6 Winter Home Renovation Projects
Although most people think of spring and summer as the best seasons for home renovations, winter can also be a good time for some home improvements. Colder temperatures and the holiday season may have you convinced that winter isn't the best time to bring home remodeling contractors inside your home. In certain situations, however, winter renovations can work to your advantage.
Because winter tends to be the off-season for contractors, you might get better rates for their labor in addition to better deals on materials. It should also take less time to get permit approval for the work you want to do.
From possible cost savings to hassle-free scheduling, there can be significant advantages to winter home renovations. You just have to find the right projects. Therefore, we listed some of the best home improvement projects you can get started on this winter.
Give Your Garage a Makeover
Believe it or not, you can redo your garage during the winter, regardless of how cold it may be outside. One of the most crucial parts of any garage makeover is the choice of floor coating. The key is to go with a specialist who uses polyaspartic floor coatings. Unlike epoxy floor coatings, polyaspartic allows flooring applications to be completed even in freezing conditions.
While you’re at it, you should cut down on your garage clutter by adding some custom storage cabinets and overhead racks. You can also install new garage doors, which often provide some of the best return on investment among home improvement projects. Since you’re getting new doors, add a new garage door opener with smart home tech capabilities. These kinds of changes will make this space more aesthetically appealing and more functional.
Update Those Kitchen Countertops
This project can really make a major impact on your kitchen’s overall appearance. Granite and solid surfaces are the most common counter choices nowadays; but there are a number of options to choose from such as marble, quartz, stainless steel, slate, and wood among others. Look for a material that matches the style and price point of your home. You don’t want your kitchen counter making your appliances look out of date.
If you want to go with newer, heavier countertops, check with your remodeling contractor to make sure that your existing cabinets can support them. You also need to take into consideration the maintenance needs for different materials. For instance, marble and granite may have to be resealed and polished periodically while quartz, stainless steel, and laminate countertops require no such maintenance.
Fix Up Your Laundry Room
Although it’s an integral part of how a household functions, the laundry room often goes overlooked when people upgrade interior spaces. As a result, it often lacks many features than can make it more organized. To solve this problem, add some shelves and bins for laundry baskets and detergent. Putting a countertop over the washer and dryer will give you more storage space as well as a place to fold clothes. Throw in some nice hooks on the walls, and it can become a spot you will be proud of instead of one to move through quickly.
Refresh Those Kitchen Cabinets
Add some style to your kitchen by replacing outdated pulls and knobs on your cabinets with new hardware. If your cabinets don’t have any pulls, you’ll be adding function too. New kitchen hardware that has some color can really brighten up the space. You might only need a screwdriver and a couple of hours to make a nice change to your cabinetry. Just make sure the new handles and pulls fit in the holes from the previous ones. You want to avoid drilling new holes or having to add putty and paint to the old ones.
Redo Your Closet
Typically, closets are magnets for household clutter. People tend to keep things they don’t really need in available closet space. Another reason for closet clutter, however, is that the space lacks an efficient, storage system to make good use of available space. Fortunately, redoing your closets is a pretty simple renovation. It’s more about designing the existing space to be functional instead of doing any major installations.
You can have a professional take a look at the space, so they can create a more useful wardrobe storage area where every item has its place. This will cut down on the time you waste trying to find things in addition to make it look more organized.
If you want to go bigger, add a large walk-in closet. Spacious, walk-in closets are actually a prudent investment. A recent survey of 3,000 homebuyers for a Canadian Home Builders Association cited a walk-in closet as the home feature they desired the most.
Finish the Basement
If you need more living space, finishing your basement might be the best way to add usable square footage to your home. Whether you’re looking for more recreational space for your kids, a special room for enjoying your media, a private exercise area, or an extra guest room, a finished basement can really add value to your home.
Renovating your basement in winter makes sense because it can help you save on heating bills. An important part of making this area livable is adding insulation. New insulation behind the walls can heat your home from the bottom up in addition to lowering the chances that your pipes will freeze during extremely cold temperatures.
Furthermore, a basement bedroom is a better option than trying to convert some of your garage into a living space. Believe it or not, a garage conversion can make it more difficult to sell your home later. On the other hand, a finished basement can return anywhere from 70-80% of your original investment.
You know that there’ll be plenty of exterior work to do around your home when the weather starts getting warmer. For this reason, winter is the best time to tackle interior renovations. This way, you’ll be perfectly positioned to focus on the outside of your home when spring arrives.