Home improvement projects have a myriad of benefits, yet there are quite a handful of homeowners who are left counting their losses afterwards. While there are many things that may cause this, one of the most crucial is the inability of most homeowners to prioritize their projects. As with any project, there are some aspects of home improvement that are more important than others are, and the homeowner needs to understand this to avoid making costly mistakes. Here is how you should prioritize your projects:
Damage
Installing a whirlpool to your bathroom will do nothing to increase the value of your home or your comfort if you have a leaking toilet. Repairs ought to be the first thing that should be done if you are thinking of improving your home.
Do thorough inspections of your house, get an expert if possible, and identify every area that needs repair. Do you have a broken toilet? A leaking faucet? Is your roof in the best condition? These should be your number one priorities. These are the first thing any potential buyer would look at, and even though you are not selling, some nifty repairs would greatly improve your overall comfort in your home.
One repair that cannot be over-emphasized is water damage repair. If you have a wet basement, get it fixed! If your roof has a problem then have it repaired. Water damage if not repaired in time, can go as far as compromising the structural integrity of your house, the last thing you want is your home to be declared a hazard that is not fit to be lived in!
Even where it does not go that far there are nasty consequences. From a funny, musty smell coming from rotting wood to mold, this can have serious health consequences and is incredibly difficult to deal with. So before you indulge in creating your fantasy living room, make sure the necessary repairs are carried out in your home.
Energy efficiency
Once you have all your repairs done, the next thing you ought to do is make your house more energy efficient. This project will be quite rewarding to you in every way. You can sleep better knowing that you are doing your part in fighting against global warming, and your utility bill will not be quite as hefty. Most buyers are looking for green homes nowadays too, so that will be an extra plus for you.
You can do some very simple things to make your home more energy efficient. From installing energy saving light bulbs to having solar panels installed on your roof so that you can generate your own energy.
The most important thing you can do though is reduce your heating and cooling requirements by insulating your home properly and getting new heating and cooling appliances if the ones you have are too old.
Value
Undertake projects that will increase the value of your home. You never know what might happen in the future, you might want to sell even though it is the last thing on your mind, at the moment, and you want to make sure that you will get the best price possible for your house.
Contrary to popular belief, not all home improvement projects automatically result in an addition on your house value. Some may be totally uncalled for and a waste of your time and money.
The secret behind knowing the right projects to undertake to increase your home value is to do research on the average value of homes in your neighborhood and make sure the projects you undertake will not make your house too expensive for the neighborhood.
A fail-proof project however, might be adding an additional bedroom to your house if you can get the permit to do so. This opens you up to a larger base of potential buyers and will definitely increase your asking price.
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Comfort
Your comfort is a priority, that is why it is on this list. However, it should come last. By comfort here, I mean all those dreams you had for how your bedroom should look like, and those appliances and pieces of furniture that are not absolutely necessary but you would love to have. If you have enough money remaining after undertaking the first three projects, then by all means go ahead! However, keep in mind not to over-build or over-personalize your home.
Miranda Keith is an avid blogger who writes about home improvement and green technologies. She prefers solar pv for her home, for better energy conservation.
Source: http://www.propertyhouse.org/top-4-priorities-home-improvement-project.html
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