Feeling the winter blues while stuck inside? There are months of winter left, so why not spend it de-winterizing your home? Actively working on your home is a short-term project with long-term effects. You can stay on your feet and improve your environment instead of drearily making it through the freezing season. Increase your living space, property value and mood this winter with our list of simple and doable home improvements you can begin today!
- Add more, or re-insulate your home
Are the chilly months often having you reach for your thermostat in desperation for heat? Frequently overlooked, proper insulation can significantly improve the comfort of your home. In addition to more comfortably steady temperatures, homes with revamped or added insulation are sustainable and can considerably lower the cost of your utility bills. According to the U.S Department of Energy’s “Developing an Energy Performance Modeling Startup Kit” manual, insulation is one of top energy efficient renovations that remodelers and homebuilders incorporate while modeling and remodeling homes. Sometimes, older homes have no insulation at all!
Consider adding insulation into your attic, basement or other crawlspaces in your home.
- A paint job
The color of the paint in your home is one of the most individualized and customizable aspects of your renovation process. Repainting in the winter while you’re already seemingly stuck inside can become an enjoyable and relatively cheap project. Each color on the spectrum has it’s own psychological values and aspects, and there are countless paints available in today’s market. According to Freshome, lighter colors are spacious while darker colors are sophisticated.
Blues promote productivity, while lavender calms and relaxes. Green provides tranquility, while yellow energizes. As you can see, there are several ways to de-winterize your home and mood with a simple gallon of paint.
- Help out your feet
If you have old, worn-out carpet or freezing hardwood floors, consider taking on a re-flooring project this winter. Adding carpet to hardwood or upgrading old carpet can dramatically add coziness into your home. According to University of Florida’s “What’s Underfoot: Carpet Choices for the Home” by Marie Hammer, wall-to-wall carpeting adds warmth, encourages safety, and typically involves less care.
- Fix-up your bathroom
You are in your bathroom multiple times a day, so why is it often neglected when considering remodeling? A bathroom encompasses so much simple and economical potential, so why not dedicate a little time and money into it this winter? Re-painting, replacing damaged fixtures, re-flooring and cleaning are just some of the several projects to revamp your old bathroom.
- Tidy Up
Start your Spring-cleaning early while already indoors to de-clutter your junk! An organized home makes for an organized mind. Start small and work slowly to over becoming overwhelmed. Throw away things that have no value to you, and consider putting important things that are not functional or un-displayed into a storage unit instead of the basement.
What are some of the ways you de-winterize your home?
