If you’re looking for a way to boost your house’s resale value without making it feel any less like home, a targeted home improvement project or two might be in order. From expanding and modernizing your current kitchen to adding an entirely new room above your garage or in your basement, plenty of straightforward home improvement projects can create inviting, practical spaces within your existing house. Don’t be afraid to make the following ideas your own.
Five Home Improvement Tips that Can Increase your Home Value
1. Kitchen Expansion
Changing tastes and technologies ensure that kitchens don’t stay up-to-date indefinitely, but a well-placed, forward-looking kitchen redesign will keep your cooking space fresh and useful for years to come. Start by increasing your available counter-space with a fixed or mobile island. Next, make the entire place more inviting with a new window over the sink or prep area as well as an open space between the kitchen and your home’s dining or gathering space. Finish up with a set of energy-efficient appliances that could pay for themselves within a few years.
2. Efficient Windows
Don’t stop with that single new kitchen window. Go through your home and replace any older “storm style” windows with sleek fixtures that have been endorsed by the federal government’s Energy Star program. It’s possible that you’ll need to sand or adjust your window frames to ensure that your new windows fit, but this shouldn’t take more than a couple of weekends. Energy-efficient windows are lighter and produce better seals than their predecessors, and they’re equally adept at holding in heat during the winter and cool air during the summer.
3. Bonus Room
Bonus rooms are a great addition to the space above your attached or detached garage. If you own a pool, local zoning laws may permit you to construct an entirely new “pool house” to support a finished play space. In either case, install a cable and Internet connection for your television, video game console and desktop computer. Add a couple of couches and plenty of table space for gatherings with your friends. For a truly homey feel, install some low-maintenance carpeting and blackout blinds to double your bonus room as a guest bedroom.
4. Bigger, Better Bathrooms
Many older houses are replete with half-baths or bathroom-less floors. Correct this imbalance by adding a stand-up shower in your half-bathroom and adding an entirely new water closet in your finished basement or third-floor bedroom. Next, re-imagine your existing full bathrooms with new tiling and classy light fixtures. Finally, stick it to your water utility by installing efficient shower heads, taps and toilets.
5. Finished Basement
Whether you need a new home office or a custom-designed game room, your basement offers a proverbial blank canvas. To create an office with a retro-urban feel, paint your basement’s exposed pillars and seal its concrete floors. Add some extra lighting and broadband connections as well. For a more playful approach, lay down hardwood or low-maintenance carpeting and place a ping-pong table or pool set in an open space. To free up space for couches, chairs and a bar, move some of your stored items into the garage or an off-site storage facility.
Take the Plunge
Taking on a sizable DIY home improvement project can require some commitment, but there are plenty of benefits to taking the plunge. In addition to the added resale value that it’s sure to confer on your home, your project will make your place more attractive to guests and more comfortable for your family. Your project is liable to pay for itself, so you’ll be limited only by your imagination.
