While your home loses resale value the older it gets, when it comes to your own perspective and interpretation of the place, the truth can be completely opposite. Namely, there’s so much you can do to rejuvenate the place, raise its resale value (comparative to what it would be without these improvements) and add new functions to the place. The list of options that will allow you to do this goes on and on but here are 9 that stand out. These 9 are head and shoulders above the rest either to their frugalness, simplicity or innovativeness.
1. Start with the Exterior
The first thing you can do is start with your home’s exterior. For starters, you should consider some landscaping like mowing your lawn and pruning shrubbery in front of the place. Doing an entire façade is expensive, as well as cladding and rendering the home. Instead, you could hire a pressure washer and use it on your home’s facade. This way, you can wash years and decades of dirt off your home and give it a rejuvenated look. Another great idea is to try and accessorize the front of your home. For instance, you could add a wreath to your front door, buy a customized house number or even invest in a new mailbox. Overall, your options are limitless.
2. Paint the Interior
The biggest impact on your home’s interior definitely lies in slapping some paint on it. You see, by painting the interior you will change more than just the walls. You will also change the way in which your walls interact with the rest of the layout and your furniture. The most important thing to bear in mind is the fact that there are numerous tricks you could use to further emphasize your painting efforts. For starters, you could add crown moulding in order to make the place look more regal. Second, you can paint an accent wall in order to emphasize a certain area of the house or make a focal point. Painting in various colours or patterns can manipulate the size or shape of the place from a visual perspective.
3. Move around your Furniture
Another inexpensive way to rejuvenate your home is to move around the furniture a bit. You see, the layout of your home determines so many things. First of all, it determines the room’s functionality and the facility of foot traffic. If you believe in Feng Shui, the position of various furniture elements in the room can even affect the energy and mood of the entire area. Most importantly, if you decide to move around your furniture a bit, you may also improve the influx of natural light. The orientation of various elements is pivotal for the visual reflection of the place and some items may serve as obstacles.
4. Remodel your Bathroom
Remodelling your bathroom is one of the best ways to improve both the functionality and resale value of the place. Now, depending on your intentions, you may want to reexamine your remodelling strategy. A major bathroom remodel is a huge quality-of-life upgrade but it is not necessarily something that will yield you a great ROI. So, there’s a certain set of upgrades that you want to make prior to selling the house and an entirely different list if you intend to keep living there. There are, however, certain ideas that act as a perfect compromise. Experts behind Acqua Bathrooms believe that a single vanity may completely alter the visuals of an entire bathroom.
5. Add a “new room” to your Home
Adding a new room to your home is a lot easier than you believe it to be. Why? Well, because you don’t actually need a whole room to do so. For instance, you could transform a single corner of your living room into a reading nook. You could also turn a closet in your bedroom into a micro-office or make your entire bedroom into a dual-purpose room. Keep in mind that this is not a good idea if you want to go for working-from-home tax deductions. You can turn your storage room or your basement into a gym and you can add a workshop function to your garage. With so much potential, you should start planning ahead.
6. Change the Lighting Scheme of your Home
Another thing you can do is consider changing the lighting scheme of your home. For starters, you need to think about switching from incandescent to LED. This way, you get the same amount of light with 4 to 10 times less power used. Second, choose the lighting layout of the place. Having a single potent lighting fixture is the simplest solution by additional light sources and layered lighting are more reliable and… well, more fund. Also, the colour of the light will set the mood for the entire home. This is something definitely worth bearing in mind.
7. Outdoor Living Space
The next thing worth considering is the importance of outdoor living space. The majority of people don’t have the privilege of having too many outdoor venues that they can visit on a daily basis. So, you can try to improvise within your own household. Even those living in apartments may have the option of designing a micro-oasis on their balcony. Nonetheless, those living in houses may have more options, seeing as how they have the entire backyard to play with. The key thing is to design a patio. This would serve as an unofficial, outdoor alternative to a living room. It is a place where you could greet your guests and more.
8. Restore Old Furniture
Restoration of old furniture is one of the simplest and most inexpensive ways to rejuvenate your home as a whole. First of all, it is a concept that allows you to free up some storage space, seeing as how you get to repurpose the items that would otherwise lie dormant. It is like creating your household inventory from thin air. All you need are some inexpensive materials like fine sandpaper, some wood finish and wood colouring. Restoration of old furniture is definitely something worthwhile. Also, the process itself is both fun and rewarding. On its own, it’s a fun hobby that keeps on giving.
9. Add Coziness
Another thing you should do is consider adding different textures to your home, especially those that introduce coziness. For instance, you could add more rugs and carpets. Carpets are not only a great visual addition but serve a number of other interesting functions, as well. For instance, carpets and rugs may raise the temperature in the room by several degrees. Second, they muffle noises of foot traffic, which is also a great quality of life improvement. Other than this, you can add more colour and variety to your living room by adding some interesting cushions to the mix. All in all, this is a whole new direction for you to plan towards.
In Conclusion
In the end, it is important to mention that there are several items on this list that can be completed without massive investment (or any investment whatsoever). Even from a financial standpoint, some of these ideas are more than worth it. Some save money over time (rugs heating-wise and LED power bill-wise), others improve the resale value of the home (bathroom remodelling, etc.). All in all, there are so many things one could gain from such a project and not a single downside. So, get to work as soon as possible and have your entire household benefit from it.