There is a good chance that your lifestyle, habits, and needs have changed significantly over the past years. This may be because you’ve started working from home, taken up hobbies like gardening, or simply welcomed a new member—a baby or pet—into your family.
So, it may have happened that your current home no longer reflects your needs or does not feel as comfortable or spacious as it used to be.
Fortunately, buying a larger home or spending a fortune on extensive renovations aren’t the only paths to a more livable home. In this guide, we’ll look at ten easy and affordable DIY projects that boost your home’s comfort and livability and increase its market value and longevity. Let’s dive in!
Table of Contents
Paint Your Front Door And Home Exteriors
One of the easiest, most affordable home improvement projects you can take on this spring is giving a fresh coat of paint to your home’s front door or exteriors. This project is simple and can be tackled by anyone, even if you are just getting started with home improvement projects or are not comfortable with your DIY skills.
Before getting started with this project, be sure to keep these tips in mind:
- Choose a timeless color that won’t subtract value to the property
- Clean surfaces thoroughly before painting
- Remove or cover hardware like knobs and locks
- Use a primer for better paint adhesion
- Apply multiple thin coats of paint
- Choose paint designed to withstand the elements
- Allow plenty of drying time between coats
Improve Energy Efficiency With Smart Home Tech
When it comes to creating a modern, livable home, you can achieve a lot simply by investing in smart home technologies and appliances. The best ones for your living space entirely depend on your budget, needs, and goals. However, some of the unmissable and most affordable ones you may consider include:
- Smart Thermostat. It helps you adjust your home’s temperature automatically to maximize your energy savings and comfort.
- Video Doorbell. Offers security by allowing you to see and speak with visitors at your door remotely. You can also get notifications of movement outside your home through your smartphone, which allows for remote security.
- Smart Locks. Provides keyless entry and remote access for convenience and enhanced security.
- Smart Lighting. Enables you to control lighting remotely and set schedules. Not only does this help save energy and improve home security, but it can also boost the ambience and comfort of your home.
- Voice Assistants. Options like Alexa or Google Home can help simplify daily tasks with voice commands. With these additions, you can control other smart devices, access information, and manage schedules.
Image: Freepik
Upgrade Your Plumbing With Easy Projects
Your home’s plumbing system can make a significant difference in the level of comfort and livability of your home. It can also impact your property’s energy efficiency, influence how much you’ll spend on monthly and yearly bills, and determine how sustainable your home is. If you have old or outdated plumbing in your home, this may also determine your level of risk of leaks and water damage, which can be expensive problems to address.
Calling the pros is certainly an option when it comes to improving your home’s plumbing system, but there is a lot that you can do with a DIY approach. For example, you can improve the efficiency of your home’s plumbing by installing an Isolation Valve, which can reduce the costs associated with water heating and usage. Other projects that can have a significant impact on the quality of your home plumbing system include insulating pipes, replacing your shower head, upgrading faucets, and caulking the bathtub.
Look After Your Garden And Driveway
Not only does a well-kept garden improve the livable square footage of a home, but it can also improve its market value. Estimates show that, in the UK, having a properly maintained and landscaped garden can add as much as £45,000 to the value of a home, especially if located within large cities or urban areas!
Even if you don’t have green fingers just yet, there are some easy gardening projects you can tackle without much experience, including:
- Installing a simple drip irrigation system for efficient watering – even when you are away
- Creating a compost bin for organic waste recycling. You can also use compost to enrich and condition your garden’s soil.
- Building raised garden beds to improve water drainage and soil quality
- Planting a mix of perennials and annuals to give your garden a lush, colorful look all year round
- Setting up a cozy fire pit area to relax and host gatherings outdoors.
