Ten Ways to Improve Your Home's Value

No matter how new your home may be there are always improvements that can be made whether for necessity or sheer desire to better your homes’ appearance for your own satisfaction.

When mortgage rates are high purchasing a new home may not be economically feasible. However, remodeling your current home may reduce your urge to sell the home or until selling is more practical.

By determining a project budget, researching ways to do as many improvements yourself and shop around for fairly priced materials you will notice that some or all of your planned projects aren’t as financially devastating as you may have thought.

If money is no object when remodeling your home, it is still encouraged to do research to be certain that your chosen contractor is highly knowledgeable and seasoned in his or her specialty of remodeling. Research will also make you better aware of what going rates are for materials and labor so that you don’t fall victim to being taken advantage of by a contractor.

The list is nearly unlimited when conjuring up projects that can be done to improve a home. Projects range from changing a room’s paint color up to extravagant room additions. Below are 10 of many ways a home can be transformed by an experienced do-it-yourselfer to improve a home’s appearance and value.

1.) Modify paint colors
2.) Upgrade to tile
3.) Install wood window shutters
4.) Open the floor plan
5.) Update plumbing and electrical fixtures, cabinet and door hardware
6.) Replace old windows and doors
7.) Add switches, outlets and light fixture openings
8.) Remove undesirable ceiling textures
9.) Create sufficient built in storage areas
10). Refinish wood floors and cabinetry

Paint
Painting a room is one of the easiest and least expensive ways to improve the appearance of a home’s interior.
Interior walls that are painted undesirable colors well outside of the neutral color family may be used as a way to negotiate price due to so many rooms needing to be repainted lighter, neutral colors.

Exterior paint colors tend to weigh more on the value and curb appeal of a home when selling. Not every homeowner wants to paint the exterior of their new home right away due to the sheer size of the project.

Painting interior walls can be quite time consuming and bothersome for a homeowner. Many may consider painting the exterior a much more tedious, dutiful task due to needing long extension ladders, removal and replacement of storm doors and windows, and having to climb on roofs in some cases.

Tile
There are so many new flooring products that have come available over the years. Research shows that installing floor tile rather than linoleum in high traffic or damp areas is much more appealing and valuable to homeowners and potential home buyers.

Homeowners who have never installed or researched tile installation tend to think it will be too difficult to do themselves. This may ring true for those who just aren’t proficient at tackling new do-it-yourself tasks outside of the very basics like painting or spackling holes. However, if you are up for the new experience and can gain access to the necessary tile tools, you may be pleasantly surprised that tiling isn’t as hard as you may have thought.

You could potentially save yourself several hundreds, possibly thousands of dollars by tiling floors and back splashes yourself.
For instance, depending on the going rate for tile labor in a chosen state or city, excluding material costs
you can expect to spend $6 - $15 per square foot of tile to be installed when hiring a professional.

Floor Plan
Open floor plans help make the interior of a home appear larger than what it is. Aside from the open appearance having an open floor plan also adds possibilities when decorating, arranging furniture and when entertaining large amounts of guests.

There are a few things that can be done to open up a floor plan without costing thousands of dollars.
One way for a do-it-yourself homeowner to open up rooms throughout the home is by widening doorways
that do not require doors such as kitchens, dining rooms and kitchens.

You may not want or need to go to the extent of knocking down entire walls, but you may find it very appealing to simply widen walk ways 6 to 12 inches. Keep in mind that no matter how little you widen an opening, always be sure to extend the header above the opening to give adequate support over the opening.

Before attempting to open up a room or floor plan, be sure to consult with a contractor who is highly knowledgeable in framing and architecture of homes to help assure no structural problems arise later on.

Plumbing and Electrical
Updating plumbing, electrical fixtures, and hardware throughout the home are tasks that rank high with do-it-yourselfers due to the ease of completion in comparison to larger home improvement projects.

If you have basic plumbing and electrical skills, you have the potential to give your home a mini makeover. In just one or two weekends you could possibly replace all cabinet and door hardware, bathroom faucet and shower fixtures, outdated light fixtures, switches and outlets throughout the home.

Windows and Doors
Replacing old, inefficient windows isn’t only for aesthetic reasons but also to raise the home’s heating and cooling efficiency rating. Aluminum framed windows and sliding doors have the lowest efficiency rating of all windows and doors, especially if they are constructed with only single pane glass.

Well made double and triple pane vinyl or wood windows tend to be a bit pricey for the windows themselves. However, if you are able to replace windows yourself you will have the choice of replacing just a couple at a time rather than all at once. In the long run, you will not only feel more comfortable in your own due to higher efficiency, you will also see a decrease in your heating and cooling bills.

Receptacles
Not all homes, old or new, have a sufficient amount of outlets or ceiling lights throughout. Lack of outlets and ceiling fixtures can be quite an inconvenience for homeowners. Luckily, this is another issue that an experienced do-it-yourselfer can tackle on their own in many cases.

With basic electrical knowledge and experience it is fairly easy to run 12 or 14 gauge wire to and from an existing power source. Adding outlets, ceiling fixtures and 3 way light switches throughout a home will add a great amount of accessibility when using lamps, small appliances and the luxury of turning on 1 light from 2 or more locations.

Ceiling Textures
Popcorn texture was extremely popular years ago, but is rapidly loosing its appeal amongst homeowners now. On the other hand, “knock down” texture is the highly sought after for many homeowners, much more appealing than flat or popcorn textured ceilings.

Although you don’t need to be a professional to remove or add ceiling texture, it does take quite a bit of patience and preparation to do it properly. With the proper tools and materials it is possible for a homeowner to remove hard to paint, undesirable popcorn texture to either make way for a flat ceiling surface or prepare to spray a more updated knock down texture.

Storage
Storage space or lack thereof has been and always will be a key factor when updating or selling a home. When there isn’t enough adequate storage space throughout a home there tends to be a build up of unnecessary clutter where there doesn’t need to be.

With basic carpentry skills and planning, shelves can be added to most any closet, garage walls or ceilings. For the more experienced do-it-yourself homeowner, installing or building built-in cabinets throughout areas where storage space is needed will not only become home for non décor items but also very appealing to the eye.

Floors and Cabinetry
All too often homeowners tend to think that old, scratched wood floors or cabinets simply need be replaced due to the poorly maintained finish. However, finish is one of the aspects of wood that can be fixed and made to look like new or close to it.

Before figuring out how many several thousands of dollars it will cost to replace wood floors and cabinetry check the quality and integrity of the wood itself underneath the scuffed paint or stain finish.
If there aren’t numerous broken or cracked pieces of wood throughout, consider sanding the surfaces down to bare wood, then apply fresh paint or stain to bring back the floor and cabinet beauty.

When tackling your own improvement projects as opposed to hiring a professional you could see potential savings of 2, 5, even an upwards of 50 thousand dollars, depending on the size of the remodeling project.
Typically homes increase in value by simply maintaining its current appearance and integrity.
By performing a number of improvement projects you can potentially raise your home’s value by 10 – 20 thousand dollars in just one or two years.

Whatever the task at hand, try not to jump the gun and commit to hiring a remodeling professional. First, assess the issues that need attention and determine if you are capable of performing said projects on your own.

Once you determine whether you can or can not complete the given task, then take the next step by either planning your do-it-yourself project or start contacting licensed remodelers and shop around for the best matched contractor.

Don’t get discouraged if you have a few projects around the home that you wish you could do yourself due to not having the extra money to pay a professional. With adequate research and the advice from friends or family who already possesses the knowhow, give that project a shot yourself and don’t be afraid to ask questions.