Home Improvements

June 1, 2022

Besides regular maintenance and repairing your home, you will also want to consider renovating or making improvements. These changes will make the home more pleasant for you to live in and may also increase its value.

Change is good but be careful not to go overboard unless you plan to stay in your home for many years. Remember that the value of your home is closely related to the other homes in your area. If you plan to sell your house, regardless of your renovations, your home’s value can be affected by the other homes around you.

Here are some things to keep in mind when planning a change or renovation:

  • Think about how changes would appeal to someone buying your home in the future. You can make very personalized changes with paint because it is inexpensive and can easily be changed. However, things like flooring, cabinets and countertops have a longer life — make choices that will also be appealing to others.
  • Updating the bathrooms and kitchens in an older home can increase its resale value.
  • Don’t underestimate the importance of landscaping. Proper planting can improve the appearance and value of your home.
  • Updating your exterior paint, installing new roofing, resurfacing your walkways and driveway, adding attractive mailboxes, and front-yard planting will also help make your home more appealing.
  • Over time, some renovations can practically pay for themselves, mainly if they result in savings on utility bills, a higher selling price or years of greater comfort and enjoyment in your home!

Make sure your home is fully secure

  • Change all the locks when you buy a new home.
  • Add dead-bolt locks and window locks where necessary.
  • Consider getting a security system. Your property insurance rate may be lower if you have one.
  • Use outdoor lighting. You can get lights that turn on automatically every evening or motion sensor lights that come on when someone walks by. However, use outdoor lighting judiciously to be more energy-efficient.
  • When away from home, use lights and radios on automatic timers and arrange to have your mail and newspapers picked up or discontinued. This way, people won’t be able to tell you are not home.
  • Get to know your neighbours and keep an eye out for each other.

Be prepared and stay safe.

Have a fire evacuation plan and ensure everyone in your home knows how to get out of the house from each room in case of a fire. If you have a second floor, you need a particular escape plan to get to the ground. Check to see that windows have not been painted shut. Although doors and windows should always be securely locked, you have to be able to open them in an emergency.

A few tips:

Fire extinguishers must be easily accessible at all times. If you have a two-storey home, one should be on each floor. Remember to check your fire extinguishers at least once a year. To help you remember, make a habit of doing it when you set your clocks to Daylight Saving Time.

It is a legal requirement to have smoke detectors in your home in some areas. You will still want them in your home even if they are not. Check the batteries at least once a year. Carbon monoxide detectors are also essential to have. They will let you know if there are high levels of carbon monoxide in your home and can save you from illness or death. To ensure they are working correctly, check them at least once a year. It is good to check your fire extinguishers and smoke and carbon monoxide detectors simultaneously.

Paper, paint, chemicals and other clutter can be a fire hazard. Make sure they are stored in a safe place. If you no longer need them, hazardous materials must be disposed of at a community toxic waste centre. Never put them in the garbage.

Collect your important papers and store them in a safe place — a fireproof box or a safe deposit box.

Keep a list of emergency phone numbers (including 911, poison prevention line, doctors, relatives, neighbours and friends) close to the phone and ensure your children know it.

Source: Article provided by Adviceon client.

 

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