Home improvement does not have to be the sole province of mechanical minds. Home improvement projects provide additional benefits beyond having a nicer house to live in. A good home improvement project that is done right will elevate the value of most any property. This article provides some tips on how to maximize your next improvement project.
Renovate your home to allow for the use of more energy-efficient and natural lighting. This is an easy way to reduce your electric bill while also helping to save the environment. Compact fluorescent bulbs will last longer, use less energy, and provide a more comfortable lighting than incandescents. It is easy to replace the bulbs in your home with these.
Considering the cost of hiring a plumber, you will probably want to do some of the simpler plumbing tasks yourself. An essential tool is the pipe wrench. It is adjustable, so it can fit a pipe perfectly, and it provides an excellent grip and leverage. This one tool will more than pay for itself.
Use a flexible container to mix up just enough dry plaster of Paris for your intended use. When you are finished with the job all you have to do is allow the remainder of the plaster to harden, turn the container upside down over a trash can, and flex the sides. The plaster will cleanly separate from the container and you can put the container away to use on the next job.
Think about what area of the house you want to work on first. Rather than trying to do the entire house at one time, you can go room by room to save time and money. Plan in advance and be watchful of sales. Planning ahead is a smart way for you to save money when you are improving your home.
Use aluminum foil to cover your outlet covers and switch plates before you paint. The foil is much simpler to apply than tape and protects the entire cover from splatters and drips. Cleanup is a snap! Let the paint completely dry, then take the foil off and place it into recycling.
Don’t throw out your bedroom doors just because they’re dirty. Instead, remove them from their frame and sand them down. Then buy some oil based paint of your choice and paint your door with a paint roller. If you want things to feel fresh and new, try replacing your old doorknobs with something more fancy.
One valuable home improvement project that could save you money is the installation of ceiling fans. Having a fan in each of your rooms can help keep them cool and allow the air to circulate. If you use the fans instead of air conditioning, your summer energy bill will be much lower.
The shingles on your roof will at some point need to be replaced. As asphalt shingles get older, they start to lose the bound granules and curl up on the corners of the sheets. If you are experiencing leaks that have gone through the ceiling, then it is definitely time to lay down a new roof. Otherwise, if your roof has lost several shingles, this is a less drastic but firm indication that it’s time to replace the roof.
If your living room screams boring and too natural looking, add a bold print in the room to help give it extra personality. It doesn’t need to be an expensive overhaul, but can be achieved with zesty accessories in the form of everyday items such as lamps, art prints or pillows.
Add art to your walls. Put a little extra effort into your wall decorations. It can be a painting, a relief, dried flowers, or anything that can be affixed to the wall. Adding art will improve the general look, feel, and mood of your home as well as adding a sense of style and class.
Interior paint finishes come in a number of textures. For ordinary homeowners there is no reason to select a texture rougher than “eggshell” or “orange peel.” In years gone by much rougher textures (like “popcorn”) were used for walls and ceilings in order to provide visual interest and dampen sound. These textures proved easy to damage and hard to clean, and so fell out of common use.
Hire an electrician to install the outlet above the microwave cabinet. This will make it easy to plug in without the cord being visible. This will help hide a cord that has been bothering you.
Add some artwork or wallpaper trim to your bathroom for a new look. Wallpaper trim is affordable, and there are a variety of patterns from which you can choose to complement your decor. It also installs in a snap. Add to it a few pieces of art, and you can completely transform your bathroom.
How sustaining is your house’s insulation? Maybe your attic has never been insulated. Insulation has everything to do with energy cost and efficiency. Fully insulating your home significantly adds to the value of your home as well as reducing the operating costs. Have an insulation check done, and improve the areas that are not fully insulated.
When adding a fresh coat of paint to white ceilings, use a pink ceiling paint to ensure that you don’t miss any spots. These specially tinted paints roll on pink but dry white, making it easier to tell if you have completely covered the old ceiling and eliminating that frustrating patchy look.
When replacing exterior lighting of your home, you should consider putting in outdoor motion detectors. These lights operate only when activated and can alert you to an intruder. This can help save lots of money and energy.
If you are stuck with a boring steel front door, and can’t afford a new one, try painting it an interesting color, or choose a paint with special effects. You could also apply some kind of faux-finish to make it appear more interesting and expensive!
There is more to renovations, but this article should get you started. Continue learning so you can better your home improvement skills. Conducting the proper research beforehand can be the factor that makes a home improvement project successful. Be certain you possess a clear understanding of any home improvement you do.
