A home will break down over time. If you’ve ever seen an abandoned house with the roof falling in, broken windows, dirtied chipping paint, and an overgrown lawn, you know just how true this is. Simply leaving a property put will eventually result in its total dissolution. Accordingly, you’re going to have to renovate periodically.
Still, there’s “more than one way to cook an egg”, as the old expression goes. You don’t have to break the bank to keep your property at its fullest flourish. You’ll just have to be a bit strategic, and willing to work. Following are a few suggestions to help stimulate your imagination pertaining to cost-saving home renovation and maintenance techniques:
DIY, DIY, DIY
Learn the value of preventative maintenance. When a spill happens or a device breaks, clean the mess and fix what malfunctioned. Do so ASAP—immediately if you can—and ensure you make a habit of doing this. Such an approach helps you learn how to fix things as well. The truth is, sometimes being handy around the house is just a matter of trying.
Next, figure out what you can do on your own. Can you spread wallpaper on a wall? Can you paint a room? You certainly can! It’s just going to require effort. Do these things yourself, and you’re only out the time and materials involved. Hire contractors, you’re out the materials and their hourly cost. It’s much higher.
Look at your attic. Clean it up, add some rugs, hang a few paintings, put a comfortable couch up there and turn on soft lights—boom, you’ve got a new room, and you can list your house with that new “bedroom”, or what-have-you; establishing a greater baseline price.
Consider the backyard. Is there a deck? Making one is pretty simple, and you can find schematics online. It may be a matter of building it in the yard, then maneuvering it into place. Here are some additional pieces of information pertaining to a DIY deck you may want to consider. Figure out which DIY projects you can do, and cut the cost of contractors.
Use Professionals To Install Or Upgrade Specific Property Areas
Still, there are areas of your property where you’ll end up spending more money by avoiding the auspices of a solid contracting group. For example, if you install an automatic lawn sprinkler system in your home, doing so without professional assistance may even go against your HOA (homeowner association). Still, if you don’t have such sprinklers, they can definitely increase home value.
Also, if you’ve got a pest problem, it’s best to trust the experts in order to fully handle the problem. Sometimes you’ve just got to take a weekend away from home and fumigate the premises. If you find yourself in need of such services, here’s a link for house fumigation in San Mateo county.
Consider Green/Sustainable Options
Here’s what a 3.2+ kWh solar panel array will bring your property: $10k to $20k in expanded property value, substantially reduced utility bills, tax relief, and grid independence. DIY Installation can be successfully done for under $5k and maybe a weekend or two of work. That’s double your money or more. If you’re selling soon, this provides a bump to the listing.
Extend The Power Of Your Dollar
You’re going to have to refurbish, renovate, and maintain your property—if you want to keep it at peak value, that is. Sustainable solutions, properly contracted areas of refurbishment, and DIY projects represent three areas of renovation which can considerably reduce associated expense.
How do you affordable maintain your home? Let us know in the comments below!
