Home Renovations You Can Do in the Winter
Winter brings cooler weather, often trapping us inside the house until the spring arrives. That usually means postponing the big home project for sunnier days. Even though it is more convenient to have house improvement work done during warm months, some home renovations you can do in the winter as well. Since winter is off-season for most contractors, you can hire them at a lower price and find better deals for purchasing materials. Therefore, if you have some time and money on your hands, focus on improving insulation, safety, and energy efficiency in your home.
Investing in kitchen energy-efficient appliances
Winter is not ideal for remodeling your kitchen if you think of replacing the tiles. However, during the cold season, there are kitchen upgrades that will add to its value and help you save money on bills. A simple one is investing in energy-efficient appliances. Many people are guided by the famous saying, "Why fix it if it ain't broken?" Still, replacing the old fridge, dishwasher, changing the disposal unit, and re-evaluating the efficiency of the appliances over 10-15 years old, could be a game-changer.
If you're dealing with a limited budget, a change of faucets or lighting fixtures is affordable and very effective |
Sealing the drafts
Even though late autumn is the best time to prepare your home for colder months, there are many low-budget improvements you can make in the winter as well. However, before you improve it in an affordable way, inspect and prepare the entire house for upcoming colder weather. Preserving heating is the main thing to focus on because the preventive measures are inexpensive and simple. Some of the basic ones are sealing the air drafts on windows, doors, and attic. Using just insulating spray foam, you can cut your heating bill by up to 15% this winter!
In addition, you can invest in heavy drapes and thick carpets. They will create an extra barrier between potential sources of the draft. It's not only practical, but with the trendy color, pattern, and textures, they can also transform your interior design. If you want to take an extra step, insulate the water heater as well. Insulated jacket cover doesn't cost much, but it makes a big difference in making your heater more efficient and lowering the electricity bill.
Optimizing the living space
Being a homeowner means dealing with constant maintenance and improvements to keep your living space optimized. We often lack time to deal with such chores during the warm seasons. Therefore, there is no better time to finally get to home projects than winter. Start by decluttering every room in the house and creating more storage space.
According to relocation and moving experts from heavenlymove.com, creating enough storage space for all of your things helps with time efficiency. By creating a sorting system and being organized, you will always know exactly where your items are. You can rent a storage unit or make more storage space by replacing the current furniture with multifunctional alternatives, using the neglected areas, or making the most of vertical surfaces.
Creating more storage space through decluttering is amongst the most affordable home renovations you can do in the winter |
Install a smart thermostat
Whether we are young or old, keeping up with today's technology is crucial for transforming our lives for the better. Yet, many people will not even try the benefits such advancements bring since it can be scary stepping into uncharted territory. Luckily, you can add simple tech home features like a smart thermostat without hiring professional help. With a good model, you can control the temperature in the house from a phone. You can make the heat usage more efficient because the thermostat will automatically keep your preferred optimum temperature.
Working on curb appeal
If your winters aren't as cold and snowy, it's the perfect time to revamp your curb appeal. Whether it's refreshing house exterior or landscaping, home renovations you can do in the winter months will help have everything ready for spring. Start with removing the debris, dried plants, and tiding the flowerbeds. Afterward, you can opt for winter-hardy perennials or refresh the yard with evergreens. Just because nature loses its color during the darker part of the year, your curb appeal doesn't have to suffer. If you want to see trees and bushes blooming in the spring, winter is the time to plant them. In case the ground is frosty, use the potted evergreens to add freshness to the landscape instead. After it gets slightly warmer, you can plant it anywhere you like and move them around.
If the weather is too cold for any serious work, improve your house exterior with lighting upgrades. Porches and walkways need additional light during long winter nights. Therefore, you should check the entryway is safe for navigating. Clean and upgrade your existing lighting fixtures. While doing so, keep in mind that many CFL lights don't work well during freezing temperatures. Therefore, now might be the time to replace them with more resistant LED lights.
With the proper lighting, your home will look outstanding during the night the proper lighting, your home will look outstanding during the night |
Conclusion
If you're not planning to tear down walls, replace floor, roof or do any structural upgrades, home renovations you can do in the winter are the same ones you can work on in the summer. Try changing your wall color, restoring the old furniture, or upgrading your faucets. However, if you want to save some money, you should focus on winterizing the home and preserving the energy. Luckily, today there are many options for optimizing your home independently without hiring professionals. All you need is some will, research, and basic skill, and you'll property will be rejuvenated and ready for spring.
Images used:
https://unsplash.com/photos/tdUWhzDIzoU
https://pixabay.com/photos/tap-black-faucet-kitchen-sink-791172/
https://www.pexels.com/photo/boxes-used-for-segregating-things-at-home-8581413/
https://unsplash.com/photos/znH6W7mpW9g