Happiness in Home Improvement

Choosing one color and clean-lined tile for the backsplash in a small kitchen keeps the look uncluttered and roomy. Spruce up every room in your home with our collection of quick and easy do-it-yourself home improvement projects. Each one can be completed in just a weekend and increases the function—and style!

• When home is the place for both work and play, there’s no room for wasted space.
• To take cash out, you need to have a certain amount of equity in your home.
• Of course, follow your area’s fire regulations and warnings, too.
• Home improvements can raise the value of your property by over 10%, depending on their nature.

Make it more enticing by adding electricity, comfy seating, decorative patio heaters, and bar area. “Having an outdoor space under a roof will allow the buyer to imagine extra living area space, allowing your home to compete against bigger homes,” says Dominguez. Adding a few elements of a trendy design will add some serious “cool” to your digs, Frellick says. “Hang an antique barn-door in place of a traditional closet door, update some light fixtures with retro fixtures using Edison bulbs, or do a wall in wood or brick tiles. These kinds of home improvements are ones that almost any homeowner can tackle,” says Frellick.

Find your crowning glory.Hire a contractor to add crown molding, a chair rail, or wainscoting to a room or two — it’s a one-day job with architectural pow. Restock your linen closet.If you wouldn’t show your current bath towels and bed linens to your visiting mother-in-law, ditch ’em and start anew. Blue is as calming as the sky, silver reflects light, jewel tones are bravely bold — and just might work. By submitting your email, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Notice. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

A cheery front-door color and a touch of landscaping can do wonders for your home’s curb appeal and make a lasting impression on guests. Dress the door with new hardware, and add potted plants near the entrance. Consider installing outdoor lighting to enhance your home’s architecture and illuminate the walkway.

Renovations that won’t add value in every market

Nationally recognized as “Eric G®”, he is a syndicated 10-year home improvement radio talk show host. Eric talks with homeowners and contractors about remodeling and new construction techniques every week. He is also a national podcaster and is now heard internationally and with about half of the listening audience being from the building trade. House & Home Improvement Eric also hosts the Around the House “Pro Insider” podcast that is for the residential building and remodeling professionals. This Old House stands apart from its competition by keeping its workers in the spotlight—young apprentices included. This hidden piece keeps our walls from falling in on us—it supports a building’s frame and floor joists.

Selling a Home

“If the project adds structural renovations or makes it easier for additional projects to take place, then yes, it will add value to your home,” says Steckel. Bankrate follows a strict editorial policy, so you can trust that our content is honest and accurate. Our award-winning editors and reporters create honest and accurate content to help you make the right financial decisions. The content created by our editorial staff is objective, factual, and not influenced by our advertisers.

I tried a lot of other service companies and none hold a candle to House Doctor… One-time and recurring maintenance solutions make it easy to keep your home in tip-top shape. From air filter replacement to winterization and everything in between, get peace of mind knowing all your home maintenance is handled by pros.

We’re painting the house, retiling the kitchen and completing upgrades that we previously outsourced. “We’re seeing more people opt to install their own flooring,” says Cheryl Royer of Torlys. It may not be possible to tackle all the projects on your spring to-do list at once, so choose the ones that are most important first. Anything that is damaged and can let the elements into your home needs immediate attention, like roof leaks or blocked gutters.