Keeping your home comfortable and enjoyable to live in is an ongoing process, as routine maintenance becomes necessary over time. Even if your home was in pristine condition when you moved in, over time, wear and tear and the elements will create work that you can choose to do yourself or get help with. Most of us spend more than just sleeping hours at home, so a livable and comfortable home is essential for your wellbeing.
Increasingly, homeowners are opting for the DIY route. Many of the regular improvements that you need to make in your home can be made with ease without special equipment or special skills. DIY saves you money by removing the element of labor costs from home improvement projects. It also gives you the satisfaction of putting your own effort into making your home a more livable place. Here are six home DIY projects that you can do on your own.
1. Freshen up the walls
A pot of paint and a paint brush are not the most expensive items to acquire, and learning to use them is a breeze. Freshly painted interior and exterior walls are one of the most popular DIY projects and are very often completed by homeowners themselves rather than by contractors. Applying wallpaper is hardly more difficult, and either choice can dramatically change the appeal of your home. Regular repainting is inevitable, and becoming comfortable at doing it yourself will save you a lot of money in the long run.
2. Replace doors
Replacing your front door or interior doors can give your home a quick and effective upgrade. Boost the appeal of your home’s entrance by replacing a drab front door with one decorated with an attractive handle and window insert. Bedroom doors that are overly plain can detract from a stylish home, so consider replacing these standard doors with more attractive ones to add a splash of interest.
3. Installing window shutters
Rooms are commonly shielded from the outside by curtains, drapes, or blinds, but these can look dull and intrusive. Instead, change your plain curtains for a classy set of tier-on-tier window shutters, which will allow you to keep part of the window covered for privacy while leaving the other half open to sunlight. Window shutters are easy to install; you simply need to line up the pre-drilled holes with holes drilled in your window frame and attach them appropriately.
4. Update fixtures and fittings
The fixtures and fittings in your home can become dated over time. Whether it is the light fittings or the knobs and handles on your kitchen cupboards, these items are easy to replace and can change what is a dated look into a modern one. Simply changing the fittings can easily spruce up a kitchen or a bathroom without you having to go to the expense of entirely refitting a room with new furniture. Replacement parts for worn and dated fittings are cheap to purchase and simple to install.
5. Freshen up grouting and caulking
Though the caulking in your kitchen and bathroom and the grouting on your floors are meant to seal, they are somewhat permeable and will discolor over time. However, both the grouting between tiles and caulking between the bathtub or sink and the walls are easy to replace. The tricky part is removing existing grouting and caulking cleanly – areas that are to be filled up should be completely clean, otherwise the new material will not last. Regardless, replacing these filled areas with new material is one of the easier ways of sprucing up kitchens and bathrooms.
6. Clear your garden
Gardens have a tendency to overgrow and turn unkempt slowly and over time. You may not notice the effects, but take a second look and what was once a dream garden may no longer be adding to your home’s appeal. Thankfully, tidying a garden is easy, with the appropriate equipment not being too expensive either. Trimming excess plant growth and clearing away layers of old leaves is a simple weekend job, but it will leave your home looking substantially more appealing.
Related: Crowdfunding your home improvement
As with many things in life, the ability to do DIY home improvements is a skill that builds over time. Tackling more and more projects on your own will become easier. You will find that taking the first steps to starting out in DIY will lead to substantial savings in the long run and the satisfaction that you are ultimately responsible for the stunning experience that is your own home.
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