7 Home Improvement Tasks to Complete Before Listing Your House

With a little creativity and effort, you can turn your house into a home in no time at all. If you’re looking for a fresh way to revamp your space, here are some modern home improvement ideas to get you started. Unlike Family Handyman, which is mainly about House & Home Improvement DIY tips and tricks, This Old House is about 50% DIY home improvement projects and 50% interior design images to improve your creative flow. This magazine is more about designing with painting and decoration, and not so much about craftsmanship and trades.

Rudman estimates that, depending on the type of renovations you do, you can increase your home’s asking price by as much as 20%. 311 provides direct access to City government information, services, and real-time service updates. All applications, along with the relevant documents, can only be returned to the sub-office 237 Camp Street, Georgetown.

• She then also earned a Master of Arts in Mass Communication with an emphasis in integrated marketing communications from Drake University.
• The two most common answers were painting (14.72%) and flooring (13.23%).
• With topics ranging from installing a toilet to constructing a deck, Family Handyman runs the gambit for home improvement necessities.
• Motion detector lights are a proven crime deterrent, and standard hard-wired models cost as little as $15.
• Turn every day into a spa day simply by swapping out your showerhead.

While it’s wise to have money set aside for maintenance and repairs, you can also take steps that may help avoid costly fixes. For instance, be sure to know where the main shutoff is for water. If you discover a leaking line from your refrigerator or washing machine, turning off that valve can prevent worse water damage. Putting off routine maintenance can lead to bigger repair outlays down the road.

Replace your worn-out welcome mat with a bold statement mat to create a warm and welcoming ambiance for your home. Make a small bedroom look larger by adding mirrors to plain closet doors or the back of a bedroom door. Simply pick up a couple of cheap, framed floor-length mirrors for less than $10 at your local big-box store, then paint the frame to match your space. Attach to your closet door with construction adhesive for a permanent look or use removable picture-hanging strips if you’re renting. Peel-and-stick wallpaper is a temporary way to add a burst of vibrant color or pattern to a room without tearing up the walls.

Never underestimate a tidy, clean room and pay special attention to high-impact rooms such as the kitchen and bathroom. You should also consider whether there’s too much furniture in each room as it can make the property feel smaller. Before you start thinking about putting your house on the market, it’s worth taking stock and making any alterations that would give you a better chance of achieving your asking price. Whatever you choose to do, it is a good idea to speak to a local estate agent about the sort of features that make the most difference when selling in your area. Hardwood floors are timeless and always a great investment because it’s what home buyers are looking for. Remortgaging for home improvements could be a great solution for homeowners who need to borrow a large amount.

The second way you can increase your space is by repurposing other furniture. You can take an old set of drawers, add paint to match your kitchen and then use it as a worktop island. The best way of using a kitchen island is to add wheels to the bottom of your drawers, this way you can move it to wherever you need it. So you can choose a piece of old furniture, sand it, repaint it and wait for it to dry. However, if you want a really simple way of giving old furniture an update you can just replace the drawer knobs or cabinet handles.

FINANCING OPTIONS

If you have built equity in your home and you’re looking to do a major renovation, a cash-out refinance could provide you with the funds you need while getting you a lower rate on your current mortgage. The refinancing process is just as paperwork-heavy as taking out a mortgage, however, and there are closing costs to consider. If you go this route, take the time to shop around for the best refinance rates so you maximize your savings. Staging costs just over $1,600 on average, according to HomeAdvisor, but the cost varies based on your needs and home. Staging services range widely, from decluttering and depersonalization to bringing in rented furnishings, repainting and more. Simply put, the more work involved to stage it, the more expensive the production will be.

If you’re looking for a really different idea you could use driftwood or old crates to create your design. Whatever option you pick, try and use reporsed or recycled materials wherever possible and you’ll stay firmly within budget. It’s easy to apply yourself and allows you to feel a sense of privacy in your own home, without having to replace glass or use blinds that block out all the light. For any ground floor windows, you can actually add more security to your home by obscuring your valuables from view. When choosing a window film remember that you can customise it however you want, use it as an opportunity to find something that fits with your space.

Find out how to access home adaptations and handypersons services to help the elderly, disabled or vulnerable live independently at home. Lighter woods like oak will continue to trend into 2021 as farmhouse and Japandi-inspired spaces take over, but oak flooring is losing a few inches. “Instead of the extra-wide planks that have been very popular in the past few years, there seems to be more movement towards medium, 5 to 6-inch width planks,” says Andrew Alexanian of Signature by Shelley. The paint all over the house was peeling and there were wood panels on … These new window replacements in Ontario, CA, look incredible! High-quality, energy-efficient vinyl windows do a lot more than just update the look of your home.

LoadingReadyRun’s sketch makes fun of home renovation shows on TV

But like most TV series, it doesn’t matter where you actually are as long as you act like you’re somewhere else. It’s about time.Plug your living room lights into timers so it’s bright when you wake and return home. Sharpen up.If you don’t love your everyday knife, get one you do — stat!