Cost-Effective Home Upgrades

If the list of your New Year resolutions for 2015 includes some home improvement projects that will make your dwelling more functional and valuable, you’re in for a decent share of work, tinkering and investments. Upgrading your home is perhaps the best way to ensure your safety and comfort in the years to come so you shouldn’t put it off for long, even if it requires time, labor and money. In addition to that, carefully chosen home upgrades can increase the price of your house and its sale prospects so your time, money and effort will certainly prove worthwhile.

In case you don’t exactly have all that much money at your disposal when it comes to the home improvement projects, you can always pick the upgrades that fit your budget and are still practical in the long run.  Today we have a short list of convenient and cost-effective home upgrades you may want to consider before setting out on a home improvement project.

Warm and dry all through the winter: Installing proper thermal insulation

One of the most commonly overlooked problems that seem to arise out of nowhere come first winter days is adequate heat preservation in the house. If your home tends to get all chilly even after you’ve maxed the heating, odds are your walls are not fitted with proper thermal insulation.

The best way to preserve optimal temperatures in your home is to install some durable heat isolation materials like glass or rock wool, vermiculite, cellulose, cork, perlite, polystyrene or urethane foam. Choose the insulation materials that fit your budget and needs best and set them up properly on your own or with some professional help.

When installing thermal insulation, pay attention to vapor barriers, thermal bridging and ventilation to maximize the effectiveness of heat release reduction while preserving optimal air conditioning and fresh air supply.

Dealing with clutter: Pick an adequate outdoor storage solution

We need not be full-scale hoarders to pile up tons of useless stuff around the house. It’s enough to leave a bit of this and that lying around your home and its perimeter now and again, just for those future times of potential need, and you could end up facing a pressing lack of storage space after a few months.

Needless clutter reduces the functionality and comfort of our homes so ridding your residence of unused or useless gear is highly recommendable at least once or twice a year. In case you still decide to hang onto some of the piled up bits and ends, you may as well get them out of plain sight and the best way to do that is by going after some outdoor storage.

Pick a portable shed, extend your storage space by getting a container shelter or build a new garage to pack with belongings that do not necessarily have to stay safe and dry indoors – whatever works for you best.

Backyard patios: A lazy afternoon pleasure in the making

There is no better way to spend a leisurely afternoon than lounging around your backyard, terrace or patio – granted your have one. A beautiful patio is not all demanding when it comes to building and maintenance, and it can increase the value of your property by up to 20 percent, so it’s a worthwhile effort you can make in case you want to engage in a home improvement project that will prove equally rewarding whether you sell your home or keep it for good.

The essentials for building a patio include some hardcore material, a bit of concrete for binding the hardcore and covering and a stack or two of paving bricks or concrete slabs. The standard patio building procedure is simple and time-efficient, as you can see in a number of tutorials available online, so don’t wait for too long – come first warm days, you could enjoy your weekends and free afternoons in the company of your loved ones al fresco, right there on your freshly-installed backyard deck.

Though property upgrades demand time, effort and money, home improvement projects are highly functional and rewarding, regardless of whether you’re investing in the house you want to sell or settle down in. If you want to increase the comfort, efficiency and value of your home, there are a number of affordable and yet practical house upgrades you can invest in this year, so pick the one you need or like the most and get to work ASAP!