Many homeowners are influenced by spring. After all, spring is the time when people get back to their gardens and home renovation projects. The warm weather can give people more energy and allow them to see their homes in a different light. If you’re looking for ideas for home renovations, and repairs this season, use this guide as a resource.
Turn Up the Garage
Your garage is a space where you store and protect your cars, but it’s more than that. It’s also a major part of your curb appeal and a standalone structure that you can protect and upgrade. Therefore, if your garage door is on its last legs, it may be time for a garage door installation. You may need a new one because your current one is creaking, squealing, and making an excessive amount of noise. Maybe it’s an outdated style that doesn’t fit with your other home renovations. You may want to change the mechanism you use to open your garage door. Maybe you want one that opens like a double barn door instead of overhead,
Did you know that Amish people can create a custom garage for you? Amish woodworkers are known for their high-quality furniture like beds and tables. A standalone Amish garage is just as durable, beautiful, and made from quality wood. In general, a custom one would be available in three different sizes. It’s a beautiful structure that you can use to protect your vehicles, as a workshop, and enhanced storage space.
Upgrade Old Plumbing
If you’re still dealing with old plumbing, it’s time to upgrade that this year. After all, a sanitary and comfortable home needs reliable pipes and clear drains to bring clean water in and carry waste out. Your local plumbers can do an inspection of your existing pipes to see which ones may have cracks, leaks, and other outdated issues. If you live in an older home, make sure you’re not still using lead pipes, which were outdated in the early 1980s.
Clear drains can ensure you can always usher dirty water away after washing. If your drain pipes are clogged, it may make it harder for your water to drain out efficiently. You may have a clog that’ll begin to attract insects like mosquitoes and rodents looking for water. Mosquitoes can quickly lay eggs in a sitting body of water. Therefore, you don’t want to have a drainage problem in your home, especially in the spring and summer. Let local drain cleaning services use their tools and diagnostics to get to the source of clogs and clean them out efficiently. Their expertise means you don’t have to use harsh over-the-counter chemicals that can do more harm than good.
Install a Metal Roof
Have you thought about getting a metal roof? If so, a metal roof installation can save you a lot of time and money in the future. While the upfront cost of a metal roof replacement can be greater than one for asphalt or TPO. It’s worth it. After all, a metal roof lasts 40 to 70 years, according to Bob Vila. It’s durable enough to withstand winds as high as 140 mph and has a class-A fire protection rating.
A metal roof requires additional fabrication that asphalt may not. Therefore, this type of new roofing will cost more money but is worth it in the end. A quality installation means you likely won’t have to worry about much upkeep in the future while having a roof that may outlast you. In addition, slate is equally strong and often mimics the appearance of metal. However, if you don’t have a slope and have a flat roof, then TPO material may also come in handy, especially if you use your roof for activities.
Do Some Hardscaping
Sometimes your home renovations and repairs should involve some quality hardscaping work. Start by calling a local paving contractor who can assess the quality of your driveway. Many driveways may have damage due to drainage issues. For example, if your home is properly draining water away it may begin to creep up under your cement and cause it to crack. However, a paving contractor specializing in concrete can either fill those cracks in or take the concrete up and redo the whole thing with a brand-new surface. Understand that if you get your entire concrete pavement done, it may take up to a week before you can drive a car on it. However, you’ll have a very durable material that can withstand as much as 6000 pounds of pressure. If you live in a cold weather climate, asphalt may be best, as it can absorb heat, which melts icy elements like snow.
Quality hardscaping work also involves custom walkways. You can create beautiful walkways from stone, cement, brick, or all of the above. Have pathways from your front door to your backyard. If you have a large landscape, you may want winding curving paths that lead to your gazebo, pergola, greenhouse, or external guest house. Some hardscapers also specialize in features like water fountains. These fountains can attract friendly wildlife, like birds, grasshoppers, ladybugs, and butterflies.
Clear the Land
Before you add those additional structures, like a pergola or exterior guesthouse, you may need to do some land clearing first. You can call a local demolition service that may get rid of a pre-existing structure such as an older garage. Once you tear down your older garage, you can build that custom Amish one made from beautiful wood. If you have a green thumb and want to grow your fruit and vegetables all year, a greenhouse is the perfect solution. If you enjoy having guests stay for extended periods or are interested in making money from Airbnb, it may be time to build a guest house. Building a guest house allows you to maintain privacy in your main home, and guests can have their privacy as well. Plus, if you’re in the right area, using your exterior guest house for income may end up paying for itself before you know it.
