These days “spare change” is hard to find for pretty much anything, but budgeting for home improvements can be especially difficult. When you do have to spend money on renovations, you want to make sure it will be money well spent. Whether you plan to stay or move, improving curb appeal and increasing the resale value of your home is always on a homeowner’s mind. Ways to improve your home in the New Year that will have the most impact include upgrading the bathroom, renovating the kitchen, and installing new siding.
Paint inside or outside for a fresh perspective.
Add a fresh coat of paint to the walls – nothing gives the rooms of your home a new perspective than changing the colour or repainting. When you paint a room, the walls are repaired and made to look new again.
The same is true for your home’s exterior. Revive old, worn trim, a scuffed front door, or peeling porch railings with one or two simple repairs and a couple of coats of paint.
Upgrade the bathroom for functionality and luxury.
Bathrooms can quickly become outdated or tired. Upgrade the bathroom to improve its functionality and add touches of luxury with an awareness of how it will affect future homebuyers. Transforming a bathroom into an upscale spa environment might be seen as a room that requires a lot of maintenance.
Replace a single pedestal sink with a double vanity to allow two people to use the bathroom at the same time – it will also provide extra storage. Switch the toilet for a low-flush toilet – more eco-friendly. Install large tiles for both the floor and the shower – it can lend a more spacious feel to the room while minimizing grout lines.
Insulate the attic and/or crawl space.
An unfinished attic or one that is not adequately insulated can allow heat to escape, causing problems such as ice dams on your roof and high energy bills. Completely insulating the attic with the right level of insulation should help to keep the heat in and lower energy costs.
If you live in a home with a crawlspace ensure it has been properly insulated and has some kind of floor such as a vapor barrier or one made of concrete. This will help reduce the amount of heat escaping from the crawlspace.
Renovate the kitchen to reflect your lifestyle.
The kitchen is one of the busiest rooms in your home. And chances are, if you have lived in the house for more than 10 years, the kitchen has stayed the same while you and your family have not. It doesn’t have to be an expensive major overhaul – focus on upgrades that will reflect your current tastes and lifestyle.
Don’t seem to have as many sit-down meals as you used to? Install a breakfast bar with counter stools. Are countertops still scratched and marked from sandwiches being made without a cutting board? Replace the old ones with granite countertops? You never liked the backsplash? Select new tiles that are easy to clean and in a style and colour that will brighten up the kitchen. Do the appliances bother you because they’re old? Upgrade to energy-efficient appliances that are better for you and the environment.
Install new siding for improved curb appeal.
When siding starts to show its age it can really detract from the overall appearance of your home. An eco-friendly choice is fiber cement siding that is durable and suitable for a variety of climatic conditions. It’s an ideal alternative to wood siding, since fiber cement siding can imitate wood grain, cedar shakes, or cedar shingles. It’s popular with construction professionals because it’s a versatile siding material that has been known to last up to forty years.
Give your home’s exterior a high-end look with copper gutters.
Copper gutters give a home’s exterior a high-end look that is beautiful and timeless. A copper gutter system is relatively low maintenance and very long-lasting. Copper gutters typically have a half-round profile that increases visual impact and boots curb appeal.
