Home improvement ideas

These loans are only available from some local authorities, so you should contact your local authority to check whether the scheme operates in your area. If you’re up for a little sweat equity, roll up your sleeves and remove anything dead yourself. Just follow the directions for planting, and keep it watered and mowed. “A good, sturdy garden rake can tidy up the borders, and instead of renting a lawn edger, a sharp, heavy-duty putty knife works just as well,” Matke says.

• Nvesting in a home renovation no matter the size is an important decision that will affect the value of your home as well as your quality of life.
• I thought I found a good one but it has so many bad reviews so am scared to…
• Currently operating a home repair and DIY consulting service, he empowers his clients to be self-sufficient in their home repair and remodeling endeavors.
• Anderson says that rock-bottom interest rates also make home improvements more attractive.
• If you need to make changes to your home because of your disability, your landlord should agree to this unless they have a good reason for not doing so.

Once you cut it to size and put it in place, it’s installed. It’s an ideal solution for covering surfaces such as painted concrete, to which adhesives don’t adhere well. If it’s time to replace your dated mantel, choose one with enough depth to let you display pictures or other decorations. If you buy a ready-made mantel, don’t be afraid to paint it or add moldings. A simple fireplace makeover can begin with items you already have in your home. Shop your existing inventory of accessories and display a few on your mantel for a quick, no-cost refresh.

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! Make a worn dining table or old countertops look luxurious by transforming them into chic marble focal pieces. This unique and crafty DIY combines leftover project paint, ultra high-gloss epoxy and basic craft supplies to recreate the veining lines and texture found in real marble.

The Smart Home Tech Weve Added, Ditched, And Still Love Most

Buhr says this kind of resourcefulness is part of the new normal, finding alternative sources for material, finding workarounds and just doing more with less. He says the pandemic has forced many people to prioritize family life and adopt a more agile approach to their well-being. Musselwhite says the supply of treated lumber, the kind that’s going into all those new decks and fences, shrank early in the pandemic, as stay-at-home orders slowed production. With the huge spike in demand, prices for deck boards and fence posts more than doubled — and supply dried up. Similar with framing lumber, the type used to make the skeletons of single family homes. “Deck construction is up 275%,” Anderson says, quoting increases from March to July of this year.

The cost of a mid-range bathroom remodel averages between $3,000-$12,000 according to Zillow. Professional landscaping can cost anywhere between $500 – $3,000 according to Matke. Victoria Araj is a Section Editor for Rocket Mortgage and held roles in mortgage banking, public relations and more in her 15+ years with the company. She holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism with an emphasis in political science from Michigan State University, and a master’s degree in public administration from the University of Michigan. Apply online for expert recommendations with real interest rates and payments.

Replace Interior Doors

If running a power supply would be difficult, buy ones that run on solar power. Don’t stop at motion sensor lights; install a full home security system to match. Insulating an attached garage has some special considerations that you must address differently then a unattached garage.

Improve lighting and ventilation by replacing an existing light fixture with a ceiling fan. A ceiling fan will help you save money by not running the air-conditioner on those days when all you need is air movement. To keep your family comfortable and energy costs low, set your fan to spin counterclockwise in the summer and clockwise in the winter. The clockwise motion in the winter makes cool air rise and redistributes warm air.

If you’ve taken out a loan to make home improvements you might be able to get a government loan to help with interest payments. The only British show to make this list, “Grand Designs” is hosted by Kevin McCloud, who follows folks as they build their dream homes. Far from the average home, many of these new builds push architectural boundaries, feature ultra-modern design, or place emphasis on energy efficiency. Almost every episode of the series finishes with a tour of the new house, giving audiences the opportunity to peek inside some of the world’s craziest and most expensive designs.

Replace Your Kitchen Island

Popularized by famous chef Julia Child, use a pegboard with hooks to hang pots, pans, and other tools. Overhead racks start at $50 and need to be installed in the joists on your ceiling to make sure they can hold the weight of your pots and pans. If the wall you want to remove isn’t below one of these beams, it’s much less likely to be a load-bearing wall. Check out your home’s basement, and where there are I-beams or wooden support beams in the ceiling, that’s where the home’s weight rests and you can’t remove walls above it. A good optical illusion will get the best of most of us, so why not use tricks of the eye to your advantage?