In addition to demolition work, land clearing may involve getting rid of older shrubs and dying trees. As tough as it can be to get rid of a tree, if you have visions of a large swimming pool or other structures, such as a new patio, some trees may be in the way. Once you get your land properly cleared, the right contractors can build foundations for the structures you need as part of your home renovations and repairs this spring.
Add Storage
It’s hard to envision home renovations, and repairs without considering more storage. Did you know the average American has over 300 items in their home? With so many items circulating, you may need custom closets and cabinets. Just because your home comes with a kitchen and some bathroom cabinets, doesn’t mean it’s all you have to work with. You can remove these existing cabinets and replace them with more efficient ones that suit your style. Cabinet manufacturers can create cabinets from different types of wood ranging from oak to cherry to maple. These cabinets can have built-in shelves or customizable ones that pull out. You may also want to have floating shelves in your kitchen from clear glass to slick metal. A combination of open and private shelving can create variety and dynamics in your kitchen or bathroom.
Vanities have also made their way back for bathroom storage. A built-in bathroom vanity can create an elegant way to get ready in the morning or evening. In addition to having large-lit mirrors, they can be enhanced with beautiful counter space made from granite, marble, or metal. They also provide additional shelves and cabinet space for you to store all of your items. Depending on the layout of your bathroom, remodelers can add more bathroom cabinets over your toilet, have a built-in medicine chest, as well as restructure your shower with built-in shelves within the tiles.
If you’re taking the time to focus on useful home renovations and repairs, what better time than now to design custom closets? Custom closets can be arranged in different figurations with closet professionals. They provide a better way for you to remain organized and put things where they’re supposed to be. You can have a custom closet that allows you to walk in and enjoy full-length mirrors. Have seats and create your designer interior dressing room. Use hangers, coat racks, pull-out drawers, and shelves. You can use color codes and labels to further organize things quickly. As a result, you can avoid having clutter and get ready faster in the morning. After all, clutter and an unorganized closet can provide a great deal of stress for people getting ready in the morning as they can’t always find the things they need. Making this renovation can give you peace of mind and get your day off to a good start. You may also end up saving money as you’ll no longer buy items that you already have but forgot about because it’s buried in the back of your closet.
Upgrade Window Treatments
The average American has about 22 windows in their home. That’s a lot of window space that you may need to repair, replace, or add treatment to. If you already have energy-efficient, double-pane windows, you may need the right treatments to enhance and protect them. On the exterior level, you may want to consider using awnings. Put awnings over windows and doors to add shade and energy efficiency. Your awnings can match your exterior home trimming color for further design unification. Install custom plantation shutters and doors. You have other options, such as transparent or opaque, roller shades, which are easy to pull down or roll up.
If you’re inspired by the Mediterranean, you may want to use exterior or interior shutters. The shutters can also be painted and help provide a sound barrier from outside. Shutters are also effective at blocking out light, so you can sleep more effectively while it’s still sunny outside.
Most people still have some type of curtains in the home. If you still enjoy curtains, enhance their appearance by using customized rods. Your curtain rods can be made from beautiful metal like copper or iron. Have wood-carved ones in various designs. Your curtain rods can help further tighten your home design and style.
Check Heating Features
Now that spring is here and summer is around the corner. You may not be focusing too much on heat. However, it’s also the perfect time to make those heating upgrades, as there’s no pressure to use heat now. If you have a fireplace, do your chimney inspection this season. After all, you don’t want your buildup of soot or gas that may be left over from your last chimney usage. You also want to ensure you don’t have any birds or other animals making nests in your chimney. If you have a furnace or a boiler, have professionals inspect them to ensure there are no carbon monoxide leaks or other misfunctions.
If there’s a recommendation to replace your furnace or HVAC system, do so before extreme weather sets in. Replacing your existing HVAC system with one from the Energy Star brand can save you as much as 15% on your ongoing energy bills. Therefore, you may want to get a new AC before summer sets in, and can avoid problems during a heat wave.
As you can see, you have many home renovation and repair options to consider. Your home is your castle so you want to be as comfortable and beautiful as possible. Make sure that you and your family are properly heated and cooled. Keep your windows looking beautiful and make your home as energy-efficient as possible. When you make any upgrades in the spring, you can improve the value of your home, and you may not have to make such upgrades again anytime soon. Use this helpful guide as a renovation source for this year and throughout.
