When you are out and about in your home town in the beautiful British Virgin Islands you will undoubtedly notice there are many home alterations under construction, together with various lawn signs for roofing contractors, replacement windows, or kitchen remodeling. While these bigger projects may increase home value, it is possible to find low-cost projects that can also add to the value of your home.
1. Paint the Interior. If you have not given your home a new coat of paint for 10 years or more, your ceiling is most likely looking dull and the colors on your walls are out of style.
New homeowners will often make the decision to use the same color throughout most of the house. And the color of choice tends to be white or a neutral color. It is possible to increase the value of your home by choosing to use more contemporary colors and opting for more vibrant colors for just a few rooms in your house. Freshly painted ceilings will brighten your home.
2. Refinish the front door. First impressions mean a great deal and if your front door is needing work this will be setting the wrong tone straight away.
Refinishing front doors does not usually take much effort. If it’s painted, make sure you sand the surface to make it rough before applying a new coat of paint. If it’s stained it is advisable to use a very fine grade of sandpaper to guarantee the sealer will adhere to the surface.
When you are preparing the door for that finish coat, check the weather stripping for damage. With soaring energy costs, adding newer and more effective weather stripping will help in reducing your costs in utility bills.
Whether you are painting or staining, start the task early in the morning that way the surface will dry before you need to close the door for the evening.
3. Replace your bathroom fan with one that’s rated for a room twice the size. Bathrooms are the second most costly room in the home to remodel. Apart from leaking pipes, nothing will cause much harm to your bathroom other than an excessive amount of steam from the shower.
Replacing your bathrooms fan with one ranked for a room twice its size will rapidly remove moisture and protect your bathroom from mold.
4. Replace kitchen cabinet hardware. Although the kitchen is easily the most costly room in your home to remodel, there are other options which will cost far less to make your kitchen look fresher. Replacing your kitchen cabinet hardware with self-closing hinges and new knobs or pulls can change the look of your kitchen – quickly and inexpensively.
5. Replace laminate kitchen counter tops. This is actually the most costly project on this list, however it can significantly improve the look of your kitchen – for under 15 % of the price of remodeling your kitchen completely. Laminates previously came in just a number of shades of white, however now it is available in most colors and designs, a lot of which resemble much more expensive solid surface materials, like stone or tile.
Another advantage to changing your laminate kitchen counters is that it could be a one-day job rather than the 8-12 weeks of disruption you would experience when completely remodeling the entire kitchen.
6. Landscape the front yard. When the shrubbery is overgrown, the wild birds are eating grubs in your lawn, and dandelions are the only flowers left in the yard, maybe its time to get out the gardening gloves and tools.
Landscape designs today do not necessarily mean three evergreen bushes on the left and on the right – there are many options of plants that will add color and style to your yard. Visit the local landscape designs center to see the dozens of ideas they will have for you.
7. Attack the list of maintenance jobs you’ve been meaning to get around to. Properly maintaining your home means keeping minor jobs minor, instead of allowing them to get bigger, and much more pricey.
8. Refinish your hardwood flooring. Scratched and worn hardwood flooring detract from your home’s value, and when left unprotected, you may need to replace them, resulting in a huge cost. Paying an expert to refinish them may be beneficial – going too far when using the sander can leave permanent indentations in your flooring. Find a list of companies in your area. And when you are refinishing your flooring, consider staining them for any dramatic, new look.
So if you want to ring in the changes this new year and add value to your home inexpensively, these tips should help you on the right path to a new fresh look for your home while adding value at the same time.
