4 Quick Home Improvement Tips That Make A Big Difference.
It’s possible to create big-budget home improvements even with a small budget if you go about it in a creative way. Essentially, you need to be creative about how to stretch your dollars, as well as creative about what aspects of your home you want to focus on.
Four simple ways to improve the look-and-feel of your home is to upgrade home security, improve curb appeal, add molding, and build a home theater.
- Upgrade Home Security
Significant home improvements should include installing or upgrading home security. If you haven’t thought about home security for some time, you’d be surprised how far this industry has advanced in recent years. However, the technology available depends on where you live. If you live in or around a major city rather than in a rural area, you will doubtlessly have more options — home security phoenix firms, for instance, offer Arizona residents bundled packages that include security systems, remote access, energy management, home automation, security cameras, and medical alert systems.
- Curb Appeal Stretches Your Dollars
DIY Network neatly summarizes the underestimated value of improving curb appeal, especially if you’re working with a small budget: “There are dozens of small, inexpensive home improvements that you can do to up your home’s curb appeal. Adding curb appeal to your house not only makes it easier to sell, but it also gives your house that nice and finished look in which you can take pride in. When deciding on which upgrades to make to your house, consider what your house currently looks like and what will look best with it.”
It’s amazing how improving the way your house looks from the outside can make such a difference. What’s more, it’s much cheaper to fix the outside. For instance, it will only cost you about $30 a gallon to paint the front door and to brighten up shutters and trims. You can even make your mailbox stand out by getting something a little out of the ordinary. Trees and bushes will make a huge difference. Other ideas include installing flower boxes and enhancing lighting in the porch area and garden.
- Moldings Make Rooms Appear Bigger
Crown molding can make your rooms seem bigger if you go about it the right way. If your ceiling is less than 10 feet, use a simpler style. They can also be used to enhance windows, doors, and entryways to give rooms a touch of class.
Moldings come in wood or foam. Wood molding can be painted or left natural, and you’ll have hundreds of styles to choose from. The advantage of foam molding is that it’s easier to work with if you’re doing your own remodeling.
- Build a Home Theater
Here are 4 ideas on how to set up a home theater without spending a small fortune:
- 1. If you want a cheap HDTV, think of a projector. It’s a much cheaper alternative to a large flat panel. You’re not looking for a projector that delivers PowerPoint, but a home theater grade front projector. You can buy a new Epson projector, for example, for less than a grand and enjoy a 100-inch picture. By comparison, you would have to spend about 5 grand for a 65-inch flat panel.
- 2. Buy large black curtains to optimize your control over room lighting. This will effectively darken the room if you have large windows.
- 3. Be selective where you buy cables. Don’t buy $60 HDMI video cables; you can get them for half that price if you shop around. Contrary to some clever advertising, you won’t notice much of a difference in quality. Similarly, be selective on where you buy your media, as some places can be more expensive than others for exactly the same CD.
- 4. You can still get Blu-ray. It’s possible to find $200 players these days. You can also save on the discs by not buying big new releases. Instead, wait for the price to drop.
In conclusion, any home improvements you make will provide two big benefits: first, they will help you enjoy the home you live in today; and second, they will provide an excellent financial return on your investment should you think of selling your house tomorrow.
