GIVE YOUR HOME SOME TLC WITH THESE HOME IMPROVEMENT PROJECTS

When it comes to your home, you should never rest on your laurels. As the saying goes, there’s always room for improvement. No matter what your budget is, there’s probably a way you can invest in your home and make it safer, more comfortable, or more efficient. We’ll detail our favorite home improvements and the benefits of each. They’re all organized by budget as well!

Lower Budget Options
Dividing a Perrenial


Landscaping and garden projects can vary significantly in price. This one is an entirely free tip! Did you know that you can divide perennial plants? Wait until they look strong and healthy, and dig under the root line. From there, you can split the plant into smaller chunks.

Make sure the roots are preserved and don’t dry out when they are separated. Plant the divisions in the soil as deep as it once grew in and make sure they stay watered well. It’s best to do a division in cool weather, so as not to dry out the plant.

Re-Caulk

Caulk is what we use to seal the space between tiles and many of our water-using appliances like sinks, tubs, and showers. First, you’ll need to remove the old worn-out caulk. You can do this with a putty knife, though you made need something sharper like a small razor blade to get the little bits that are left behind.

Once it is spotless, you can clean the area with rubbing alcohol to prep for re-caulking. Caulk is reasonably cheap and should only cost you less than a dozen dollars. Drag along the tube and keep the amount as consistent as possible. It will seal after a short time, so try to smooth out any inconsistencies with a wet paper towel or finger.

Mid-Budget Projects
Smart Thermostat

Installing a smart thermostat can have a considerable impact on your home’s energy-efficiency, depending on your current habits. What’s great about this improvement is that it will eventually pay for itself. While you could spend a couple of hundred dollars on a top-of-the-line smart thermostat, you’ll undoubtedly be saving at least a few bucks a month on your heating and cooling. Why is it so efficient?

You’ll be able to program your system to heat and cool on a schedule. This means you won’t accidentally be wasting power when you’re not home. Additionally, you can set your thermostat to lower the temperature while you sleep, which will not only save money but can also help you sleep better, according to research!

Refresh Your Kitchen by Changing Out Your Knobs and Cabinet Pulls

A full-on kitchen remodel is not only expensive, but it can take weeks. That’s a lot of time with workers in your home and a lot of time for you to not have full access to one of the most critical areas of your home. Still, your kitchen is one of the most used areas of your home, and you want it to look fresh and new. One lower budget way to do this is simply by changing out the knobs on your cabinets.

You can likely change out all your knobs with almost any design you want for less than $100. Add in a fresh finish to the cabinets as well, and it will feel like you’ve done a full remodel for a tiny fraction of the cost.

The High Budget Game Changers
Home Renovation in New York

New Yorkers are always renovating their homes. The city and surrounding areas spend billions of dollars on it every year. Why? There are a few reasons. One of the main ones is the fact that New York has one of the largest percentages of homes over 50 years old of any U.S. metro area. This means outdated floorplans, energy inefficiency, and poor insulation. Renovations and home improvements can improve all of these. With the New York real estate market being so crowded, added perks from a home renovation can help your home stand out should you decide to sell it in the future.

However, there are some things you should keep in mind. Remember that you have rights when it comes to working with a contractor in New York City. Make sure you are using a licensed contractor. If the job costs more than $200, the contractor must be licensed. Using a licensed contractor helps protect you as a consumer, so you aren’t taken advantage of or scammed. Always get a contract in writing as well so you can protect yourself, and so you know what you are paying for. This city has a consumer’s home improvement guide available online here if you wish to learn more.

Functional Improvements

There are likely areas of your home that aren’t used well. Whether it’s a hidden second bathroom tucked away in an unused area of your home, or a garage that has become a mess of boxes that you try to say is “storage,” there are always parts of your home that could use some help.

One of our favorite examples of this is turning the garage into a functional living space. Garages can be great entertainment or work spaces. You can add a TV or a workbench, or even an old pinball machine. Whatever is your hobby or passion, your garage can be a great place to practice it. However, even if your garage is organized, we tend to avoid it because it gets freezing, especially during the winter. Typically, a garage is at least 10 to 15 degrees colder than the rest of the home. There is a great innovation that can solve this problem. It’s called ductless heating!

Connecting your garage to your existing ductwork is inefficient and expensive. Luckily, you can install a mini-split heat pump that’s sole job is to heat or even cool the room it’s attached to.

Value Improvements

If you’re looking to sell your home anytime soon, consider one of the following improvements to add value to your home.

  • Landscaping
  • New Garage Door
  • A Stone Veneer

All of these improvements add what we can “curb appeal” to your home. While these cost money in the short-term and don’t provide any added functionality to your home, they can make your home pop to potential buyers before they’ve even stepped foot inside. These typically pay for themselves when you sell the house, and until then can make your home loos beautiful and impressive from the outside.

Adding Efficiency

As a company, our goal is to help our customers get their water, heating, and cooling at the best efficiency possible. We do everything from oil to gas conversion, to ductless heating, to high-efficiency boilers and water heaters. In addition to improving your home’s vital systems, you can add efficiency by installing improved insulation or a smart thermostat.

We’ve just barely scratched the surface of home improvement projects. We’ve listed some of our favorites here, but there are so many more options than you can explore. Remember that new improvements can have unintended consequences. Always remember that you need your home’s vital systems to function correctly regardless of any work that is being done to your home.

If your home renovation plans include improvements or repairs to your existing heating, cooling, or plumbing systems, give us at Master Plumbing Heating Cooling a call at (516) 613-3524 or fill out an online contact form!
 

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