During the first few months of the COVID-19 pandemic, experts forecasted that the goods and services market would come to a grinding halt for months or even years. Unexpectedly, the real estate market, including redecorating, remodeling, and improving existing homes and properties, is experiencing an outstanding interest and giving rise to a thriving economic activity.
Home-bound people have been responding to the pandemic in a wide variety of ways, from learning how to bake homemade bread, setting up and decorating ornamented gardens to decluttering, remodeling, and other general home improvements. With a 24/7 schedule at home and no end in sight, together with fewer external affairs, homeowners realize that there are just so many pet peeves in their residence, and they have to solve them.
People become aware of what drives them crazy about their spaces — broken faucets, squeaky doors, leaky fixtures, or empty spaces that need to be decorated. With a lot of time on our hands and tons of desire to improve the places we live and work in, here are some ideas and tips to help you out more with home or home-office renovations.
Prioritize Long-Term Improvements
When it comes to home upgrades, it is essential to consider longer-lasting modifications to save more money. Replacing doors with new ones, for example, are good investments for your long-term stay and will not cost a hefty sum. From a visitor’s perspective, the garage door and front door are the ones you first see, and these doors curb your home’s appeal while providing important residential security at the same time. Dysfunctional doors with cracks, gaps, and dents are just begging to be replaced, while old but high-quality doors can still be painted over to change their look. Additionally, fractures on walls or ceilings that let a ton of cold air in the winter or warm air in the summer should also be fixed because it drives energy prices through the roof.
Save Money
Sometimes all you need is creativity when remodeling on a budget. You can do this by upcycling or recycling materials to give your spaces a facelift. Old cabinets or dressers, for example, can be restructured and repolished to become something else that might be useful to you, maybe a bench for the entryway or a plant shelf. An old door can also be transformed into a coffee table or even as a couch. Creativity goes a long way, so remember that home improvements do not always have to hurt your pocket.
Do It Yourself (DIY)
One of the most obvious ways to effectively save money during a renovation is by doing it yourself. If you do not have the skills, and as long as you have the desire to take it up a notch, there are a lot of free resources online that will teach you how to finish home improvement projects successfully. Even when you have only moderate skills in DIYs, some tasks are easy and feasible, such as sticking wallpaper, installing accent lights, or landscaping. A simple DIY task also gives significant self-reliance, confidence, and enormous satisfaction because there is nothing like achieving a project on your own.
Know Your Aesthetic
Homes are our safe space and oasis, most especially in this time of a global health emergency. With that in mind, it is also important that spaces are aesthetically pleasing to live and work in. A home that looks fine and pleasant often feels more cozy and enjoyable to those living inside it. Interior colors are said to impact our moods; blue, for example, is a very calming color that makes you feel comforted and relaxed. It is also ideal to use yellow paint for kitchens because it brightens the mood and increases energy, which is perfect when you are just brewing your coffee as you start the morning. Sometimes minor changes in design can do wonders for your home, although architectural concepts also add to the artistic value of interiors. Improving aesthetics also raises the value of the property, so you might want to upgrade yours if you are also thinking of selling your house in the future.
More hours at home means more time to get to grips with improvement projects. These tasks, no matter how big or small, are also the perfect opportunity to declutter. Mental health experts say that a cluttered mess leads to anxiety and stress, and when you learn how to throw or donate things that you no longer need, you relieve your environment and your well-being. A clutter-free space also allows you to perform tasks more efficiently because all you need can be found quickly and easily.
