Calling a contractor to repair or improve every single thing gets expensive fast. What if there were a way to know what they know about home improvement? Here are 17 of the best time and money-saving home improvement and care hacks that only a contractor would know about. Good levels of insulation can make room interiors more comfortable as well as dramatically reduce your energy bills – by up to as much as 90 percent. A relatively small investment can pay back quickly, and add to the value of your home when you choose to sell.
“The process is simple,” says Mike McAllister, owner of Riverside Kitchen Center in Mount Vernon, Washington. “Remove the small flange that holds the existing insert, then replace the insert with your material and add wood or metal stops to keep it in place.” If you’re looking for a quick way to change the look of your room, hanging a new light fixture is your best bet. A well-made light fixture looks better, lasts longer, and gives clearer light, so inspect your fixture’s construction the way you would a piece of furniture.
- UK Department of Communities and Local Government issues post-Grenfell fire guidance.
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- You can also update the finishes, like the sink spout and handles, lighting, and mirror.
- Participants of a Maytag survey prioritized upgrading their countertops to something more on-trend.
Maintain everything to keep the expensive repair pros away. The single best way to save money around the house is by sticking to a maintenance schedule for as many of your home’s systems as possible. Your shower curtain takes up the single largest piece of real estate in the bathroom. So needless to say, swapping it out makes a huge impact for very little money.
Home Improvement A
While you have the painting supplies out, brighten trim with a light-colored, high-gloss paint. If two tests give a high reading, consult a radon mitigation contractor . These contractors can professionally test the house and install a mitigation system for reducing radon to a harmless level. The most effective system is a vent pipe placed in the sump pit or a hole made under your concrete floor slab. The vent runs up through the house and out the roof, or out the side of the house and up to the eaves. A special in-line fan for radon is placed in the attic or outside the house to suck air through the vent.
Replace Your Showerhead
Home improvement was popularized on television in 1979 with the premiere of This Old House starring Bob Vila on PBS. Tom Kraeutler and Leslie Segrete co-host the nationally syndicated The Money Pit Home Improvement Radio Show. Turning marginal areas into livable spaces such as turning basements into recrooms, home theaters, or home offices – or attics into spare bedrooms. Concrete and masonry repairs to the foundation and chimney. At the very end of the show, after Tim deposits the large branch into the sink, he turns the tap to let the water run. At the core of the series was husband and wife squaring off against each other.
Home improvement ideas: what will help your home sell?
From 2010 to 2019, homeowners largely relied on professional contractors, and remodeling activity was heavily concentrated in coastal metros. To quickly and easily rehabilitate your existing fireplace, a gas or wood-burning insert adds energy efficiency to your home without tearing apart your hearth and mantel. Equipping your fireplace with glass doors blocks heated and cooled air from escaping and amplifies the fire’s heat, which in turn reduces energy costs.
This means that you could add in a central air unit, move the location of a door, or change the types of windows you have. Our remodeling experts will help you choose from a wide selection of doors that fit the look and feel of your home. We only install the highest quality doors and back it up with 103 years’ reputation in the business. Taking down a wall between the kitchen, living room, or dining room can expand your entertaining area, and make the footprint feel larger while you’re not actually adding square footage. However, to remove a wall safely, it needs to be non-load-bearing, meaning a wall that isn’t integral to the structure of your home.