How should I spend my home-improvement budget? – It seems now days everyone has an interest in home improvement, just flip through cable TV channels and you will probably find a home improvement show to watch. It is not hard to understand why home owners are interested in home improvement, the right improvements can increase a homes value tremendously and give the home more enjoyability to the home owners. The question that always seems to pop up is “how do i spend my home improvement budget?”
The average American will move every 4-6 years so always take resale value and home appeal into account when planning any home improvement project. People all have varying tastes so avoid doing anything to extreme that may hurt resale value and is to difficult to undo, but it is your home so express yourself just keep it within reason.
No matter where you live a kitchen or bathroom remodel will add the most value and appeal to your home. These are expensive projects to undertake and many bathroom and kitchen remodels will cost over $10,000. Although small cosmetic improvements like faucet upgrades and new cabinet hardware can increase the appeal of a kitchen and bathroom for little money.
New flooring is also a nice home improvement that adds value, however new carpet will not add as much as value and appeal as adding hardwood floors will. Many of todays laminate hardwood floors can be installed DIY by the homeowner relatively easily. If you are unsure how to install hardwood flooring check with your local home improvement store, many offer classes on hardwood floor installation.
Not all home improvement projects have to be expensive or large to make a difference. Some smaller projects can include improving or adding landscaping, interior and exterior painting, resealing a driveway and upgrading lighting fixtures. These are small projects that can be done in a weekend or a few hours. These home improvements all will add curb appeal and increase the value of your home at the same time.
The things you will want to avoid are adding items that require maintenance and ongoing expense such as hot tubs, saunas and swimming pools. While one of these items may appeal to you they may not appeal to a large percentage of buyers and will not increase your homes value by much, in fact they may cause your home to sit on the market longer if you ever decide to sell A swimming pool is a good example of a negative home improvement , swimming pools require additional homeowners insurance due to liability for injury/death, they are expensive and complicated to maintain and can be dangerous to small children and some pets.
With the proper planning and research spending your home improvement budget correctly is an easy task to accomplish. By using the Internet, television shows and your local home improvement stores as references and you are almost guaranteed to choose the right improvement for your home.
By: Darin Sewell
Posts Tagged ‘Bathroom Remodel’
How Should I Spend My Home Improvement Budget
January 10th, 2010A Few Home Improvement Ideas to Increase Your Home’s Value
November 19th, 2009
Would you like to increase the market value of your home? A few home improvement projects will offer a return when you sell your home, but many home improvement projects will not provide much of a return on your home improvement investment. Pick your home improvement projects wisely and if you do take out a loan to complete your project, do your homework first and be sure that you have a good chance to recover the cost of the project when you decide to sell your home.
Kitchen remodeling is a great way to add value to your home. Upgrading your appliances, replacing door and cabinet handles and painting walls can add new life to your kitchen plus add value to your home. Kitchens sell a home, so remodeling a kitchen should be a first choice for a home improvement project. Sometimes doing it yourself can save money, but consider hiring a professional for the large jobs. The top five kitchen remodeling projects which are recommended by Realtors are painting, cabinet refacing, new counter tops, new floors and a modern cook top range.
A bathroom remodel is second only to kitchen remodeling in terms of getting the most return on your home improvement investment. A bathroom remodel can often mean making the most of your current space, by upgrading fixtures, flooring and lighting. A few inexpensive ways to make your existing bathroom more beautiful and appealing include upgrading your cabinets, counter tops, sinks, tile or your tub and shower. However, if you do decide to add a new bathroom, it is going to increase the value of your home.
Kitchens and bathroom remodeling are both excellent choices when you want to increase the value of your home. Kitchen and bathroom remodeling projects are the best at recouping their cost and adding to the resale value of your house. The average return on a bathroom or kitchen remodel is 100-105%.
Increasing the curb appeal of your home is one of the simplest and inexpensive ways to increase the value of your home. Applying a fresh coat of paint can make the inside of your home appear more appealing to potential buyers, which could mean a quicker sale. Neutral colors are a good choice when you are preparing your house to sell. Neutral colors will blend in good with a variety of other colors and can make a room look more open and appear larger.
Your roof is one of the first impressions people have of a home. With proper maintenance, a high quality roof should last a very long time. A new roof won’t add a lot of value to your home, but it will help prevent the types of repairs that can result from water leaking in from your roof.
If your carpeting or vinyl flooring is beginning to show signs of wear this can adversely affect the appearance of the whole room and detract from the value. So replace the carpeting in rooms where the wear is severe to help increase your homes value. Often, a good carpet cleaning is all that is needed.
Naturally, you can only make the home improvements that your budget will allow. But many of these suggestions that I have discussed are not very expensive . All of them however will enhance the appearance and add value to most homes.
Remember that with any home improvement project moderation is the key. Don’t go overboard. Focus on improving two or three areas in your home which need the most work.
Copyright (c) 2008 Smoky Mountain Painting
By: Tony Evans