Home improvement projects are great. After all, who wouldn’t want to improve the beauty and value of their home every once in a while? The trouble is, updating a home can really put a dent in your bank account. Making an educated and economical decision is everything when it comes to home improvement. Here are seven smart home improvements provided by one of our favorite blogs, the Money Pit:
1) Replace kitchen countertops (Recycled and composite surfaces are available) 2) Remodel your bathroom for comfort and safety 3) Paint! 4) Construct a deck or patio 5) Improve your front yard landscaping 6) Improve your home’s energy efficiency 7) Organize your home
These steps are both easy to do and cost efficient. Each one can be completed for under $1,000. So, whenever you are ready to take your home to the next level, remember these seven tips. Your home will be forever grateful.
OK, we all know the higher costs for home heating are on the way.
So, before undertaking any home renovation project thats' going to cost you more than $500 you might want to first consider what tasks can you do in your house to reduce it's energy consumption (electricity, heating, cooling, water): replace that old weather stripping around the front/back/side doors? what about the door to the cold cellar, does it have weather stripping and a door sweep?
Or, first consider having a home energy audit before any significant home renovations. Many local utilities offer this for free. A home energy audit will take around 2 hours and will identify how your home stacks up vs comparable homes energy efficiency wise, provide you with recommendations to reduce your home's consumption of non-renewable energy sources and give you fact based information to use in deciding the priority and sequence of any home renovation.
We had a home energy audit performed on our home last fall and the only question we asked ourselves was: why did we wait so long?
A Three Season Porch is another Great Home Improvement Project
08/29/2008 10:08 AM
mjdonovan
Besides providing more living space a three-season porch adds a number of key advantages.
First, one of the best features I like about a three-season porch is the fact that it can be a retreat from the television, internet, phone and other high-tech toys of today's households.
Second, I like the fact that it is a chance to commune with nature, without the ill side effects of being bitten by insects or rained upon.
Hi Mark: we started off by making our existing deck more like part of our living space - just by adding planters and pots - very inexpensive and adds drama to the space.
