Adding value to any home is easy if you are willing to do some home improvements. There’s a practical justification, too; these projects ensure that your home operates safely and efficiently. There is a wide range of home improvement projects for you to choose from, from the quick and simple to the highly ambitious. Peruse this piece for several ideas.
Lampshades of simple structure and design are quite a bore. Go to your local arts and crafts store, and pick up some stencils and acrylic paint. With the acrylic paint, create some interesting designs on your lamp shade. This helps add personality to your rooms and really enhances a plain lamp shade.
A signed contract for your home improvement project should ideally include both your signature and that of the contractor. To help protect you, have the home improvement contract reviewed by an attorney. You want to ensure that all terms are clearly defined in the contact, such as warranty facts, specifics of the work expected, cost and project dates.
The improvements that are easily noticeable are very important. When you sell your home, buyers will be looking at it, not inspecting its guts. Not all important repairs are immediately obvious, but when trying to sell a home, you should emphasize those that are readily apparent.
When performing home improvement tasks, a drill is essential. You can have special attachment for different types of screws, and you can pre-drill holes in surfaces. Aim to use a cordless drill that is battery-powered with 9 volts and drill bits that are 1/32 all the way up to 1/4. You also need attachments for driving Phillips and flat-head screws.
You can renew the appearance of your walls by spackling small holes and painting. Spackle is readily available at your local home improvement or hardware store. If the holes are small, you won’t need that much spackle. The smallest of holes (like those left by push-pins) will require such a tiny dab of spackle that the ideal applicator is a bobby pin. When the spackle is dry, you should use a rigid object such as a credit card to smooth the hole. Apply paint. This process will eliminate wall holes very quickly.
Get your garage organized by arranging your items by their type and the amount of time you use them. Once you’ve done this, put them into clear plastic boxes. Label all plastic organizers for stacking. This is an affordable and easy way to protect belongings.
Don’t dispose of bedroom doors simply due to a dirty appearance. Take the door off of its hinges, sand it down and reveal the wood underneath. Get some oil-based paint and apply with a roller. Change out your doorknobs to something fancier.
You can use wallpaper to decorate a bookcase to make it look more appealing. Make sure it has an interesting design. If the wallpaper is put on the back of the bookcase, the design shows as a backdrop to your books when they are lined up on the shelves. The wallpaper will make your bookcase look better and stand out.
Building materials can easily be stored between floor joists or ceiling rafters. You can easily store two by fours or pieces of molding in these spaces. All you have to do is put some furring strips on floor joists or your rafters.
In any major home improvement job, it’s a good idea to take things slowly when it comes to demolition work. Before removing anything, be sure to check the wall structure behind it. If that wall was hiding electrical wiring, you could end up making a big mess if you were careless.
Before you begin your next home improvement project, ask for help from friends and family members. You may not be able to locate anyone to give you a hand if you have begun. You might have a hard time finishing on time, which would add more stress.
Be sure and include landscaping in your home improvement plans. Believe it or not, when people see your home, initially they notice the front lawn. An attractive one can give quite the impression. With neat and tidy grass and landscaping, your home will be a showplace.
Any time that you plan to work on an electrical project in your home, it is vital that you remember to shut off the electricity. If you neglect to do this, you increase the risk of sustaining damage, injury or even death.
You should put windows in the bathroom for more ventilation. Mold takes over when a bathroom retains its moisture. Painting the bathroom is a good way to hide the mold but it will not treat the problem. You will need to be proactive to prevent mold from growing. Reduce the humidity in the space with ventilation or a window.
Homes with an attractive view generally fetch a higher sale price. If your home looks out onto the ocean, for example, this may increase its value. There is also the matter of personal taste to consider. A view you think of as perfect might be unremarkable to a certain buyer, who would not want to pay more for it.
You can use a coat rack that is mounted on your wall for a place to hang and display any of your bracelets or necklaces. Only display costume jewelry – nothing expensive. Hanging your jewelry on a wall can make a pretty decorative statement, as well as keeping the jewelry tangle-free. Choose some of your favorite pieces and keep those out and in reach.
A normal wood fireplace used for heating might not be such a great idea. Compared with other systems, a wood-burning fireplace retains heat far less efficiently. Fireplaces can also deplete the oxygen level within your home since the fire uses oxygen to keep itself burning.
When planning landscaping, design it to complement the style of your home. Hardscapes and plantings that blend with the exterior of your home present a cohesive and attractive look.
If your home doesn’t need major upgrades, consider adding additional living space. Perhaps a playroom would be a good idea or even an exercise room. It’ll make your home a lot nicer to live in and increase its price too! Only do this when you’ve got the cash to lay out on major home improvement items.
Investing in a serious backyard fence (a tall wooden one or even a chain-link one) is a good idea when you move into a house that’s immediately adjacent to forested or undeveloped land. The improvements you make should be ones that are going to keep you and everyone in your home comfortable, while at the same time making your home look better.
Drapes are an easy change to improve the look of a room. Curtains come in many colors, styles and patterns that will change things up at a low cost. You might even customize your room every season with fabrics and colors which reflect the time of year; rich colors for winter and fall, and bright, airy colors for summer and spring.
When you are doing improvements, keep these things in mind. Make a list of specific improvements and the reasons you would like to do them. Also write down the benefits for you and your family. Home improvement is going to need dedication, so you need to be confident you are spending your time, money and energy wisely.
In advance of beginning a project, you need to ensure you are getting the right estimate. A mistake people often make is underestimating the price tag of the project. Be sure to get a couple of estimates and plan for an emergency fund.
