More than half of the homeowners in the United States have done their own home improvement. Home improvement projects generally have one of the following as their goals: comfort, increased salability, energy savings, and basic maintenance and repair. There are many resources out there for the homeowner looking to engage in their own home improvement projects.
Replacing your carpets can be a breath of fresh air. Carpets can be a hotbed of allergens making your own home hard to live in. Consider replacing your carpets with hardwood, tile, or laminate floors for a healthier living environment. Hard surface floors will also provide an updated look to your home.
You don’t have to throw out your old wicker patio furniture. Sure, it may be weathered, but you can make them good as new. Replace your old cushions, or sew a new cover for them. Buy some cheap spray paint in shocking black or elegant white and spray your wicker set in the chosen color. Make sure to wear a protective mask over your mouth for safety. This can make your patio set look good as new and give you a reason to spend the day outdoors.
Replacing the light switch covers in your home is an easy and quick way to brighten up a room. For about $20, you can replace all of the switch covers in an average-sized home with nice clean white ones. They will match just about any decor style. Since most people look for a switch when they enter a room, a clean switchplate appears to clean up the whole room.
If your front door has to endure torrents of hot weather, make sure to choose an oil based paint instead of latex to prevent the paint from peeling off. A peeling front door is rather unsightly, so invest some money in high quality oil based paint to keep your door looking fresh in the heat.
Remodel your kitchen if it has ugly or outdated appliances and cabinetry. Kitchens are a significant portion of the value of a home. By remodeling your kitchen, you can greatly increase the value of your home. Install stainless steel appliances, replace cabinet doors and put in a tile or glass backsplash.
Whenever your home improvement projects call for installing or replacing light switches, spend a little extra money to equip each room’s primary lights with a dimmer switch. Not only will you yourself enjoy the increased flexibility offered by good dimmers, the expenditure will pay off in terms of a little added market value if you ever sell your home.
Give your kitchen cabinets a brand new look with paint. This is a very inexpensive way of updating your kitchen cabinets. Remove the doors and thoroughly clean all surfaces with denatured alcohol to get rid of dirt and grease. Apply a coat of primer: this should take about an hour to dry. Use a latex or oil paint, and choose a gloss finish, as this stands up well to scrubbing. If the paint you are using is roughly the same shade as the original, you may be able to get away with one coat of paint over the primer. Your cabinets will look brand new again!
As the article states, there are many resources out there to assist with home improvement projects. A conscientious homeowner will do much research before beginning any type of home improvement project to insure that they have the correct materials and tools on hand to complete the project and ensure a successful improvement.