- Installing solar-powered garden lights, which give your garden an extra layer of ambiance and security without weighing down on your electricity bills
- Placing a bird feeder to attract wildlife
- Constructing simple garden furniture like a bench or table
Install Crown Molding To Add Elegance And Character To Your Rooms
Image: Freepik
Creating a unique living space does not have to involve extensive renovations and costly upgrades. A simple way to add character and elegance to your rooms – while also making the space appear bigger and more airy – is to add crown molding.
Crown molding can be applied as a DIY project and entirely customized to your home’s needs. You can use it to frame the focal point of a room – such as your bed or fireplace – or add texture to any room’s walls, which would otherwise be plain or uninteresting.
Rethink Your Home’s Flow And Floorplan
If your lifestyle has changed over the past years and your home has started to feel crowded and uncomfortable, the culprit may lie in your floor plan or traffic flow. Fortunately, there are some easy ways to address this issue to make your home feel immediately more comfortable and spacious. These include:
- Carve out space for a home office, especially if you are running your business from home or you work remotely.
- If you exercise at home, dedicate certain areas of the home to fitness and meditation.
- Move furniture around to improve the traffic flow, especially in busy areas like the kitchen or living room.
- Optimize unused space, such as extensive corridors or the space below a staircase.
- Repurpose space based on your needs. For example, if you are not so much of a chef but love to work with arts and crafts, you may choose to transform some pantry space into a storage room for your art supplies.
Expand Your Livable Square Footage With The Right Additions
Expanding a home’s livable square footage directly increases the property’s overall value and appeal. But there’s more to it! More space means more room for customization and plenty of space to take up hobbies, work from home, explore different interests, and host guests.
Ultimately, it is easy to see why more room means a higher quality of life. Nonetheless, given the skyrocketing house prices, most families may not be able to afford extensive renovations or a new, larger home. That’s where smart additions come in. Options such as garden sheds, mother-in-law suites, granny annexes, and workshops can offer plenty more room to your family.
Image: Freepik
If you don’t have enough space for these new constructions, you can still optimize your property’s space by installing a decked area or veranda. Plus, don’t forget that your attic or basement may hold unexpected potential for additional livable rooms!
Enhance Your Kitchen By Painting Your Cabinets And Adding A Backsplash
Kitchens are among the most expensive installations in a home, and an extensive kitchen remodel can set you back an average of $26,915, according to Angie’s List. Nonetheless, given how central this area of the house is for your whole family, it is worth exploring alternative avenues to create a more conducive space for family time and activities.
These include:
- Painting your cabinets to transform the look of your kitchen
- Adding a backsplash with affordable tiles or peel-and-stick options
- Upgrading appliances to better-rated options – even if one at a time!
- Installing new hardware on cabinets and drawers
- Organizing the pantry and cabinets with DIY shelves
Invest In High-Quality Insulation
Insulation may not immediately improve the aesthetics of your home, but it can play a key role in boosting your property’s livability and comfort all year round. Plus, according to Energy Star, adequate insulation can help you save as much as 15% on heating and cooling costs each year!
In particular, focus on sealing air drafts, addressing your attic, basement, and crawl space, and upgrading your windows. Partner with a professional to better understand the areas of your home that are underperforming and can be improved for better overall energy efficiency.
Beauty Is In The Details: Often Overlooked Aspects That Have A Great Impact
If the projects above seem too large or complex, there is a lot that you can do to improve the way your home looks and feels by tackling smaller details. These are generally easy to improve without much DIY experience or expenses – and yet, they can make a great difference in the levels of comfort, efficiency, and value of your home. Some aspects to tackle include:
- Doorknobs
- Faucets
- Cabinet handles
- Light fixtures
- Curtain rods
- Switch plates
- Mailbox
- House numbers
- Door knockers
- Vent covers
If a DIY renovation may feel overwhelming, get started with these smaller projects first and work your way to more extensive remodels! And, don’t forget that your home is meant to change and adapt alongside your needs and lifestyle. So, don’t be afraid to experiment with different options and projects, and take your time to create a space that is uniquely tailored to your life goals!
This is a contributed article.