One of the great joys of having a home is being able to turn it from a basic living space into something that feels like a reflection of yourself. However, too many of us find ourselves settling for unsatisfying surroundings for years on end. Whether it’s because we lack the time, money, or know-how, it can seem impossible to have our space feel like a home.
But it doesn’t have to be that way. These DIY home improvement tips will let you breathe new life into your home without breaking the bank or calling in a contractor.
1. Spruce Up the Walls
One of the most straight-forward ways to bring new life into a room is to give the walls a makeover. Whether it’s dingy old wallpaper or an outdated color scheme, old walls have a way of sucking the character out of a space.
New paint or wallpaper is also popular because they’re among the easier DIY home projects. With just a little bit of effort, anyone can do it.
But you don’t need to stop there. In smaller spaces, adding wall treatments can be a striking and cost-effective accent. And they’re also great at covering up small aesthetic issues like scuffed walls.
Lastly, adding crown molding gives a room a more finished appearance that can really make the space look both more refined and brand new. Just be conscious to choose colors and styles that compliment the room you’re using them in.
2. Give the Floors Some Attention
After enough years of wear, floors can become too stained, scuffed, and otherwise damaged that replacing them outright seems like the only choice. But even if having all-new floors put in just isn’t in the cards right now, you still have options.
Peel-and-stick vinyl floors are an easy and cost-effective ways to give your floors a quick makeover until you can have them replaced outright. And if you have old, grungy tile, you could consider painting it to add a few more years onto its life. Depending on how involved you want to get, you could even use stencils to create ornate designs to make this little stop-gap measure look a bit classier.
3. Swap Out Old Hardware
Just because it might not be practical to change out all of your doors, cabinets, and dressers doesn’t mean that you have to settle for a dingy-looking home.
In lieu of completely replacing everything, swapping out fixtures like handles and knobs is a quick and cheap way to add extra polish to a room. And you don’t need to stop there.
Changing out fixtures like lighting and ceiling fans may seem daunting. However, as long as the wires are already in place, it’s actually a shockingly simple procedure. And what’s more, swapping out old, outdated fixtures for ones that better suit your taste can instantly improve the look and feel of a room.
4. Keep Up With Your Filter Maintenance
It’s not just the look of your home that affects how well you enjoy your time there. Factors that you can’t always see may be making you dread going home every day.
One of the big ones is air quality. If you run your air conditioner regularly and don’t keep up with changing out the filters, you could be filling your home with excess dust, pollutants, and allergens.
And it can be an even bigger problem if you run your furnace during the colder months. In extreme cases, a dirty filter is a house fire waiting to happen. That’s why swapping out old filters for quality ones like carrier furnace filters should be a DIY priority.
5. Bring the Outside Indoors
Even if you could renovate your entire home from the ground up, you might find that there was still something missing when all is said and done. Sure, the house looks great, but it somehow feels a little bit lifeless. Well, it could be time to bring a little bit of life into the home.
Research shows that keeping houseplants can reduce feelings of stress and anxiety. And during the winter months, in particular, keeping greenery around has a reputation for helping to stave-off the winter blues.
And you don’t need to worry if you don’t have a green thumb. There are plenty of plants like the peace lily and English ivy that grow voraciously with little help.
6. Add Attic Insulation
Adding insulation is one of the simplest ways to improve your home’s energy efficiency. Helping to keep you cool in the summer and warm in the winter, it can save you a mint on your power bill.
Unless you have an attic.
In the winter, warm air rises up to the top of your home and escapes out of the attic. IN the summer, the hot sun beats down on your roof, and without insulation, your attic will start baking the whole house like an oven. Either way, say goodbye to those energy savings.
Applying insulation can drastically reduce this problem. And in the wintertime it’s a particularly good idea, as the insulation will help prevent the buildup of damaging or even dangerous ice dams and icicles.
7. Get Organized
Finally, one of the biggest improvements that you can make is simply organizing your living space. Whether it’s the daily clutter that builds up with time or wads of messy cords and cables near the TV, these eyesores can undo all of the work that you’ve done making a house feel like a home.
Clearing up these spaces will be an automatic stress-reducer, and you’ll find yourself actually enjoying your relaxation time from now on.
These DIY Home Improvement Tips Will Help Your Home Feeling New in No Time
A home should feel like a sanctuary, we where can find a reprieve from the demands of the world. But for too many of us, outdated designs, ancient fixtures, and garish old colors can make us feel like we need to escape home as well.
Taking advantage of these DIY home improvement tips is a great way to your home into a space that you’ll actually love to spend time in, providing that getaway from the outside world that we all need from time to time.
And as always, for more ideas on how to turn your home life into your best life, be sure to keep up with all of the latest from Mamabee.