A well planned home improvement project helps improve your home and your spirits. Updates and renovations can add, not just to home aesthetics and usability, but also to the home’s market value. Jumping into a home improvement project can be an enjoyable and profitable venture. This article will give you some ideas of projects you might be interested in.
It’s a good idea to use many fans during the summer months. You should install some ceiling fans to keep their air circulating and create a cool environment. You can place some smaller fans around your home as needed. This will help you lower your electric bill during the summer months since fans use less electricity than an AC unit.
One of the best tips to help you on your quest to home improvement, is to take a personalized look at what you wish to achieve. Include personal touches to any home improvement project.
An over-the-range microwave is a great way to save space in an already cramped kitchen. Installed in place of your stove’s range hood, these microwaves come in many different prices and feature configurations. Many of these units feature a filter rather than outdoor venting, so they are better suited to situations that don’t require extreme ventilation.
Determine the changes that you are going to make before you start the renovation. A concrete plan is essential if you want your project to be within your budget and completed on time. Changing your plans or adding tasks in the middle of a project can easily increase your costs and time to completion. If you know what you want before you begin, it will be easier to keep your contractor happy.
Give your home furnishings and accessories a thorough dusting weekly. Just a few days could allow for quite a bit of dust to build up and cause allergy issues in the home. Regular cleaning eradicates dust, but also keeps your home free from ants, fleas and other pests.
If a designer just isn’t in your budget, get to work. Pick up books, look through magazines and visits blogs to help you. Visualizing your home can help significantly. This sort of resource is a good place to turn for affordable DIY home improvement projects.
It’s a good idea to sit down and clearly define your goals and intentions before you get started on your home improvement work. Once the project is underway, this will let you focus on the actual task at hand, as opposed to design details. Pull ideas from magazines, others homes and anything that you really like.
Attaching two PVC pipes is a simple process that requires PVC primer and PVC cement. Make sure that the products you use fit your pipes. Make sure the surface of the pipes is dry when you begin.
Prior to purchasing hardwood flooring, ask a professional about the status of your existing floors. You might just have some very nice hardwood flooring way underneath whatever has been layered onto your floors, such as carpeting or linoleum. This can result in you spending less money to wind up with beautiful, high quality floors.
Keep records of everything you are having done if you have decided to hire a contractor to do your home improvement tasks. Contractors may not always do this for you, so don’t assume that they will. Your file should include estimates and invoices as well as the document outlining your original agreement for the work. This can help you and the contractor stay focused on the current tasks.
Bathrooms need to be well ventilated. Mold takes over when a bathroom retains its moisture. Painting over mold will not totally kill it off. Therefore, something should be done that will prevent mold growth altogether. Put a window in, or ventilate the space so you can dehumidify it.
Sand and wipe off any wood surface that you will be staining or painting. You will get a smooth finish by using fine-grit sandpaper to sand the item. Wiping the object down with a damp rag will remove any dust, which will also help to keep the finish smooth.
A coat rack mounted on your wall is a nice way to display necklaces and other jewelry. But do not hang real jewelry on the rack, just costume jewelry. Having your nicer jewelry out on display can be aesthetically pleasing and keep the pieces from becoming tangled. Keep a few pieces in an easy to access location.
You need to make sure you think about the paint before any other projects are attempted in the room. It’s smarter to paint before installing anything you’d have to work around, like fixtures or a new floor. You would not want to spill any paint on the new flooring.
Change the color of your garage door to spruce up the look of your home. Garage doors often get scratched or dinged, so a fresh coat of paint is a simple solution. Your house looks better overall with a freshly-painted garage door. Choose a new color that blends in better with the palette of your house instead of sticking with the original, standard shade.
Don’t overlook issues with rust or mold, no matter how small. In older homes, they are common problems which easily spread. The smaller the problem is when you tackle it, the easier it is to deal with. A delay can turn these problems into major headaches. Bleach can help with mold. In many cases, a minor rust issue can be fixed with sanding.
One good home improvement project that pays dividends is finishing the basement. Finished basements add square footage as well as extra enjoyment. Try to purchase the materials that you require from discount stores to save money. Some say that a finished basement can boost a home’s resale value by a third.
Crown Molding
Air conditioners are bulky by nature, but they are a necessary evil on hot summer days. Pretty up your exterior air conditioner with a trellis, or hide it behind a bush. Try planting a cluster of tall flowers or grasses a foot in front of the unit.
You will be astounded by the impact crown molding has on your walls. If your walls are plain, crown molding adds a little zest and flavor to them instead of them being flat and boring. The installation of crown molding is easy, and on the whole the project is not expensive.
You might want to update the window treatments in your home, so that you can make it fit with the season. You can make your ceilings seem higher by raising your drapes and curtains higher.
Once the homeowner has a few successful home improvement projects under his or her belt, the tangible benefits and increased confidence often encourage more ambitious work. This is a positive feedback loop. There is no limit if you work with focus and intelligence.
Don’t agree on time constraints with the contractor that may cost you more money. They usually have legit reasons for wanting to finish quicker. They may need to move on to other jobs and rush workers because of this. Do not let your contractor rush through your job or charge you for some overtime work that was not really needed.
