6 Upgrade Ideas To Turn Your Home Into Your Favourite Retreat
Are you thinking about doing a few upgrades to your home, so now you’re looking for ideas? You’ve come to the right place. There are many ways to spruce up your property and give it a homey feel, so read on to get inspired.
1. Backyard Pool
For a splash of fun in the summer sun, install a swimming pool in your family’s backyard. While the cost of inground pool may be intimidating at first, the enjoyment your family can get out of one will more than make up for it. Use it for water games, such as basketball, or to swim laps for exercise. When you want to teach your kids to swim, you won’t even have to go out of your way or change your schedule because you can do it any time.
2. Landscaping
Turn your own property into a small oasis with beautiful landscaping. When you look out your window, what would be better than a view of a manicured garden? A sloped bank could be turned into tiered flower shelves with retaining walls. A stone or brick path could be installed, leading to a bench under a gazebo or pergola at the end of it. A centerpiece, such as a statue or water feature, could be framed with low hedges and flowers, or choose a xeriscaped framing design for dryer climates prone to frequent droughts. The possibilities are truly endless, but the result could become your favorite part of your property for relaxing at the end of a hard day.
3. Accent Walls
Give your home a new personality with accent walls. If you’re feeling like plain, white walls is just too basic in your living room, paint one wall gray or light purple, or whichever color will go best with your couch and chairs. Your kids’ bathroom could have a wall of blues and greens with fish floating across it. Adding a wall of contrasting colors can liven up a room, especially when a mural is also part of the design. Dream up an amazing design and take your home’s themes to the next level!
4. Flooring
Especially if you have kids or pets, floors can wear out fast. If you’re thinking it’s time to upgrade your flooring but you’re concerned they’ll look awful again within a couple of years, consider increasing your budget to purchase a more durable variety. Some kinds of laminate, for example, have been improved upon so much versus older materials and technology that they can look like real wood. Unlike wood, though, the laminate won’t need to be sanded and stained regularly. In other words, you might get a wood look without the hassle or expense of maintaining the genuine article.
5. Cabinets and Countertops
When you look at your cabinets, do they look boring, outdated and cheap? Are your countertops stained or chipped from years, maybe even decades, of putting them to good use?
Putting in the expense of replacing these features will come with one of the heftier price tags in a home renovation, so you might be hesitant to budget them in. That said, updated kitchens and bathrooms are also huge selling points, so the investment might be worth it when you’re ready to list your house someday. If budget is a big concern, though, you may still be able to achieve a modern and refreshed look: Stain or paint the cabinets, and hire refinishers to put a new topcoat on counters or refinish them yourself.
6. Finishes
Another area that can really stand out, when looked at collectively, is finishes. If you have a hodgepodge of mismatched fixtures, it could become even more conspicuous once other areas in your home have been updated. There are a number of areas you might want to consider:
- Overhead lights
- Ceiling fans
- Faucets
- Doorknobs and hinges
- Flush levers on toilets
- Shower curtain rods
Remember that you don’t have to wait until you’re getting ready to sell to do some updating. In fact, doing small renovations even when selling isn’t yet in your plans will give you an opportunity to enjoy the fruits of your designs and hard work.
