Performing any type of do-it-yourself home improvement project is a simple solution for improving the value of the home. Not only that, but a do-it-yourself home improvement project can add a sense of self accomplishment and years of enjoyment. When working in a team, it is important that each one tackles the types of jobs they do best to ensure that the project moves along smoothly. In the end, the completed project can maximize the worth of the house.
Simple Projects
Not every home improvement project needs to be a total remodel of the kitchen or bathroom, or the installation of a new roof. Simple projects around the home can help maximize its value, and help in the functionality of the house. Repairing a leaky faucet in the bathroom or the kitchen sink can end the frustration of the endless dripping, and the waste of water. Consider taking a class at the home improvement center to find out exactly how easy it is to remove an existing faucet, to be replaced with a new one.
Additionally, tackling the landscaping on the front and backyard is a simple solution that provides instant gratification and a transformation of the yard. The home improvement project can be nothing more than adding quality fertilizer to the lawn, or weeding out some of the heavier brush and debris around the shrubs and trees. Consider edging along the sidewalk, or adding a few perennial flowers to the yard to add beauty and color.
Bigger Projects
Most homeowners that live in older homes tend to have to deal with bigger projects around the house. Usually, their kitchens, bathroom or living space has become outdated, and require substantial remodeling to update it. However, there are bigger projects that do not have to be a total remodel experience. Consider changing out all the lighting fixtures and ceiling fans with more modern options to quickly update the interior of the home.
It is easy to breed new life into the interior of the home by updating the color schemes throughout the bedrooms, and common living areas. A fresh coat of paint on the exterior of the home can also spruce it up, which adds significant curb appeal to the neighborhood.
Try not tackling a big project, such as painting the entire inside of the home, on one weekend. Select an area of the house that needs it the most, and start there. For the interior of the home, select a color scheme that can move between rooms, to complement one color with the other. Choosing complementary colors will help pull the entire home together, were some rooms are darker, and others are lighter.
Working around the home on home improvement projects is the easiest way to generate additional equity for the home. Additionally, do-it-yourself projects can save a lot of money by avoiding the need to hire professionals. However, there are some home improvement jobs that need to be left to technicians that have the right equipment and experience to get the job done right.
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My Family’s Terrors With Home Improvement
My family is absolutely terrible at home improvement. I mean, I’m only eighteen, but even I can tell that my family has no idea what they’re doing every summer when they think it’s time to “spruce this place up.” I’m rather grateful this will be my last summer with them for a while, assuming my college plans continue on a steady place. But I digress. You want to know how terrible my family is at home improvement? I suggest you not eat anything while reading on!
First, let’s talk about simple paint jobs. My dumbbell father and mother are terrible at picking out paint. They thought out ranch style house needed to be painted…are you ready…red. Yes, red! Bright, cherry picking red! They painted our whole house red two summers ago. It used to be a very simple off white.. When they got out the red I thought maybe they were just doing the trimmings. Nope. They went for the full caboodle.
But they didn’t even do it correctly. There’s smudges everywhere, and they didn’t think to use painter’s tape, so even the trimming – which is supposed to be white – is beet cherry red in places. It looks like it’s bleeding! I have no idea what to say to friends when they come over. What can I say? That my parents are stupid? No kidding. I feel like this could’ve looked nice if done by professionals and with a calmer red. But that would be asking for too much in this family.
Then there’s the garden. When my mom said she was going to relayout the garden, I thought, great! We could use more color in the garden. I was thinking tulips and daisies. Well, she got the tulips. Blue tulips! Blue tulips to go with a red house. Oh, and with white trimming. Do you see the pattern here? We’re a hit on the 4th of July.
The worst part is that half the tulips died because she was inept at caring for them. So some day we had half alive tulips, and half dead tulips sprawled across the grass. Not even the passing deer would eat them. When even a deer won’t eat your flowers, you know your garden might be messed up.
I wish I could say that was the extend of our home improvement woes. I only talked about what happened on the outside. I have yet to mention the downstairs bathroom that’s redesigned to look like a pirate ship, or the kitchen counters with faces on them, or the taupe carpets lining the den and living room. I haven’t mentioned them because they weird me out to think about. The only normal looking place in my house is my room, which I’ve kept simple. Almost sterile. My mom keeps asking if we should paint it, but I keep looking at her like she has three heads.
My parents are wonderful people in all aspects, except home improvement. Try as they might, they still haven’t mastered the skill of subtlety – or talent.