Hi folks,
is that tacky avocado green paint in your kitchen from yesteryear making your eyeballs bleed? Maybe your home resembles a militarized zone each morning due to the lack of an additional bathroom? Whatever your needs or the reasoning behind them, there are many home improvement ideas that can not only make your home more enjoyable to live in, but increase its value as well.
Home Improvement Ideas that Add Value to Your Home:
- Basic Updates
Among the most obvious home improvement ideas, simply keeping up with the times and addressing issues with your home as they occur adds the most value to your home. Keep paint fresh, address leaks and damage, and replace worn out flooring to keep your home from deteriorating over time. - Reinvent a Room
Reinventing an existing space, by removing/adding a wall, finishing a basement or attic, converting a garage etc., can add more value to your home per euro spent than the addition of square footage. Look for new ways to use existing space and make it more versatile. - Kitchen Remodel
One of the more expensive home improvement ideas, a kitchen remodel can really pay off – up to 60-120 percent of your investment according to some experts. Just don’t go overboard, keep the remodel on par with the rest of the house and neighbourhood. Your “deluxe” kitchen could price your home out of the market for potential buyers down the road. Instead opt for fresh, new paint, energy efficient appliances, and upgrading to a more recent style of cabinets – simple changes go a long way. - Bathroom Addition
Experts say that in addition to making mornings around your home much calmer, adding a bathroom to your home can recoup 80-130 percent of your investment. Investigate your home, identifying extra rooms or underutilized spaces such as closets and under-stair areas. Half-baths take at least 18 feet, while full baths with a stand-up shower require at last 30 feet, or 35 with a bathtub. Cost will vary depending on the type of addition and accessories used, but sale items at your local hardware store, Home Store + More or Ikea can help drastically reduce costs. - Garden Decking
Garden Decking increases home value, making your outdoor living space more desirable and increasing the attractiveness of your home. The cost will vary depending on the size of the decking and any additional elements added such as furniture or built-in seating and landscaping, however experts say that you can expect to recoup 65-90 percent of your investment costs. - Energy Efficient Windows
Old drafty windows are a major turnoff to potential buyers in search of energy efficiency. According to the Energy Saving Trust in the UK you you can save between €50 and €190 per year by upgrading to higher standard energy efficient windows . You can expect to recoup 60-90 percent of your investment costs from windows as well. - Energy Efficient Insulation
Not one of the more exciting home improvement ideas, energy efficient insulation may excite your checkbook, saving you hundreds to thousands of euros in energy each year. Adding to your home’s basic insulation in the attic, walls, and addressing leaks will go a long way towards keeping your home more comfortable and saving those energy euros for other home improvement ideas! According to Seai.ie insulating your attic alone can save up to 20% on your heating bill and with the Better Energy Homes scheme you can avail of grants when you invest in certain energy efficiency improvements in in your home.
Also, just to point out that in Ireland you can avail of the Home Renovation Incentive Scheme to claim back an Income Tax credit at 13.5% on many of the items above so be sure to check it out and save yourself some money in the process:)
There are a lot of home improvement ideas to make your home a more enjoyable, comfortable respite for you and your family and to add value. Make sure if you do decide to improve your home to get a number of quotes from rated tradesmen, compare prices and get as much advice as you can to help you make the best decision.
Cheers
Oliver Dempsey
Tradesmen.ie
15th March 2014
Here are some other articles that you might be interested in below:-
Tips for Removing Common Stains in the Home
Tips for Reducing your Heating Bill
Home Improvement Tips for Wet Weather
