Experts 9 Home Improvement Tips, Tricks & Ideas

After a long while of searching, bidding, and finally locking in your dream home, your home buying journey is not yet over. Buying a home may even sound easier compared with all the home improvement it will involve before the house can turn into a home. Perhaps you’re not a new homebuyer but your house is already long overdue for some cosmetic improvements. You’d be surprised how you can change the look and feel of your house with home improvements that don’t require any professional help and can perfectly be done by yourself. We’ve put together several tips, tricks, and ideas that anyone should know when embarking on a home renovation project of their own.

1. Preparation and Planning

As homeowners, it’s no surprise that you’ll be excited and giddy to kick start your renovation project, and while that motivation is in the right place, it’s important to consider prep work and planning before getting started. Determine your ideal price range and maximum budgets for as many aspects of your home improvements as possible, plan what areas will be renovated: indoor or outdoor space, one room, or several. Also, start looking for inspiration and what direction you want to take your improvements. Creating a mood board or picking specific samples of colors and fabrics, for example, is a great way to start.

2. Don’t Paint Over Cracks

This can be taken into account both figuratively and literally. Make sure to assess areas in the house that require more than just cosmetic improvements. How to buy a home that has no faults? This is difficult to achieve unless you’re purchasing a home fresh out of construction, which is less common to find. Whether it’s a crack in the wall, a leak-prone spot, faulty drainage in one of the sinks, and so on, redirect your attention to fixing these issues first. Simply covering up internal problems will not be helpful in the long run and it will only cause more severe issues to arise in the future if left unattended.

3. Start With the Bathroom

You may be skeptical or surprised, but if you’re considering indoor home improvement then begin with the bathroom. Why? There are many advantages to starting with the bathroom, such as:

• Bathroom renovations are relatively low-cost compared to other pricey points, such as the kitchen. If you’re planning on doing your home improvements one room at a time, then start with this then move onto the rest.

• Your en suite or guest bathrooms are the most used rooms in the house and it’s best that you finish it as soon as possible to be able to use it regularly again. For example, if you need a quick clean up in another room but your shower is still under renovation, this may be an inconvenience.

• It’s easier — your bathrooms take up the least space in the entire house by standard, which makes improvements a breeze. It’s best to check one room off the list.

4. Increase Storage Space

Your future self will thank you for making the pantry bigger or adding more shelves to the closest. Ideally, always consider how your renovation or redesign projects will impact the storage capacity of the house. Only concentrating on the aesthetics will leave you without anywhere comfortable to store your pots and pans. Focus on maximizing storage space rather than minimizing it in any room.

5. Change the Mood

You don’t always need to do an extreme makeover of your home for it to look its best. A fresh coat of paint or new wallpaper can change the entire mood of a room instantly. This is a great tip for homeowners who want to freshen up their space without spending too much money on home improvements. You don’t even have to cover the whole room with wallpaper, just turning one wall into a statement wall already revives the space. This is a great opportunity to experiment with freestyle painting as well if you have an artistic side.

6. Cue the Lights

Lights make a big difference to a space that you may not initially consider. Homeowners often make the mistake of leaving the lights for the end or sticking with a regular, single bulb in the center of the room. Allocate a budget during home improvements to make use of a variety of light sources all around the house. Just like with refreshing your walls, new lighting can make a subtle difference to how the room looks.

7. Attention on Appliances

While you may be included to direct attention to the cabinets, walls, floor, decor and more, don’t forget about appliances. A large chunk of your budget will be delegated to your appliances and there is a good reason for that. Your appliances last years, if not decades, when used properly which is why it’s best to invest well in these items, even if it means putting the rest of your home renovations on hold until the next month.

8. Keep it Neutral

The best advice for renovating a new home is to have a neutral style as your foundation. This means that your walls, flooring, ceiling, doors, and other major elements of the home should be in a neutral color and style. You can then resume work on this base and add more elements of decor, appliances, and everything else you need without it clashing. The best part is that a neutral base is more flexible down the line and you can just change the furniture in the room and still have a redesigned space without it turning into a major renovation project every time.

9. Switch it Up

For home improvements on a budget, master the art of moving things around. Of course this doesn’t involve elements of your house like the walls or trims, but for moveable furniture, appliances, and other items that can easily be taken from one space to another can be utilized in your home improvements. It’s not necessarily always about redecorating as much as it is about getting the maximal use of items you already own. You can even reconstruct these items and create something completely new to be used in another room. Innovation and imagination are key to making the most of your home improvements on a budget.