear it out and install beautiful new hardwood floors. As long as the individual floorboards are placed flush against each other, you'll be able to mimic the style of a Victorian mansion. Oak, cherry, pine and even magnolia are all fine choices. Oriental rugs can be placed in strategic locations around the house for a bit of color. Become Master of Your Kitchen Lastly, you can initiate a number of small kitchen projects that will transform the heart of your home. The installation of granite counters and the construction of a spice rack are two excellent ways to bring the kitchen into the modern era. Whether you're interested in preparing pasta dishes, sauces, casseroles, salads or desserts, you'll have everything you need to expertly slice and dice your meat and vegetables. Spice racks can be bolted to the wall above the counter for easy access. In the end, you should choose projects that you find personally inspirational. With spice racks, vegetable gardens, hardwood floors and bookshelves, you can modify your residence so that it quickly becomes the jewel of the neighborhood. Friends and family will undoubtedly be impressed with your handiwork.