As you look around your home, is it time for some home improvement projects? If so, you have plenty of projects to choose from, ranging from your roof to your floors to your kitchens. When you decide to upgrade your home, think about how you can utilize the upgrade to the fullest capacity. Here are a few ways you can get the most out of some of the most popular home improvement projects.
1. Roofing Projects
Homeowners should keep up with roof updates. Whenever it’s time to make roof repairs, don’t hesitate as the smallest issue could eventually turn into a big one that can be costly. According to Bob Vila, you should have a roof inspection at least once a year. However, you may need additional inspections if you live in an area with inclement weather, which is something you should think about. After all, if you live in a place that has rough winters, hurricanes, and other high winds, you may want to replace your existing roof with the strongest high-grade material possible.
When it’s time to call a local roofing contractor to replace your roof, make sure you’re aware of the materials that are available so that you can utilize this upgrade to your advantage. With the right roofing update, you may not have to replace your roof ever again in your lifetime. Matter of fact, the right material may be so resilient that a home you’ll pass down to your heirs won’t need replacement roofing as long as they maintain it. If you think such a material doesn’t exist, then clearly you haven’t heard about metal slate or ceramic tile roofing. According to Bob Vila, a metal or slate roof can last as long as 50 to 70 years with good maintenance. If you want roofing that can last as long as a century, you can opt for ceramic tiling, which you may often see in Mediterranean climates.
If you live in an area that’s arid or prone to brush fires, metal and slate are also good options due to their high fire-resistant rating. Leaks are a major problem when it comes to the typical roof. After all, when it comes to precipitation, moisture could easily seek through cracks, seams, and vulnerabilities. Luckily, slate and metal have very few seams, so it’s hard for those types of roofs to sprout leaks. As a result, such an installation is a major step in preventing leaks from occurring in your home and causing extensive water damage, which can further turn into mold.
Make sure your local roofing professional takes the right steps to add ventilation. Proper airflow under your roof helps to prevent moisture from setting in. As a result, your roofing is less likely to warp and wear out over time. If you have an attic that you plan to use, ventilation is extra important because it could prevent it from feeling like an oven in the middle of summer or equally cold in winter.
A well-ventilated roof can be the first step in setting your attic up to be an additional living space in your home. When your attic is comfortable and can properly benefit from the heating or cooling of your HVAC system, you could turn it into a bedroom, office, gym, or anything you like. If you’re thinking about renting out a space in your home, an attic bedroom is possible, as long as it’s insulated. With an extra room to rent, that’s more money in your pocket and additional income for your family to benefit from.
How about going green with energy? Once you have solid roofing, it’s the perfect time to consider solar panel installations. When you include solar panels in your home improvement projects, you’ll save money on your electrical bills. You’ll also have a reliable energy source since solar power doesn’t rely on a grid, but the power of the sun. So if you live in an area that regularly has blackouts, especially in the winter time when power lines can go down from heavy snow, you can avoid that by converting to solar power.
Enjoy reducing your carbon footprint when you use less electricity or completely go off the grid. According to experts, your energy bill often accounts for up to 50% of the bills in your home. With less reliance on energy, imagine how much money you can save every month.
2. Patio Installation
Home improvement doesn’t get better when you have a patio installation. Patios and decks are some of the top features home buyers look for. The popularity of a patio isn’t a surprise since it aids in homeowners’ outdoor living and there’s nothing like being able to sit outside from the comfort of your property. According to Healthline, nature helps people feel more relaxed and have a general sense of well-being. It can also help to reduce stress and anxiety. So when you hire patio contractors to work their magic, you’re taking a major step in improving your overall mental health.
Of course, the patio itself isn’t the only aspect of home improvement to consider. There’s so much you can do once the patio is installed to further enhance the benefits. Do you want to sit outside on your patio or deck regardless of the weather? Then you should get patio covers like awnings to give shade in summer, or you can have an enclosure that you can take advantage of in wintertime. So regardless of the time of year, you can sit on your patio and soak up some extra vitamin D as you lounge in the sun. Or you can hide behind the protective enclosure and watch the snowfall as you drink hot chocolate.
Your patio provides a great source for outdoor cooking. Sure, you can fire up the grill anytime, but you can also install a fire pit. Fire pits have also gained popularity because they add a beautiful ambiance to any outside living space. They provide warmth any time of the year to make winter outdoor living more comfortable. You can even do some light cooking over your fire pit and toast some marshmallows or hot dogs. However, you can kick your outdoor cooking up a notch on your patio or deck with an outdoor kitchen installation.
