Our homes are our castles! But – our homes always have room have improvement, don’t they? At Hearth & Home Handyman Services, we’ve taken some time to put together a few tips to help you maintain your home and to help you as you move forward with any home improvement plans you might have. Below are our top 10 Home Improvement Tips:
Invest in Regular Home Maintenance
There is a list of home improvement tips that could fill a book of all the things that need to be maintained on your home regularly and they’re all important. The following are what we consider to be vital to the well-being of your home – and what, if ignored, can cause big problems:
- Clean your gutters regularly to ensure they function properly
- Snake your sewer once a year and have your drains cleaned to avoid back ups
- Change your furnace/air filters once a month to improve furnace efficiency
- Pull weeds to make sure they don’t become nuisances
- Re-caulk your bathtub/shower once a year (at least!) to avoid leaking and mildew
- Make sure to keep exterior painted trim in good condition to avoid rot
Energy Efficiency is Worth the Expense
Have you looked into your local tax credit programs for participating in energy efficiency home improvements? There are credits for new window installation, insulation installation, tankless hot water tanks and the use of energy efficient (Energy Star) appliances. In most cases, in addition to saving money in your utility bills, you’ll cover up to 50% of the cost of these improvement in tax credits and rebates, and your home will increase in value. As energy becomes more expensive, these improvements pay themselves off much quicker and you’ll find they’re completely worth the expense.
Address Small Issues Before They Become Big Problems
There is no such thing as a small issue in home maintenance or home improvement. A small crack or area of peeling paint could be indicative of a roof or pipe leak; a light that keeps blowing lightbulbs might indicate a shorted in a wire or circuit – you get the picture! If you ignore these things, they won’t go away, they’ll just get worse. And more expensive. Pay attention to your home and give it the care and attention it deserves.
Keeping Your Home Updated Will Improve Your Home Value
Home improvement is good for your home and for your home value. The average home improvement nets between 50-80% of return of the cost of the improvement right off the bat according to multiple sources including HUD and the National Board of Realtors. While you may not be planning to move, keeping your home updated and investing in home improvement will make it much easier and profitable to sell if you need or want to. The most profitable home improvements include kitchens, bathrooms and landscaping – but new windows, updated paint colors, and flooring are all home improvements that will give you a BANG for your buck.
Storage is Important and….
Storage should be a consideration in every home improvement. Better Homes and Gardens research shows that storage is in the top 10 features that add value to your home and these are simple, creative home improvements that almost every homeowner can afford:
- Add shelves above desks or laundry to store items
- Maximize empty space under stairs and build a closet or book shelves
- Build closets in nook areas of your home
- Buy nesting storage containers to minimize the space they need in your cabinets
- Double up on rods in your closet to maximize hanging space
- And…if a new kitchen remodel is in your plan, make sure you buy wall cabinets that go all the way to the ceiling – the top shelf is a great place to store items that are not often used.
Clean Out Your Clutter – Less is More
In addition to the right amount of storage in your home, it’s also important to have the right amount of stuff. Don’t hang on to things that you no longer use or are NEVER going to use in the future. The fact is that clutter causes damage – too much in a space can add to breakage and damage to the storage areas themselves. And the less you have in your space, the more your beautiful things will stand out. Most communities have donation centers or online forums to notify neighbors of things you want to re-house and you may even find that you can sell some of these items to help pay for your new home improvement!
The Takeaway
Improving your home is creative and fun. It should also be done with thoughtfulness and the help of an expert to be sure that its done right. At Hearth and Home Handyman Services, we are happy to help. Contact us today about your next home improvement project. Click here to view all of our services.