Because of the state of the housing market, some homeowners are looking to make many improvements before listing their property in order to increase the value. You won’t necessarily need a professional to assist you in making these improvements, but you should still read these tips to learn more about the topic.
There are a few electrical tasks that a non-expert can do around the home. One is replacing a light switch. After you turn off the electricity and remove the cover plate, detach the wires on the old switch and replace them in the same order on the new switch.
Put in an outdoor motion detector for your outside lighting. This way the lights will only be on when they are activated and not all day or all night unnecessarily. Most people don’t need their outside lights other than when they come home or leave after dark.
You can add storage to your rooms by simply recycling old shoe boxes. You can create great designs by adding leftover wallpaper, or even fabric, as a cover to those old shoe boxes. It is a nice way to add an interesting style to some of your rooms and will help you tackle your storage needs.
You can speed the drying of your drywall patch by using a hair blower! Any hair dryer will work as long as it is portable enough that you can direct the air flow from it over your patch. Keep the air temperature set to low and don’t try to dry the patch too quickly or it will crack.
Cover your door knobs, hinges and other hardware with petroleum jelly before painting. It is an easy way to insure they don’t get covered in paint. All you have to do when you are finished painting is use a soft cotton cloth to wipe the petroleum jelly from the surfaces of the hardware.
Begin your home improvement projects in the kitchen, where owners can see up to a 500% return on their investment. To give the room a fresh, clean look, paint the cabinets white and replace the hardware. Also focus on the counters; stay away from tile and purchase granite or imitation stone.
You have to realize the there is a bigger market for more modern people. Even if you enjoy your old style ovens and refrigerators, you will have to modernize it. Try making everything a similar color like a stainless steel refrigerator and painting your walls a grey or white color.
Do not underestimate the amount of effort that your project will require. Make written notes about the entire job, so that you have a good grasp of all the steps involved. You should also seek the opinion of another on the off chance you overlooked something. You can save a lot of money just by keeping to a plan that includes everything you will need to do.
Prior to staining or painting wood surfaces, it is wise to utilize sandpaper to help smooth them out, and then wipe all of the wood with a damp cloth. Using sandpaper with a fine grit helps to give it a nice smooth finish. Wiping off the object afterwards will keep it smooth and get rid of dust.
Match your fire extinguisher to the room where it is being used. The color will be the same old red but fire extinguishers are classed according to function. Class B’s are most appropriate for the kitchen but Class A’s would probably work well in the rest of the house.
To save yourself time and trouble on future maintenance when you do any home improvement, remove water heaters from your attic. While attic water heaters save space, they are difficult to maintain and offer the significant danger of ruining your ceilings (at the very least), if they ever leak. Relocating your water heater into a close,t costs very little space and adds, peace of mind.
Now, of course, not everyone out there is attempting to sell their home. Some people just want to make improvements to change things around. Wherever you fall in the home improvement spectrum, remember to read this article closely and to use these tips to assist you. They just might help you get out of a jam.