Anyone who owns a home knows that it takes effort to maintain it. Typically, a homeowner should expect to spend one to three percent of the home’s value on home improvements. Fortunately, there are so many opportunities to save money on projects around the house. This article is packed with ideas and inspiration to help you do just that!

An addition can increase the value of your home. Think of dedicated rooms for uncommon purposes, such as a classy billiard parlor (instead of a mere game room) or a well-appointed wine cellar. Future home buyers and guests will be impressed by your improvements.

Ased Paints

Does your porch need a new paint job? You should always buy paint that is of good quality meant for the outdoors. You want to make sure you use paint that will work over the old paint. Use oil paints over oil paints and water-based paints over old water-based paints. Oil-based paint should be used for trim, but not on walking surfaces. It does last longer but can get slippery.

Decide on your main style theme before you start to add customizing features onto your home. If you know your style, you can plan your project out before you begin to work. If you do not plan ahead, you can easily end up mixing various styles without even realizing it. Making adjustments can be very costly.

Vinyl flooring is an affordable alternative to more expensive materials like stone or ceramic. In most cases, installing vinyl is easy thanks to pre-applied adhesive; the resulting floor surface is durable, strong, and resists water and wear. This type of flooring may be purchased as individual tiles or in large sheets.

A drill is a necessary part of many renovations. With a good drill, you can pre-drill a variety of surfaces to make installing screws easier. You can also screw in screws easily and quickly. The drill should be cordless and battery powered and come with a variety of attachments and differently sized bits.

You may be eager to demolish things that you intend to rebuild, but doing so incorrectly could have serious consequences. It is essential to investigate what is behind your walls prior to tearing them out. It can be really expensive if you damage electrical or plumbing systems by mistake.

Installing insulation in the attic is a great way to cut the cost of heating and cooling a home. Because heat rises, many homes with poor insulation lose heat through the roof during the cold weather months. Insulation is available at hardware stores and can be easily installed.

Check someone’s references if you’re thinking about hiring them for your remodeling gig. It’s just like hiring an employee. You need to figure out their background as thoroughly as you can and be sure that there are others that have been happy with what they’ve done.

Luggage Rack

Use your old luggage rack to make a unique side table. Take the glass from a large picture frame and secure it to the luggage rack with permanent adhesive. Place a lamp and some magazines on top of it, and you have a beautiful, usable new side table.

With all you have learned here about home improvement, you are more ready than ever to tackle that home improvement store and not break your bank account. By keeping your expenses down, and avoiding the common pitfalls, your next home project should turn out to be a big success.