While New Year’s Day is often considered to be the popular time to make resolutions and long term plans, some people prefer to use the lesser-known Christian celebrations of Candlemas and Whitsun as the launching point for such ambitions. Certainly the commemoration of promise and realization chimes a lot more intimately with the idea of setting down thoughts of self-improvement. However, why stop with just yourself? Ultimately the purpose of these resolutions is not simply to lose weight or smoke fewer cigarettes, but to make a genuine positive change to one’s life. Therefore, it is perfectly acceptable to set down other projects as well that affect you less directly, such as home improvement.
After all, home is where the heart is. So if you have a happy home in which to live, you will find making improvements upon the rest of your lifestyle easier to accomplish. It does not even need to be anything too ambitious either. While adding a new wing to your house would certainly be nice, something as basic as repainting the master bedroom or installing a new shower would work as well.
So here are some of our suggestions for new home improvement projects.
1. Install New Heating
Winter is still here, unfortunately, and at times has been known to linger. Northern states may receive blizzards as late into the year as March or April, so keeping your home on top of unexpected temperature drops is a very wise project to invest in.
If your house is particularly old, you may want to consider installing a new heating system for your next home improvement project. This can be expensive initially, but the amount you could subsequently save over the next few years will quickly cover the costs for it several times over. In addition, should you ever decide to sell, a more recent model of home heating will significantly increase the value of your home, as well as make it more attractive to prospective buyers.
Should you be looking for any further ways to save on heating bills, then installing new insulation can complement this project fairly well. Check how old the insulation in your home is, and if necessary consider getting replacements.
2. Install a New AC
While those of you in more southerly climes have already been enjoying pleasantly warm weather since forever, those in the north can expect the summer to return within the next few months. So if you are done updating your home’s heating capabilities, why not look at making your home’s air condition your next home improvement project?
While most certainly a luxury, the comfort that an AC unit provides is well worth the cost. Most AC companies provide a broad range of options to the prospective buyer, and most also provide free delivery and installation. You’ll certainly feel the benefits later in the year when the temperatures start to rise, and you can keep your home comfortably cool throughout it.
Be aware that ACs are fairly expensive to run in terms of energy, but there are ways around that.
3. Go Green
While the topic remains controversial in the media and amongst most homeowners, global warming is a serious threat to the world’s future prosperity. Even if you still find it hard to believe, there are tangible benefits to looking closer into green energy for your home. In particular, more and more homeowners have taken up home solar energy projects as a way of meeting their monthly energy demands while saving a very pretty penny in the process.
Solar energy has made leaps and bounds since its first debut on the market, and can now boast greater energy yield at a reduced cost and required surface area. Solar panels can be quickly and easily installed on the roof, and provide power to your home throughout the year. This energy is completely free; you pay nothing for receiving sunlight. So you can expect your solar panels to pay off their cost of installation within the next five to ten years, depending on your energy usage.
It helps that the panels are also easy enough to clean and maintain, and despite popular myth, they operate perfectly fine throughout the year and without sunshine. So long as it is daylight, solar panels collect energy even during fairly overcast days.
4. Redecorate
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. However, fashions change and so do people’s minds. Should you find yourself looking at your interior decorating with distaste recently, then perhaps the time has come to redecorate the place. Such an activity can take up much of the year, depending on how much you want to rework the place. A quick repainting, new wallpaper and some new decorations can be achieved within a week or two. However complete refurbishment, remodeling of rooms and installation of new paneling and tiles could take several months to complete.
There are many online guides dedicated to home decoration projects. Most home improvement stores and web sites are also happy to offer advice and recommendations to you regarding any redecoration ideas you might have. Be creative, but don’t be afraid to ask for professional opinions either. Sometimes fantasy and reality do not quite mesh the way you want them to.
5. Reroofing
The roof is one of the most essential components of your home’s structure. It is one of the main reasons your things do not get wet when it rains or snows. Over time, the roof may become damaged, while moss and lichen are a bane to your roof tiles. In order to prevent this from threatening the integrity of your roof, it is important to have your roof inspected and, if necessary, repaired where necessary. So a good home improvement project to next invest in is roof management.
Get a professional contractor in to inspect the condition of your roof, as they are more likely to spot problem areas and growing threats. Have them note down and document everything they find, taking photos yourself – this could come in handy if you wish to claim homeowner’s insurance on the cost of refitting the roof. Once this is done, follow any recommendations that contractor may offer regarding the roof’s repair.
Don’t be pushed around, though. If you think a given price suspicious, feel free to question it and have the contractor explain why the cost is necessary. If necessary, make it your project to check the given price with those offered by other contractors.
The writer, Christian Mills, is the sort of person who loves do-it-yourself projects and making his home as comfortable as possible. Admittedly when it comes to HVAC, he finds himself a little lost. For fixing those problems he highly recommends turning to the experts at www.bobheinmiller.com. You can learn more about Christian on Google+.