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7 Home Improvement Projects That Can Increase Your Home’s Value

Buying a home is a major financial investment, and as such, every homeowner wishes to have their home value appreciated. The good news is the prices of homes increase with time. However, this comes at a cost. The only way to increase your home value is through proper home maintenance and home improvement projects. From outdoor improvement to bathroom remodeling, here are five home improvement projects that add value to your home.

Improve your home’s curb appeal

The curb appeal of your home not only attracts high numbers of potential buyers but also increases the home’s value. According to an experienced real estate agent, curb appeal makes your home sell faster. Once the home is visually appealing, you can easily achieve your selling price.

The property should be well maintained, with an attractive and welcoming entrance and compound. To improve the curb appeal, you can give the property a fresh coat of paint and upgrade the landscaping by planting lawns or maintaining the existing one.

That aside, you should clean the exterior features of the home, add outdoor lights for a beautiful night view, pressure wash the driveway, and remodel some of the outdoor features.

Extensive cleaning and decluttering 

Cleaning and decluttering are one of the cheapest ways to improve your home. You can have this as a DIY home improvement project without hiring extra hands. Clear your home of all stuff you aren’t using anymore. You can start from the living room by discarding old or damaged gadgets, furniture, and deco materials. Do the same in the kitchen, then in the various bedrooms and bathrooms. You can also donate things that work perfectly but are of no use to you.

Afterward, clean your home thoroughly off spills and dirt with much focus on high-traffic areas. Dust the windows, light fixtures, and everything that attracts dirt.

Make your home energy efficient

With the current high cost of energy, people are finding ways to reduce bills. Therefore, making your home energy efficient will not only save you future energy costs but also add value to your home. Start this by upgrading your doors and windows to make air escape difficult. You can also ensure insulating measures. This reduces the amount of heat or cools your home.

Now install a smart thermostat to help adjust your cooling and heating needs on specific schedules. You should also replace your incandescent light bulbs with smart LED bulbs to use less energy.

Also, pay attention to the plumbing system and fix all leaking fixtures that are making you pay for unused water.

Upgrade your home’s front elevation 

Your home’s front elevation should be artistic, visually appealing, and enhance the style of the house. If you live in an old home, your building may be of an old architectural design. Improve this by remodeling or upgrading it to a modern design. This can be a costly project and may involve break and make. But it is worth every penny you spend on it.

Homeowners in Phoenix and many other cities will need a permit to undertake a home remodeling or addition project. According to a Phoenix planning and development plan, “residential construction permits are needed when existing homes are remodeled, or additions are made.” After securing a permit, demolishing contractors like Van’s Hauling cater for all the demolitions. The break and make will also require debris removal, which Vans company can handle perfectly.

Add modern features 

If breaking and remaking portions of your old home sounds extreme to you, you can add modern features to the interior and exterior to achieve the same objectives. For the exterior, you can have concrete designs, sculptures, murals, outdoor living spaces, flower gardens, artificial grass, and other landscaping features to enhance the house’s curb appeal.

For the interior, you can add deco materials and wallpapers on specific walls. You can also use empty spaces or space under the staircase for storage facilities.

Change your flooring 

If you live in an old house, chances are that the flooring material hasn’t been changed for about a decade. If you find yourself in such a situation, it’s time to change the flooring. Choosing the right flooring material can be tricky, so speak to a contractor before making a choice. Floor material options include ceramic tiles, wood, vinyl, marble, and epoxy, among others.

Painting 

Adding a fresh coat of paint to your home makes it look fresh and new. You may have to choose the right paint color that complements other features in the house. Working with a painter can be a great way to choose a proper color combination.

Conclusion 

Homeowners who want to increase the value of their homes should take home maintenance and improvement seriously. As a home that look well-kept, with an attractive view and curb appeal, it automatically attracts buyers when placed on sale. Your home improvement project shouldn’t necessarily be expensive. Every little change you make counts. So, take care of your exteriors, clean and declutter, add more features, make it energy efficient, and improve the curb appeal, and you are good to go.

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Luxury Residence on the South African Coast by SAOTA

SAOTA designed this stunning home for a Johannesburg family on the coast of South Africa.

The idea was for single roof element that responded to the site’s slope, floating over a living space.

Set in The Cove development at Pezula Estate outside Knysna, the property has extensive sea views downhill to the south east.

The client’s brief was a home that could eventually be used as a family home but would initially be used for holidays.

The roof is out of one’s line of sight from the back of the double height open living space as you enter.

A gigantic triangular skylight in the roof reinforces a connection with the sky.

