Despite Devastating Effects on the Broader Economy, Pandemic Has Been a Boon for US Home Improvement

Therefore, we promote stricteditorial integrity in each of our posts. Emma’s work has been featured in Huffington Post, NPR and XOJane. When she’s not combing her neighborhood for open houses, she’s writing about technology, real estate or data. Get expert advice on your home, design tips, how much to pay for pros and hiring experts, delivered to you daily.

  • If you’re moving into an older home, especially one built in the mid-‘90s or before, consider installing extra electrical outlets or upgrading the existing ones.
  • Just make sure the style and shape of your extension fits in with the rest of your house.
  • Recent years have seen an increase in the recycling or upcycling of household goods and fixtures.
  • You’ll need to remove all the hardware from your cabinets, including the doors.

With flagstone or cement pavers, you can easily make an outdoor patio in a weekend, no mortar required. Add potted plants and outdoor seating, such as a bistro set or an eclectic mix of colorful chairs, to create a quaint backyard escape. With the right planning and pieces, even a small space can become an outdoor retreat.

It also helps defend your home’s surfaces from wear and tear. Whether you do the work yourself or hire someone to do it, it’s a lot easier to paint an empty room. Plus, redoing your walls before moving day means you don’t have to live with the smell of drying paint in your home. If you don’t know how to install flooring, look for a class at your local home improvement store.

Updating this hardware can give your kitchen a facelift, whether you redo your cabinets or not. If you have generic, cheap, or outdated fixtures, replacing them with newer, more customized versions can make your bathroom sparkle and look more high-end. For about $40 to $100, you can substitute a shabby bathroom vanity or ceiling light fixture with something elegant. Amanda Jackson has expertise in personal finance, investing, and social services. She is a library professional, transcriptionist, editor, and fact-checker.

You don’t have to go big when it comes to kitchen projects. Install new kitchen cabinets or give current cabinets a refresh. Upgrade old kitchen countertops and add a kitchen backsplash for a new look. If you’re not sure where to start when it comes to outdoor projects, begin with some easy plants. Build a wooden planter box to add some color to the front of your home, plant some colorful flowering shrubs and add some bee-friendly plants to your yard.

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For example, the search term “modern farmhouse” has had a steady increase in search traffic over the last five years, according to Google Trends. Home-improvement shows have become massively popular in recent years, with millions of Americans tuning in to watch homes get renovated or flipped. Shared Ownership Scheme This scheme enabled low-income purchasers to buy a proportion of a home to begin with, increasing in steps until the whole house was owned. Note that the income test only applies to the first category above.

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You could buy all new cabinets and save money by purchasing prefabricated cabinets and installing them yourself, but that’s more work and money than painting or staining your existing cabinets. White cabinets will brighten a kitchen, don’t usually go out of style, and are easy for a future owner to repaint if they want something different. You’ll need to remove all the hardware from your cabinets, including the doors. You’ll also need to clean the cabinets first, so dirt and greasy residues won’t ruin your work.

But family photos are often a dominant resident of any family fridge. There are a lot of objects around the Taylor home that scream Tim “The Toolman” Taylor but only a few touches that appear to be Jill’s. One of the most obvious Jill related objects is her Michigan Opera mug. Given the amount of sports memorabilia and model cars around the house, it’s important for Jill to assert her presence, too.

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