Undertaking a home improvement project not only makes your home a more pleasant place to live, but will also increase its value. Before you get started, though, make sure you give yourself an advantage and help yourself avoid common errors by making use of the tips and techniques in this article.
For those who like to do it themselves instead of hiring a contractor, there are many ways to learn different techniques for home improvement. Looking on the internet, reading books or talking to more knowledgeable individuals, can help you to glean some useful information. There is much information available to help someone who wants to fix up a house.
Improve the Energy Efficiency
You don’t want the air that you paid to heat or cool escaping outside. Insulate your home in order to save energy and lower your heating and cooling bills. Check the attic, as well as windows and doors. Any leaky spots should be fixed. Weather stripping can be added to doors and windows and new insulation can be added to the attic.
Install ceiling fans to disperse heat and air conditioning better throughout your home. During the mild seasons, ceiling fans can provide all the cooling you need. Throughout the colder winter months, your ceiling fans can spread out the warm air from your heating system faster, cutting down on expensive heating costs.
Keep Gutters Clear
Use an old, dirty paint roller to clean the gutters on your house. The old paint roller that you have deemed unusable will quickly and easily clean your dirty gutters. Attach the roller to an extended handle, then simply remove debris and leaves by sliding it along the gutter.
Organize
Organize your home by bottling up your yarn and other delicate craft materials. Two liter bottles like those soda come in are great for storing practically everything. Remove the label, cut a slit down the side and insert your skeins or balls of yarn! Pull the loose end through the top and replace the cap to secure it.
If you’re one of the many people who are suffering from lack of space in their closets, there are ways to remedy that. You can buy ready-made shelving that is easy to install. Or you can build simple shelving inside of your closet to create more space for your clothing and accessories. Hang your purses on pegs and put your shoes in small plastic boxes to be able to later stack them on the bottom of your closet. Whatever you’re not using and is out of season, consider moving them to storage or storing them under your bed.
Spruce Up Your Curb Appeal
Your house can look more chic by adding a little garden area in the front. First decide what kinds of plants are able to grow in your climate and purchase them from a store. Plant them in a nice design near your porch or doorstep. For a nicer and cleaner finish, add some small fencing around your garden area to fully define the space.
Exterior lighting will add beauty to your landscaping as well as give you peace of mind at night. Consider motion sensor lighting, as this will reduce the amount of energy used when the outdoors are not occupied, but can frighten away unwanted animals or even prowlers. Install the lights in strategic places, such as the exact area visible to you from a window, and the path from your vehicle to the front door.
Prevent Plumbing Issues
You should insulate your pipes before winter strikes to prevent the lines from freezing. Weatherizing tape for wrapping your plumbing lines is available at your local hardware store. It will prevent them from freezing and therefore needing to be replaced after the burst. Disconnect outdoor hoses to prevent them from freezing and cracking the pipes going into the home.
Refinish Old Wood Floors
Avoid replacing original wood floors; instead refinish them.The older a wood floor is, the less likely it is that it can be replaced with an equally attractive floor. It is much better to refinish existing wood floors. Even in cases of the most extreme damage, laying a new floor over the original one is preferable to removing it.
Brighten Up Your Decor
Look at everything in your room, and choose one item to base your color scheme on. It might match your couch, your curtains, a rug, it doesn’t matter, just make sure it looks nice. If one of your rugs features red, blue, and green shades, then you should select one color that will be prominent in your room. This color should comprise approximately two-thirds of your room. Use the other two colors as secondary accent colors.
If your bedroom is looking a little old and worn out, you can put up new curtains or blinds to bring a touch of freshness into your bedroom. A new comforter can also add brightness and is an inexpensive way ap way to bring your room back to life with color.
Paint the Walls and Trim
There’s nothing like a fresh coat of paint to brighten up a room and make it look great. Bold colors can make the rest of the decor pop. Consider painting one wall of a room a contrasting, but complementary color than the others. Even if you choose to paint a room with the same muted color, the result will look cleaner and fresher.
Add Some Minor Kitchen or Bathroom Renovations
There are some small projects you could undertake yourself that will improve the look and feel and/or add storage space to your kitchen or bathrooms. Adding a rollout cabinet in the kitchen can solve some issues with deep cabinets. Installing inserts that roll out can prevent back-breaking searches for the needing cooking utensils.
You can replace some bathroom fixtures to revitalize the room. Towel racks, lighting fixtures, and new faucets in the latest styles are great ways to update the look. You can also add some bathroom accessories that will make it more convenient for everyone. Mounting a pull-out mirror near the sink can assist when shaving. Multi-level towel racks can save on space.
Do-It-Yourself or Hire a Contractor?
There are many home improvement or maintenance projects that most individuals can handle themselves. Depending on your expertise, experience and comfort level, tackling home improvement is something that you need to decide whether to take on yourself or hire a contractor to complete the job. Here are some questions to ask yourself before making that decision.
Is It Worth Your Time and Effort?
It’s usually less expensive when you do a job yourself. But why is that? Labor, of course!
If you have lots of time on your hands to tackle a home improvement project, you will most likely save money there. But if you only have weekends to work on it, the project may take a lot longer to complete than you (or your family) is willing to wait. You also need to accept that most of your “spare” time will be spent working on the job, so you may not get to enjoy as many fun activities.
How Risky Is the Project?
If the home improvement undertaking is such that it’s dangerous for a non-professional to tackle, you need to seriously consider hiring a contractor. If you aren’t knowledgeable about electrical work, for example, you may be risking injury by doing it yourself. If the job includes plumbing work that you aren’t experienced with, it could seriously damage the home.
Good, reliable contractors have experts in place for all types of home improvement activities. They are bonded, licensed and insured, which greatly reduces the risk of injury and damage. They are highly trained in the specific job you need done, so the project will be completed more accurately and in a timely manner.
Do You Have the Skills, Equipment and Knowledge?
If you don’t know how to do a minor job, you may be able to learn through reading a book, watching a video, or talking to someone at your local hardware store. However, major jobs require expertise to do them right. Specific tools are also needed for different jobs, and tools can be expensive. Ask yourself the following questions:
- Do you know all the steps it will take to do the job?
- Do you have all the necessary tools or can you borrow or rent them?
- How much skill or expertise is needed to do this project properly—and do you have it?
- What recourse do you have if the project turns into a DIY disaster? (Many pros charge more to redo work or refuse to do it at all.)
If you don’t enjoy doing the required work, or aren’t comfortable tackling a project, you need to consider hiring a contractor. Contractors have all the skills and equipment they need to get the job done accurately.
Finnteriors Construction Services Can Be Your Contractor
If you determine that you need to hire a contractor for your home improvement projects, contact Finnteriors for a free consultation. We’ve been in business since 1990, providing home improvement services to people in the St. Louis metropolitan area.
Finnteriors Construction Services has several local, national, and international accreditations, and are full members of the following prestigious organizations:
- Home Builders Association
- National Association of Home Builders
- Building Owners and Managers Association International
- Building Owners and Managers Association of St. Louis
- Crawford Contractor Connection
- International Facility Management Association
- Metropolitan Fire Marshals Association
- Restoration Industry Association
You can trust Finnteriors to complete your home improvement project within budget, on time and according to your specifications.