Once you own your own home, you start to develop a sense of pride. It feels good to have your own pad, and you suddenly want to look after what you’ve got. Finally, all the years of renting have come to an end.
One day, you notice that you’ve got the home improvement bug. You home is a blank canvas, and you’re the artist, transforming it into something beautiful. The world of home improvements can be tricky to navigate. Here are tips to help you along the way.
Focus On Improvement That Add The Most Value
Let’s say that you have £100,000 in cash lying around waiting to be used on home improvements. Which home improvement would give you the best bang for the buck do you think? You probably have a long laundry list of improvements you’d like to do to your home. But it turns out that some home improvements add more value than others. For instance, decking is extremely popular right now. And people who invest in decking see their homes rise in value by 87 percent of the cost of installation.
Choose Whether To DIY Or Not
If you’ve got a well-stocked shed, you’ve probably entertained doing home improvements yourself. As long as you know your limits, that’s okay and a good way to save money.
But if you want an extension, a new bathroom, or plan to install a brand-new inground pool in your garden, you’ll have to hire out a professional. Remember, hiring out a professional isn’t as risky as it used to be. There are now platforms like TrustATrader where you can find out if a trader is reputable or not.
Find Inspiration Online
The internet is abuzz right now with people creating interesting and unusual home designs. Often, these creatives are able to open our eyes to what is possible in our own homes. There are dozens of sites out there, including Pinterest and Instagram, that serve as inspiration. There are also specialist blogs that give tips on particular styles of interior decor, gardens and so on. Spend a few hours browsing what other people have come up with and ask yourself if it would work in your home.
Find The Dough
The sad truth is that the majority of home improvements don’t pay for themselves, despite what you read on other blogs. That means that you nearly always have to stump up the money yourself in order to pay for them over the long term. If you need credit, look for ways of going into debt that doesn’t put your home at risk. The last thing you want is to build the house of your dreams, only to get evicted a month later.
Tackle The Most Important Projects First
With winter on the horizon, some of your home improvement projects will be more important than others. For instance, if you’ve always wanted a heated towel rail for your bathroom, this is the time to get one installed. On the other and, don’t bother getting decking installed in your garden because it’s going to be months before you can use it.