Do you dream about relaxing in a hot tub at home? With enough patio space, you can install a hot tub right there. With your own hot tub, you no longer have to rely on a trip to the spa to get their benefits. Do you have high blood pressure or stiff joints? Have you been feeling stressed more often? Taking frequent dips in the hot tub can help ease these issues. According to Healthline, only 15 minutes in a hot tub can help reduce your blood pressure and the effects of inflammation. If you have tense muscles, the massage-like effects from the hot tub water can help ease that tension.
3. Bathroom Remodeling
Bathroom remodeling projects are some of the most popular home improvement projects people take on. After all, your bathroom is a room you’ll use several times a day, so you need it to be functional and comfortable. The best thing to start with in your bathroom is professional plumbing services.
A bathroom is nothing without proper plumbing free from leaks and can usher clean water in and wastewater safely out. So be mindful of gurgling noises or slow drains, as that might signal a clog your local plumbers can fix. Frequent clogs may mean that you have an issue with your septic tank or a deep clog in your pipes that has been going on for a while. Whatever you do, don’t reach for the chemical cleaners, as they damage your bathroom and other pipes while causing permanent damage to your septic tank and causing waste to leak out into the soil and water. With their plumbing snake and other tools, your professional plumber will get to the root cause of frequent clogs, so you won’t have any more drainage issues.
If you’ve noticed higher water bills but your water usage hasn’t gone up, that might be a sign the plumber should check for leaks and make the necessary piping replacements. In addition to replacing pipes or drains, your plumbing updates should include new fixtures. With the right fixtures, you can save water. You can go from only using slightly more than a gallon of water per flush, as opposed to five gallons when you switch to dual-flush toilets. You can conserve just as much water with new shower heads while having a spa-like experience with a rainfall shower head installation.
Do you have a shower/bathtub combination? If so, it may be time to convert it into two separate pieces. Your bathroom remodeling professionals can give you a standalone shower that includes a new glass shower door and highlights beautiful tiles inside. You can get a better bathtub than one that was part of a shower combo. A standalone bathtub gives you the option to have a vintage-looking clawfoot tub that allows you to get a deep soak.
4. Kitchen Remodeling
Home improvement projects don’t seem right without updating your kitchen. The kitchen is often the heart of any home since it’s where people often gather to prep food, eat, and socialize. There are many things you can do to get the most out of a kitchen remodeling project, but many kitchen remodeling companies will likely start with your cabinets and counters.
If you’ve been inside someone else’s home, you’ve likely seen granite counters somewhere. Granite is one of the hardest stones on earth and is a popular countertop material for good reason. This beautiful stone is extremely durable and can last for at least a couple of decades with basic maintenance. No two slabs of granite are alike, so you’ll always have an original granite countertop no matter how many people you know have the same type of material. Another beautiful natural stone that has grown in popularity is marble. If you want a luxurious countertop that’ll be a showstopper in your kitchen, you can’t go wrong with marble and granite. When you have this beautiful stone on a designer kitchen island, you’ll have a killer design that might be worthy of a Pinterest follow.
Expect your kitchen remodeling contractor to assess the state of your cabinets and see if they can work with the existing ones and do some refinishing, staining, or painting. However, it may be best to remove them and install new ones if safety is an issue because they’re falling apart or if they’re simply outdated and don’t go with the design you envision. Make the most of this home improvement upgrade by going with more modern storage designs such as hidden appliances in cabinets, a pantry, darker colors, and floating shelves.
5. Outdoor Kitchen Installation
You may ask yourself why install an outdoor kitchen when you already have a fully functional one inside. First of all, an outdoor kitchen completely vamps up your patio or deck space even more and can be the envy of your friends and family. Are you someone who enjoys delicious meals made from fish or BBQ? Seafood and anything smoky or deep fried can have strong smells which your outdoor kitchen comes in handy for. When you cook smelly or smoky your food outside, your indoor kitchen and nearby space won’t have lingering smells for the next few days. An extra kitchen in your home improvement projects also means you can have more hands on deck when it comes to holiday prep. After all, with two kitchens to work with, none of your family or friends can claim that there’s not enough room in the kitchen for them to work in.
Outdoor kitchen contractors can supply your patio kitchen with the same amenities you have in the main one. So you can do just as much chopping and dicing, prep, baking, frying, and steaming outside as you can inside. Don’t forget, you could still have designer kitchen countertops in your outdoor space as well.
Have fun with this home improvement project. Your home is your biggest asset and you should treat it like the castle it is. Take advantage of this article and use these tips to go above and beyond with each upgrade you make.