When it comes to your home, there is a saying that goes ‘don’t move, improve!’ It can be tempting to move into a new home and start somewhere new when you get bored with where you are currently living, or if you start to outgrow it as a family. However, there are some home improvements to try and renovations that you could look to do first before you think about a move. When you extend the home or make other changes, it can save you money in the long-term, add value to the home, and give you many more years of living in your current home.
But what are the best things to do when it comes to your home? Of course, if you have a dream of building your own house from scratch, you could use the land that you currently have, knock things down, and then start again. A custom home builder will be a good consideration if this sounds like something you want to do. If that seems out of reach for you, then here are some home improvements to try to think about.
Declutter and reorganize
If you feel like you are lacking space in the home and you are running out of storage, then it can be a good time to declutter and reorganize the space in each of your rooms. You could easily free up some sacred storage space by getting rid of it, putting it into storage, or selling the things that you no longer use or need. This is just one of the home improvements to try to fall in love with your home again.
You might have inherited some items that you have never used but been stuck with, or still have bulky baby items from when your children were younger, that are no longer required. Even having a reorganize of the space in each room could free up some space, such as space for new shelving or an additional piece of furniture for storage. Buying some new storage pieces and taking time to declutter and get rid of unwanted items, is going to be much more cost-effective than moving to a new house.
Loft conversion
If you are looking for another of the home improvements to try and to create more space in the home, then an additional room can make all of the difference. It could be a new bedroom to help everyone spread out in the home, or a new office, family room, or playroom. Either way, it is more space to use and more space for all of your things. Of course, a loft conversion doesn’t come cheaply. However, if you have sufficient loft space, it can be a home renovation that really makes a difference to the look and feel of the home, as well as helping to add to the value of your home.
One point to note, though, is that you may have to take some space out of an existing bedroom for a loft conversion, in order to get the stairs up to the loft in. This will depend on a number of things, though, such as the size of your landing space.
Extend your home
Another of the home improvements to try is to extend. If you have a small kitchen, a small bedroom, or want to create an extra reception room downstairs, then extending really is a good option, rather than just moving. You could choose from a variety of extensions too. You could choose a rear extension, taking the space of some of your outside space, a side extension, if you have some room to play with at the side of your home. You could even consider something like a two-story extension, as that can be a great way to help to add value to your home, as well as much needed space, both upstairs and downstairs.
Basement extension
Another one of the home improvements to try, albeit a little on the expensive side, is to increase how much living space you have with a basement extension. There are a number of reasons why this may not work for your current property, but there are a number of reasons why if it does, it is worth doing. It involves digging underground, as you would imagine, and can be done if you already have a basement. In some instances, a basement can be created if you don’t already have one, but it will be a big job (with a big cost) to get that done.
Final Thoughts on Home Improvements to Try
These are some of the home improvements to try that you could do, rather than moving to a new home. However, there are a number of small things that you could think about doing too, from painting, decorating, improving the driveway and garden, or changing the outside cladding of the home. They could all end up being more cost-effective than moving.
Do you have suggestions for home improvements to try for others? Please mention them below.