Spruce up Your Life With These Home Improvement Tips

Staff Writer-Midtgaard Soto

There are a lot of potential pitfalls waiting for the unprepared homeowner when he or she starts a home improvement project. If you aren't sure of where to start as you begin planning your home improvement project, then you should probably see if these tips are good advice for you to follow in getting the projects started and getting them done right.

If you don't already have some, install some ceiling fans in all your rooms. You can use these to cool rooms and circulate the air, reducing the need to use your air conditioning unit. This in turn will save you money on your electric bill and most likely increase the life expectancy of your air conditioner.

Self adhesive drywall patches are a must-have home improvement. These patches come in many forms ranging from mesh drywall tape to those made of a polymer material. Press them carefully into place using an iron. Be careful not to scorch the patch or the wall surface. Paint right over the patch and you'll never know it's there.

When looking to improve the value of your home, remodeling a bathroom can be a great step to take. Simple bathroom remodeling steps can include painting, changing out fixtures and installing new tiles. More elaborate efforts can include replacing bathtubs, toilets and sinks. Whatever https://www.constructiondive.com/news/the-top-construction-projects-to-watch-in-2020/571150/ choose, you're sure to see an increased home value when you update your bathroom.

When making outside cosmetic improvements to your home, don't neglect the front door. A cheap, ugly front door can make the whole front appear less attractive. To replace a standard front door, costs less than $200. The improvement you will see in the appearance of your home is more than worth the cost.

A common occurrence in many homes is a leaky shower head. This is caused by a defective or damaged O-ring inside of the head. To stop the leak, simply apply tape to the head, and twist the head off with a pipe wrench. Find an O-ring that fits your head and place it in. Place pipe sealer around the pipe threads and screw the head back on, with a final tightening from the pipe wrench. Then test the head for any further leaks.

If you're considering a home improvement project, learn to perform some handiwork yourself. Your home improvement project will be more satisfying, and the overall cost will be much cheaper. However, do consider the complexity of jobs you might do. Will a major mistake require an expensive fix? If so, you might be better going with a professional. Have confidence in how difficult you judge a job to be, and go with your gut.

If your home is filled with old-style brown wooden doors, do not try to brighten them up with paint. The effort involved will not be worth it. It could take three or four coats of paint to cover the brown wood. You're better off simply buying a new white door instead.

One of the easiest and most commonly overlooked home improvements that should be undertaken when moving into a new home is to replace every single lock in the house. While many realtors handle this service, failure to change the locks is a potential invitation to disaster. This is the first thing that should be done during the moving process.





Lots of homeowners decrease their renovation costs by putting in particleboard or solid wood cabinets without hardware. Thankfully, it's possible to buy handles, drawer pulls, and cabinet knobs at a home improvement store or online. You may want to get older looking pulls, modern ones or designer ones and these are able to be installed in a few minutes.

If you need to repair areas of a home where heavy furniture is placed, perform the repairs before you move in. Relatively small projects like updating a bathroom, finishing the basement, or putting a new color of paint in a room can be done after you move in.

When working on home improvement, it is important to get views on your ideas before you go and start the work. If you do not have completed and worked out ideas, the project could turn into a major mess and not be completed in a smooth and timely manner. Make sure that you have your ideas properly worked out!

Before beginning a kitchen remodel, make sure you have all the necessary tools and materials in place. Shims are items that are easy to forget, but are vital if you want to have level kitchen cabinets. Shims are tapered pieces of wood that allow you correct for minor imperfections in your walls and floors.

To change the look of your living room or den without spending a lot of money, consider updating your fireplace. Replacing the screen and painting the brick and/or mantel can add a fresh new look to the whole room, and eyes will immediately be drawn to the modern-looking focal point.

A great home improvement project that will save you a bundle is to install a programmable thermostat. These thermostats can allow you to program in a variety of different settings so that you are using your heating and cooling system only when you need it and without having to monitor it constantly.

You should make sure that a home with any additions is properly zoned and has all of the licenses that the area requires. There are some people who will build additions without permission first. If an addition is not registered, your insurance company could refuse to give you full insurance.

Your bathroom can be redecorated quickly and on the cheap. https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1r8tsjEaJ2x2rHyrrAAtILFxBay6LwNMdknlcqrcNs4s/edit?usp=sharing to fresh a bathroom is to replace the bath mat, shower curtain and towels. This will add instant appeal. Plants are also a pleasant addition to any bathroom, but they need to be ones that can stand low light and humidity.

A green home improvement is to go solar with the power in your home. In many areas of the country people are living completely off the grid by installing solar panels on their roofs. If you do not want to use it for power, you can use it for your hot water heater and save up to 80 percent on your water heating costs.

A home improvement project not only gives immediate benefits, but also benefits down the road, especially by increasing the value of your house. Don't be afraid to take initiative and renovate your house. If you apply these simple tips, you might be making a very wise decision that could be really beneficial not only now, but also in the future.