Purchasing your own home is a huge life moment, and in many cases, it is the biggest single purchase that most individuals will ever make in their lives. While it is an incredible feeling to own your own home, this asset comes with a constant, consistent, and insistent responsibility called home maintenance, repair, and renovation. Even if your home is extremely well built, using the best materials known to mankind, there are still things that will go wrong from time to time and fixes that will need to be made. Whether it’s upgrading your flyscreen doors, repainting the exterior of your home, upgrading appliances or improving your kitchen setup, there are always things you can do to enhance your home.
In addition to keeping up-to-date with your maintenance obligations, cleaning, and other homeowner responsibilities, you will also want to ensure that your home always looks its very best. Failing to carry out renovation works from time to time can leave your home feeling drab, dated and ultimately falling into a state of disrepair. Making small updates over time will ensure that your home continues to serve your needs, remains functional and is energy efficient as time goes on. Being proactive and making rational, well-thought-out renovations when required is key to keeping your home in the best condition possible, minimising the number of repairs required and ensuring that you can always be proud of where you lay your head.
Let’s take a look at some practical renovations that you should consider carrying out in your home.
1. Energy Efficiency is a Top Priority
The world has slowly been moving towards improved energy efficiency for decades now, and we have never seen a stronger push to go green. While it may seem like a lot of money to upgrade your home for energy efficiency, there may be government assistance in your area, and a lot of these improvements pay for themselves over time with savings on monthly bills. When you look at it as an investment, it makes it easier to rationalise, as you and your family get to enjoy the comfort of an efficient, safe home, with the added bonuses of increasing your property value and helping the environment in the process.
2. High Traffic Areas Come First
Every home has areas that are as busy as Sydney during rush hour at times and others that gather dust and cobwebs. Unless the less trafficked areas of the home are in dire need of repair, or an actual hazard, focus on the spaces that people use. The typical places are going to be entranceways, main hallways and stairs, bathrooms, and kitchens. As every home is completely different, it’s crucial that you make choices based on your individual needs.
3. Bathe in Rationality
Keeping your bathroom looking well and functioning seamlessly should always be a high priority for homeowners for some very obvious reasons. Not everyone is going to have the same needs or desires for a bathroom renovation, but the main thing is to make it more practical, efficient, and beautiful. Everything from updated fixtures, countertops, flooring, and HVAC can not only make your life better on a daily basis, but it will also add to the value of your home, which is always a plus.
4. Ensure A Functional Kitchen
Kitchens tend to be one of the busiest rooms in almost every household. Not only is the kitchen a place for cooking, eating, and preparing food, but it’s also a place where many families socialise, help the kids with their homework and hang out with friends when they visit. With all of this foot traffic, the average kitchen can take a real beating over the years. When you’re sprucing up your kitchen, you want to ensure everything gets its fair shake, from old, ineffective appliances, to countertops and cabinets that could be made more practical to ensure optimal functionality in the future.
5. Colour Can Change Things Cheaply
While some rooms of the home, such as the kitchen and bathroom, can be expensive to renovate simply because there is more specialist functionality attached to these areas of the home, there are plenty of other rooms that you can redo without spending a small fortune. Paint and wallpaper, furniture and rugs, and fresh and practical colours can make an old dusty room instantly feel like it was completely renovated. If budget is a big concern when it comes to your home renovations, as it is for many people, just remember that paint is one of your most cost-friendly practical options to give any room a new lease of life.
6. Don’t Forget Outside
If you are lucky enough to have a home with some outdoor space to enjoy the beautiful Australian sunshine, be sure to keep in mind that you can do many practical renovations outside too. From landscaping to building a deck or swimming pool, there are countless ways that you can add practicality and value to your outdoor spaces so you and your family can enjoy these parts of your home to the fullest.
Invest In Renovation Work That Adds Value And Functionality
Carrying out home renovations can be expensive, but it’s crucial that you view this work as an investment. There are many different things that you can do as a homeowner to add value and functionality to your home, regardless of your budget. Following the tips above, you can ensure that you make changes to your home that will improve the functionality of your property, enhance how your home looks and ultimately make your house a more comfortable and inviting place for you and your family to live.
