Spring is here and so is our natural impulse to clean up and revive our surroundings, to breathe new life into them. If you’ve dreamed of finally sprucing up an outdated bathroom or kitchen, or reorganizing a room that’s become an overloaded storage closet, now is the best time to do it. Get a jump start on your home improvement project this spring, and then look forward to enjoying your new space as the year unfolds.
Planning a home project in the spring allows plenty of time for more extensive renovations. If you get started now, you’ll have several months to allow for the finishing touches.
Updating your home can be as simple as tackling some organizational improvements with shelving and closet upgrades, or giving a room a totally new feel with a fresh coat of paint or new lighting fixtures. Perhaps it’s time to take advantage of unused space and transform an attic and/or basement into a guest room, craft/sewing room, or playroom for the kids.
Whatever the project may be, you and your home deserve a little TLC after a long winter.
Planning a home project in the spring allows plenty of time for more extensive renovations, such as a kitchen overhaul with new tiling, backsplashes, and appliances, or adding luxurious bath amenities to a tired bathroom.
If you get started now, you’ll have several months to allow for the finishing touches, before settling into the colder seasons once more.
Here are some ideas that range from fun DIY projects to more involved renovations that will result in making the most of your home.
1. customized craft rooms created with personalization
Ever want that special personal space to call your own? Where sewing or craft supplies can be easily stored or left out, instead of cluttering the dining table?
A place where the kids can make a mess without disrupting the main living area? Whether it be the room formerly belonging to a child who’s now married, or a guest room no longer needed, this respite can easily be created with custom-built shelves, cabinets, tables, and open nooks.
2. the urge to splurge on the “heart of the home”
Satisfying your appetite for a completely new kitchen is one of the best renovations you can make, with a 70-percent return on your investment and a most pleasing place to spend many hours a week preparing your family’s nourishment. In modern times, the kitchen has become much more than utilitarian; it’s become the hub of the house, bountiful with energy, aromas, and more than just the chef—chances are it’s probably the room a family spends the most time in. So consider adding high-end appliances or an island to gather around and make the most of your space.
3. making a bathroom into a spa-like experience
The average person spends much more time than you’d think in the bathroom. Research suggests that we spend about four hours a week in the bathroom—that’s over 200 hours a year! It’s also said folks use the bathroom just to think, so why not think about indulging yourself with a complete makeover!
4. rejuvenating a kitchen with simple, cosmetic upgrades
Breathing new life into your culinary haven isn’t difficult or costly. Tired, old cabinets can have a makeover with some resurfacing or a paint job. New drawer and door pulls, or hinges in a new metal finish, can change the look of your kitchen. Try taking out a cabinet door or two and going for open shelving to add convenience and visual appeal. And don’t forget the small stuff, like something as simple as a new faucet.
5. transform your attic or basement into a personal space
Whether you need extra guest accommodations, an office, a playroom, or a space to relax, exercise, or meditate—or even a combination of all of the above—transforming your unfinished attic or basement can not only add to your home’s equity, but also provide you with the extra space that you need. Imagine a mother-daughter apartment with a separate entrance.
6. closet organization can be a crucial stress reliever
Although it’s not a major renovation, utilizing the expertise of organizers and contractors specializing in closet organization can make a huge difference, resulting in less time and energy spent on “the search.” Working with an existing closet, or perhaps an unused space, your miscellaneous mishap can be adapted into a storage environment for clothing, shoes, seasonal clothing, etc., which will certainly take one small stress out of life.
7. the beauty of tile and marble takes your kitchen or bath to new heights
You don’t have to do a complete gut-job for a like-new transformation. New tiling on backsplashes, floors, or shower stalls, or changing outdated countertops and vanities to marble or reclaimed wood, visually translates into beautiful rejuvenation.
8. wide open spaces
An open-floor plan can take an older home from being compartmentalized to feeling spacious and free. Knocking down a kitchen wall gives you the advantage of “being” with guests while preparing dinner in a kitchen or keeping an eye on children as they play. Even taking out one wall can offer the illusion of a larger living space with a free-flowing appearance. Simpler yet, opening up an enclosed staircase and adding beautiful balusters can also achieve visual openness.
