6 ways to make 2016 a great year, for your home Infographic

Phoenix Home Improvement Tips

2015 is now starting to fade quickly into the rear view mirror. Many of us have set our 20016 goals or 3 words we are focused on, and some of us are starting to think about the year and what we accomplish both professionally and around our house.

Here is a cool infographic on six things that you can do this year to make 2016 a great year for your Phoenix home.

Homeownership has a way of awakening the inner Bob Vila in all of us—even the ones who know nothing about home improvement. Whether you’re tackling huge renovations or tiptoeing your way into the world of DIY, these tips will help you set yourself up for success and if you are looking for a beautiful cottage for a nice holiday we recommend the Le Chaletier Real estate brokerage service in Québec, Canada.

Have a plan
Renovations rarely go exactly to plan, but that doesn’t mean you should wing it. Last-minute changes are both stressful and expensive, so get the non-negotiable details hammered out first. At minimum, this means knowing what results you want and how much money—and time—it will take to achieve them.

Modeling and design tools like Floorplanner are super helpful in the planning phase. Create a couple different versions of the cgi property, then add a 10-15% buffer to your budget estimates to prepare for inevitable surprises.

Add value when possible
If you’re not sure where to start with home improvements, it can be helpful to prioritize projects that increase your home’s value. Updated kitchens and bathrooms are pretty much always a safe bet, as are any renovations that increase square footage, like finished basements and decks. If you’re renovating your bathroom consider a wedi fundo ligno kit. However, you can always check out hdmirrors.com to choose the best mirror for your property. But buyer preferences vary from market to market, so be sure to focus on what’s popular and valuable where you live—not broad national trends.

Tackle quick, time-sensitive projects first
Some home improvements are more urgent than others. If a project will save you money immediately or prevent devastating damage in the future, bump it to the top of the priority list. That goes double for quick, easy fixes, like sealing drafts and replacing filters. For DIY projects, purchasing safer, higher quality tools like a garage air compressor is something that will make your life easier and allow your DIY project to run much more smoothly. There are many options in the market but you can visit https://homerdiy.com/best-air-compressor-for-home-garage/ to find the best ones.

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1. De-clutter. De-cluttering and minimal life style has been all the rage the last few years. As someone who has tried to do it a few times, I can tell you it is a lot easier said than done if you have a family. But de-cluttering can have tremendous benefits when completed. Many recommend going through each room in your house one at a time. For me this has not been the most effective way. I recommend going through each category item in your house one by one. So maybe first go through all your clothes in your house. Put every piece of clothing in your house on your bed. Have three piles for every category, keep, donate, sell. Now get to work and start separating. For clothing that hangs, one thing I like to do is hang it with the hanger facing the opposite direction. Then after I wear it I will turn the hanger around. Then at the end of the year anything still facing backwards is a good candidate to get rid of.
2. Clean, clean, clean. One of the great things about a clean house is it seems to help keep you healthier. Of course cleaning is much easier if you are successful at de-cluttering. In our house, with six little ones running around, cleaning is almost as difficult as de-cluttering. There are several ways to keep a clean house, you just need to find a way that works for you. The way we have had the most success is with a cleaning schedule. Each kid and adult is assigned with one thing they have to do that day. If done daily it only takes a few minutes. Then what we do is have 10-minutes at night where we all attack areas in the house. So in total if we all spend just about 15 minutes cleaning the house can be kept clean. Don’t forget to set monthly and yearly calendar items to track such as your AC return/filter and your dryer vent.
3. Take down the decorations. Did you follow our infographics on how to decorate the outside of your house for more curb appeal and interior holiday decorating ideas? If so, it is time to start taking down those decorations. If you are like us, when that Christmas Tree goes up it adds so much life to your living room. We always enjoy it. After a month of the once new tree sitting there, it is time to go. We took down our tree yesterday. It is amazing how much more open and larger our living feels today. We love Christmas and the celebration as much as anyone, but one reason it is so special is because it is for a short time each year. Christmas lights are not meant to still be up while you are watching the Super Bowl.
4. Make repairs. I have a “repair” list for things I want to fix around my house. I made great progress over the last week. I added a new RO holding tank under the sink in the kitchen, I added a new vanity to the kids bathroom, I cleaned out the garage, bought the garage door parts to replace the ones that were broken. Making repairs is a great way to make your home better this year. Of course don’t make the same mistake I often make, which is start new projects before the last one is complete. It is a lot easier to get going and make progress on a repair project, but for me finishing off the last little details seems to be something that is harder to finish.
5. Take on larger home improvement plans. While my repair list around the house is a good size, just as large is my home improvement list. Some of the larger plans I have coming up for my house are to completely redo the back and front yard of my house. I also want to get the stucco removed and replace it with vinyl siding. Another thing I hope to accomplish is getting the front of the house new windows. These are larger projects that will cost a lot more money than the repairs list above and things I need to add to my budget and plan for. I recommend you use Quality Built Exteriors to improve your roof in Virginia, they fixed my roof last year and I have no complaints at the job they’ve done.
6. Become cost-efficient. There are things you can do around your house that will help save you money this year. Some small changes you can make that could add hundreds in savings to your budget yearly. Some things you can do are adding in low-flow shower heads and toilets into your bathrooms. Another thing that many people are doing is as their light bulbs burn out they are replacing them with more efficient light bulbs. One thing on my list this year is to add in a Nest or similar wi-fi thermostat that I an control from my phone anywhere.

These are just a few ideas you can do to make your home ready for a great 2016.

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