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Here’s How to Get More Value and Pleasure from Your Home

People are spending more time at home than ever lately, so the urge to improve your living space is understandable. Enjoying the environment where we live is its own reward, but it can also add value to your home.

Whether you’re looking to make aesthetic and functional upgrades to enjoy now or invest in your property to increase its resale value down the road, keep the following tips in mind to substantially improve your home’s value.

Modern Windows

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Updating the windows in your home will provide a lot more than a cosmetic boost. Modern, ENERGY STAR® windows keep the cold air out during winter and the warm air inside. New windows will lower your heating costs and reduce your carbon footprint.

In summer, thermal windows also prevent the hot air from getting inside, so you don’t need to generate as much electricity to cool your home. On average, about 30% of a home’s heating energy is lost through windows.

You don’t need to be handy to enjoy a window upgrade. Find a local, family-owned company like Centennialwindows.com capable of selling, manufacturing, and installing the windows in your home, and you won’t have to lift a finger.

Choose from any size or color that will fit your décor. Real window experts listen to the issues you have with your current windows, before figuring out a solution for the new ones. Custom windows built from the latest technology and hands-on attention to detail will make your home feel more comfortable and look better. Your energy costs will drop, too.

A new set of windows or a custom door will boost your curb appeal. Let everyone in the community who passes your home see your improvements!

Fresh Coat of Paint

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Painting a room is perhaps the simplest way to breathe new life into it. You can paint one wall in the room a dramatic new color for accent. You can re-paint the room the same color it used to be to freshen it up or choose a new shade.

If you’ve felt cooped up remaining indoors and want to give your home a new feel, painting is a simple and affordable solution. Just make sure that you carefully lay out the painter’s tape, so the job looks professional, and no accidental drip marks get on the floor or baseboards.

Painting a room won’t increase your home’s value. But if your home is for sale, painting it before a showing can help complete the transaction. In the meantime, you’ll get more pleasure from where you live.

Kitchen Upgrades

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The kitchen is perhaps the most important room in the home, where the family gets together to eat and talk over the dinner table. Redoing an entire kitchen is a big undertaking, but there are many smaller things you can do to transform the space.

Depending on the current shape of your kitchen, decide where an upgrade will be most effective. Replacing old cupboards with soft-close cabinets will make your kitchen feel more modern, as will getting a new custom backsplash. Improving the functionality and aesthetics of your kitchen is vital.

Upgrading your major appliances will also reduce your energy bills. Perhaps you want to make your kitchen a brighter and more inviting space. The kitchen should be warm and welcoming, and new windows for additional sunlight could be a difference-maker.

Gain more storage space by installing storage racks on your walls or ceiling to hang kitchen implements. Adding an island is another popular way to gain more storage and surface area, and potentially more space for stool seating.

Washroom Update

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This is one room people like to feel clean, so they can discreetly do their more unsavory business. Which washroom are you upgrading? If it’s the ensuite bathroom to the master bedroom, substantial improvements can really add resale value.

Spa-like bathrooms with rain showers or claw-foot tubs are coveted features homeowners look for, and these will give you continuous pleasure so long as you live there. Even more modest improvements like towel heaters can make a room you use every day substantially more pleasant — you’ll have a fresh and warm towel as if it just came out of the dryer every time you step out of the shower.

If you’re upgrading a main floor powder room, installing a new faucet could be enough to make the space feel new and clean. If your toilet is old, it’s probably not very energy efficient. In the long-run, buying a more efficient toilet that conserves water will keep you from flushing money down the drain.

Home Office

With the recent surge of people working from home, you may want to carve out space where you live that lets you concentrate and take care of business. If you don’t need to work from home, building a really nice home office can potentially boost your resale value.

Do you have a spare room? If so, converting it into a basic office requires a good table, light, and a chair with proper lumbar support. Bookshelves or a file cabinet may be necessary, too.

If you want to take things up a notch, install upscale office elements — a fireplace, big windows, or a built-in bookcase. It could be a room in the basement or the attic, the more private, the better. You don’t need to use this space in a professional capacity. It could be just the perfect place to read a book or concentrate on a hobby.

Whether you’re trying to create a charming atmosphere or increase your home’s retail value, a little bit of work today can really pay off tomorrow. Try to invest in cosmetic upgrades that make your home more energy-efficient and practical. If you keep the above tips in mind, you and your family will enjoy all the additional time you’re spending at home even more, and you could fetch a higher return on the most important investment you’ll make in your life.

About Matt Durham