A beautiful sculptural array of operable wooden slats can be variously positioned to hide the sun when it is directly overhead.

The master bedroom has curved curtain tracks creating a very intimate sleeping space at night by contrast with the very open daytime character.

The bedroom overlooks the bath in the front.

The residence is entered from the top of the hill behind the home.

The front door opens onto a very grand staircase at the back of the site drawing the visitor down towards the generous view.

A second stairway, a dramatic sculptural spiral shape connects the living level to a private lounge and the master bedroom on a mezzanine level.

A very glamorous home for the ages.

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Innovative Ways to Design Your Bathroom

Designing your bathroom not only adds a personal touch to your environment, but also increases the value of your home, if you ever plan to sell it. One of the most essential spaces in your house, where you spend time by yourself, the bathroom is often overlooked when it comes to personalization and design. Recent trends have directed focus to the bathroom, with design ideas and upgrade hacks. With a little help from professionals, some research and your own design preferences, you can transform your bathroom into a haven of personal comfort.

Things to consider

1. Finalizing your budget: Keeping in mind that the bathroom is probably the most used room in the house, it requires regular maintenance. So when you are setting up a budget for your bathroom design, it might involve a remodel as well. A remodel coupled with interior decoration proves to be more cost effective than financing the two projects separately. It also saves on time. Bathroom remodels could range anywhere between $2500 and $10,000, depending on how much you’re willing to spend.
2. Reading blogs: There are many blogs that review bathroom designs and trends. You will get a variety of design ideas from apps like Pinterest, which you can use in your bathroom. Explore different bathroom layouts, fixture ideas, design styles, colors and themes. Blogs often recommend professional designers and remodeling companies whom you could speak with.
3. Hiring a decorator: A professional decorator would be ideal, when you’re planning to redesign your bathroom. They take care of a lot of the grunt work, managing all your ideas, requirements and inputs, and delegating tasks to their team of designers. While this may be more expensive than a DIY project, it makes sense to invest this one time in a decorator so that your bathroom remodeling design ideas are executed well.
4. Sourcing materials: You can make a list along with your decorator, or by yourself, of all the design materials you will require, right from the tools required to break down walls to the kinds of tiles you’d want on your floor. Select bathroom fixtures like showerheads and faucets, wall tiles, towels and bathroom accessories, fittings and accents. Set aside a few days to find all the items on your list. Chances are, your decorator already knows where to purchase them.

Here are some design ideas you can take inspiration from:

1. Paint: Your bathroom wall decor can create quite an impact on the room and your state of mind, so painting the wall is a great way to set the tone for the entire bathroom’s design. There are different moisture-resistant wall paints available, with both glossy and matte finishes. You can pick light pastel tones for a cool, airy feel, or bright, rich colors for a splash of drama.

2. Lighting: Changing the lighting fixtures every few years is a good idea. And if you are changing them after a long time, it’s a good idea to upgrade the style as well. You go for bright mirror lights, cooler or warmer lighting, create a diffused light setting, or perhaps use twinkle lights from some extra coziness. LED lights are the best pick for energy-efficient lighting. You can always add a color filter of your choice. LED lights also make it easy on the pocket.

3. Tiles & Flooring: Depending on your budget and style preferences, the quality and quantity of tiles you need will vary. This may also determine whether the tiles are only for the floor or if they also go on walls and other parts of the bathroom. Tiles come in different shapes, sizes, textures and colors. You could go rustic with uneven natural stone or go elegant with marble. You could even go in between with ceramic. Your flooring should be durable, skid-proof and easy to clean. So when you are picking tile designs, consider functionality as well.

4. Hardware Upgrade: Upgrading the hardware like faucets, curtain rods, door handles, showerheads, towel bars and so on instantly elevates the look and feel of your bathroom. You can buy the latest showerheads which have more than one water pressure options. Faucets that produce hot and cold water immediately make for comfortable usage. Bathroom sinks can be a part of your design, with different shapes, sizes, colors and styles to choose from.

5. Storage: Consider providing for sufficient storage space in your bathroom, like drawers, cupboards, laundry bins or shelves. Depending on the amount of space you have to work with, you can choose a storage design that is space efficient, smart and functional. This takes care of clutter and gives space to move around. You could even consider putting your washer under the sink in your bathroom, if space and budget permit.

6. Art & Decor: Adorn walls with soothing pictures or paintings of your liking. You could even place small planters by the bathroom window or on the shelves, for some natural energy. Succulents are low maintenance, visually pleasing and easy to move around. Create an area for storing reading material, if reading is something you enjoy while having a warm soak in the tub.