Home projects are a great way to spruce up your living space, whether you just want a change or you want to increase your property value. Most home improvement projects cost about 25 cents on the dollar, while the other 75 cents go back into the home to increase its value, so making upgrades can be a solid investment into your house’s future.
Even if you’re not considering selling your home in the future, general maintenance will help to reduce wear and tear on the space you love and make sure it stays secure for you and your family.
You don’t have to be a handyman to get most home improvement projects done correctly. In fact, between 2015-2017, about 43 million home improvements were ‘DIY’ projects by homeowners. The most important thing to keep in mind, is how to avoid mistakes while you’re working, like buying the wrong materials or creating an unrealistic budget. If you go slowly and tackle one project at a time, it’s much easier!
So what can you do to upgrade your home, whether it’s for longevity or to increase its value?
Paint the Rooms
According to Windows Bristol, one quick and easy way to give your home’s interior a facelift is to apply a coat of paint. Paint has a finite lifespan, so you can keep changing or updating the colors to keep your home looking fresh.Painting a room a certain color can change its whole mood and can make it appear bigger or cozier. Certain colors can even have an impact on your own mood and mental health. For example, soft shades of blue can help you to feel calm and peaceful, and green is considered to be a restful color, so they are both great options for a bedroom.
If you hire a professional painter, it can cost over $1,000 to paint a single room, depending on its size. When you do it yourself, you’ll cut that cost down to about $100-$200, depending on the size of your room and the supplies needed.
Boost Energy Efficiency
With so much focus on climate change and other environmental issues facing our planet, it’s important to do what you can to reduce your carbon footprint. Thankfully, small changes made at home can actually make a big difference. Plus, you can end up saving money on your utility bills in the process!One easy way to use less energy in your home is to give your appliances an upgrade. Everything from your refrigerator to your washer and dryer can be upgraded to an ENERGY STAR appliance. If everyone purchased ENERGY STAR appliances in the U.S., it would result in a savings of $425 million in energy costs.
Energy-efficient windows are also a great home upgrade that can make a difference. They can reduce your electric bills by 40-60% and provide a more aesthetically-pleasing look to your home. Plus, they’re great for increasing your home’s value, since so many shoppers are interested in energy-efficiency.
Electrical outlet upgrades can help to increase energy efficiency and can also make your home safer. While installing new electrical outlets or upgrading existing ones is something you should contact an electrician for, it’s a fairly easy job for a professional that usually only takes a few hours.
If you really want to give your home a “green” upgrade, you can do additional small projects, like:
- Installing low-flow showerheads
- Replacing traditional lightbulbs with LED
- Adding insulation to your attic
- Installing solar panels
- Create a Charming Exterior
An easy way to spruce up the look of your home’s exterior is to do a little landscaping. You don’t necessarily have to have a green thumb to make it look nice. Planting some bushes, trees, and plants in your yard will:
- Increase your property value
- Help to clean the air
- Reduce noise pollution around your house
- Slow water runoff
Pressure washing your home can make a big difference in how it looks, too. There are differences of opinion when it comes to how often you should pressure wash your house, but you should really make that call based on when it looks like the exterior needs it. Not only does pressure washing increase your home’s value and curb appeal, but it can help to identify problem areas on your house’s exterior. If you’re getting ready to paint the exterior, pressure washing beforehand can also give you a clean workspace for the paint to adhere better.
Home projects don’t have to be overwhelming. By tackling one at a time, you can spruce up your home from the inside out, keeping it well-maintained and structurally sound for years to come.
