Tips For Success With Your Home Improvement Plan

Making home improvements doesn’t have to mean completing complex tasks. It also doesn’t have to mean spending big bucks. There are many projects that you can complete with just a little guidance. In this article we will provide tips on some simple and cost effective improvements that you could do this weekend.

When painting trim in your home, choose a semi-gloss or high-gloss paint, especially in areas that see a lot of traffic. People naturally touch door frames and trims, and glossy paints are much easier to wipe clean than flat paints. As a bonus, using high-gloss trim paints will provide some contrast to flatter wall colors.

Are you ready for a home improvement project, but need to hire help? If you get a bad feeling or don’t trust a contractor when you first meet, DO NOT HIRE THAT CONTRACTOR! Home improvements are meant to improve your house, but if the person doing the work doesn’t put in the effort to do quality work safely, then you could be in big trouble! Choosing a contractor you feel good about will better ensure that you get what you pay for.

Take a close look at your home and ideas. As with any home improvement project, you need to know where to begin. Looking through your entire home and cataloging changes you want to see if you can get the best idea of where to start out. Work through the list from necessity to wants.

If you love the idea of a home office but just can’t spare an entire room, get creative! A large walk-in closet or pantry is the perfect candidate for a mini-office. Most pantries have built-in shelves, which are perfect for a laptop computer, books, a printer, and office supplies.

Installing a breakfast bar can divide your kitchen and dining or family room without a cramped feeling. The open space provided by a combined kitchen and family room can make any home feel larger; however, it can also make it difficult to treat the rooms as separate spaces, especially regarding décor. A breakfast bar can serve as a functional divider that separates the rooms without closing them off.

Make sure that you clean your downspouts and gutters at least a couple of times per year to prevent costly damage to your home. Overflowing gutters can actually cause water to leak onto interior walls, and gutters clogged with pounds of wet leaves may buckle under the weight. This is especially important in autumn, when leaves are shedding rapidly from the trees.

Consider the costs of major renovations before you start saving money towards them. Demolition for a 1,500 square foot house will cost you around $6000 to start. Replacing a wall can cost about $10 per square foot, and that doesn’t even include the costs of having plans drafted. Knowing this beforehand can help you determine if this is a project you really want to take on.

So there you have it, several simple and inexpensive tasks that will improve the value and quality of your home. Tackle one or two at a time, make them a weekend project, and enjoy the fruits of your labor. Follow the tips we have provided and you’ll be on your way to improving your home like the pros.