Many of the upgrades you do to your home can be expensive, time consuming and messy. Waterproofing your basement is certainly in that category if you hire the wrong company to do the work. Although the added value it gives to your home can be worth the financial expense, you have to be aware of the monetary aspect of waterproofing your basement.
Not only waterproofing your basement can add value to your home, there are many other upgrades you can do to your home this winter to add value, and have a home that you can truly be happy to come home to. Adding those upgrades can increase the value of your home as well if you are thinking about selling your home during the spring or summer months.
Read more about this topic by following the links below.
Upgrade your home’s exterior and achieve the look you’ve always wanted
If you enjoy spending the cold winter months planning your next spring home improvement project, your creative juices are already flowing. But instead of focusing on the same small home improvement projects again this year, have you considered something bigger? Have you considered a project that redefines your home and showcases your individuality? The one that will make your home stand out in your neighborhood?
Consider these projects that will change your home for the better:
* Reinvent your home’s exterior. If you’re looking to make a drastic improvement to your home’s exterior, no change gets more notice than installing new exterior cladding. Vinyl siding is the most popular siding on the market because of its beautiful appearance, potential energy efficiency, performance and durability.
Doors That Go Pop: Rethinking Entranceway Color
When Tracy Proctor Williamson bought her house in Larchmont, N.Y., a year ago, it was “just a kind of dark and sad-looking building.”
The front door and trim were a depressing “yucky cream color,” says Williamson. The town assessor categorized the architecture of the two-story brick home simply as “old style.”
Since then, Williamson has tried to bring the house back to life, most notably by boosting its mood with a sun-kissed yellow front door. “At first I was horrified because I thought the neighbors would hate me,” she says. “But I like it. It makes me feel really good.”
Painting the front door a color that packs a punch is one of the quickest and easiest ways to change a house’s look and help it stand out from the rest.
“It’s the difference between choosing classic red or something that has a little bit of fuchsia in it — something more like the color you love,” says Kate Smith, a Newport, R.I., color consultant.
“Just that little bit of color can give you the lift that makes everything look better.”
Smith — whose job includes advising everyone from paint companies to the film industry on color choices — says homeowners like Williamson are making the right move by making bland front doors bold. As the entryway to your home, a front door should be an attention-getter, she says.
Winter renovations to boost home energy efficiency, add value
It’s that time of year again, when the cold wind blows outdoors and your home works as hard as it can to keep you warm and comfortable indoors. Yet your home may be working harder than necessary, while inflating your energy bills in the process. By making a few home renovations this winter, you can boost energy efficiency, save money and add value to your home in the long run.
Now is a good time to make energy-efficient renovations. More than 90 percent of the 116 million homes in the United States are expected to have higher heating expenditures this winter compared with last winter, mainly due to changes in energy prices, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA). Heating and cooling account for about 54 percent of a home’s utility bills, according to energy.gov. Because of this, it makes good sense to make efficiency improvements now.
