4 Home Improvement Projects for the New Year

The start of the year is the perfect time to carry out home improvement projects and enhance your living environment. What’s more, home projects don’t have to be overly expensive or time-consuming. There are simple ways to improve your home and create a better living space for you and your family. Here are four home improvement projects you should consider in the new year.

1. Do a major house clean

A clean, tidy living environment will boost your home’s visual appeal and make it easier to complete your daily tasks. Maintaining a clean, organized home can also have several benefits on your mental health. According to maids.com, housework can effectively reduce stress, anxiety, and depression. Creating a peaceful, clutter-free environment encourages a calm mind and good mental health. Now is an ideal time to do a major house clean and donate any items you received over the holidays but don’t need or want. This will help to prevent clutter from accumulating in your home. Make house cleaning fun and quick by getting the whole family involved in your cleaning efforts.

2. Upgrade your household appliances

Upgrading your household appliances is a great way to boost your home’s appeal and increase functionality. Modern appliances are far more energy-efficient than older models. This means that upgrading can also be an excellent way to lower carbon emissions. Some of the most cost-effective appliances to upgrade in your home include your boiler, radiators, and kitchen appliances like dishwashers and kitchens. When upgrading, make sure to look for models that are economical and will complement your existing decor. For instance, Warmrooms offer a wide selection of vertical radiators that are cleverly designed to provide more heat to a room when there is not enough space for a traditional horizontal radiator. They come in a wide range of stylish designs to create an eye-catching focal point in any room.

3. Freshen up your home interiors

There are so many ways to freshen up your home interiors. This includes repainting your walls, replacing old carpet with modern styles like laminate flooring, and adding new furnishings. While cleaning, it is the perfect time to switch up your decor and inject some personality into your home style. You should try experimenting with vibrant colors and patterned wallpapers, adding some wall art, or purchasing some trendy home accessories like rugs, cushions, and mirrors.

We're in the process of taking apart our loveseat. We want to use the parts (like the furniture tacks) to refurbish shelves. I'm playing with the idea of making a few ottomans or poufs with some of the old loveseat as well.

We bought two decorative chairs to replace the loveseat. I'll share updated pictures when the torn apart loveseat is out of our living room. 

4. Boost your curb appeal

Your home exterior is extremely important as it sets the tone for what the rest of your home is going to be like. Luckily, you can easily enhance your home’s curb appeal with simple improvements like repainting your home’s exterior, tidying up your yard, replacing your windows and doors, or installing outdoor lighting. Make sure that you also inspect your home exterior regularly to check for any signs of damage to areas like the driveway or roof. If you notice anything, then have it repaired as soon as possible to prevent any further damage to your property. You should consider hiring a professional landscaper if you want to give your curb appeal a serious boost and get your outdoor space looking in top condition.

American Dream Builders Giveaway #DreamBuilders

There seems to always be some kind of home project. Some of them are more fun than others. I loved painting our walls, but I hated not having a toilet, or shower for days because our bathroom was in disarray.

The American Dream Home is something everyone fantasizes about. It feels good to get a huge project done! Whether it’s a new closet, a larger family room, or simply a place to put all your stuff, there’s always something we want to change about where we live!

What if you could make your home into your Dream Home? AMERICAN DREAM BUILDERS – a new show premiering on NBC March 23 at 8/7c – and Lowe’s want to make your dream a reality.

Hosted by famed interior designer and best-selling author, Nate Berkus, AMERICAN DREAM BUILDERS follows the nation’s top 12 designers and home builders as they compete to be crowned the Ultimate Dream Builder and take home a $250,000 cash prize.

It’s the home competition that will change everything! From the producers of Survivor and The Bachelor, don’t miss AMERICAN DREAM BUILDERS, Sundays at 8/7c, only on NBC.

You can enter for a chance to win $100,000 in products and services from Lowe’s and a consultation with the winner of American Dream Builders! 

Enter for a chance to win your dream renovation at www.nbc.com/lowes. And starting March 23 you will have the opportunity to earn 5 bonus entries when you “Dream It Yourself”! Upload a photo and description of a home project you are working on and EARN 5 BONUS SWEEPSTAKES ENTRIES. Finally, follow the show on Facebook and Twitter for a chance to win more prizes from American Dream Builders and Lowe’s!

It's Giveaway Time!

One of my readers is going to have the chance to win a $50 Lowes Gift Card to help your dream project come to life! 

This giveaway is open to the the US only. No PO Boxes please. Each household is only able to win once. If you have won the same prize on another blog, you will not be eligible to win it again.

a Rafflecopter giveaway
Disclaimer: The opinions on the post are my personal take on the product. This blog is a personal blog written and edited by me. I was under no obligation to review it if I so chose. Nor was I under any obligation to write a positive review. I did not get products to help with this giveaway.

 

Steps

I feel like I've been slacking in the blogging world lately. I still post way more often than some, but less than I used to.

This semester is going to be a busy one. I have Portfolio class. In all my other classes I have a helper, but not in this class. It's the busiest class, and I have no assistant. Luckily the class as a whole is better than last years class. It's still a lot of work.

Home projects seem to take over my life when I'm at home. This summer it was the kitchen floor, and the outside of the house that needed to be painted. Then it was the bathroom toilet, the floor, and the molding. Then we dismantled all of our DVDs.

Proof

We put them in a binder, which takes up a lot less room, and looks nicer.

Soon I'll be starting the steps. We peeled off the carpet as soon as we moved into our house. The previous owners had pets, and many of them. 

Here's what I plan on doing with the steps:

I have a hodge podge of ideas. Some of them I've found on Pinterest, and some of them are my own ideas. I can't decide if I want to use my own ideas, or mix up the ideas.

My Idea number 1: My parents wanted to get rid of old encyclopedias. They actually came from a school library years ago, and say, "Burn" on them. The Good Will wouldn't take them. The recycle place only want the pages; not the covers. My Dad was in the process of breaking them down. He was going to burn the covers and recycle the pages. I said, "I'll take them!" I thought I could cut them length and height wise to cover the backs of the steps. I know there won't be enough to do the whole job. I guess since I'm cutting them I could use the pages to. I'd have to dip them in resin, or something though.

Pinterest idea number 2: Old rulers, or yard sticks on the backs of steps are cool! I'd probably go up and down with them vertically; instead of horizontally. I thought a mix of the encyclopedias and rulers would look pretty cool. The problem is finding rulers that don't have words on them. Companies love to put Lowes, and Home Depot on their yard sticks. I want no additional words on them. Why do companies have to slather their brand name on stuff all the time? Ok I know why, but I don't want it there.

Source

Pinterest idea number 3: If I can't find the rulers, or yard sticks I want, patterns would fit with encyclopedias well. It would just take a freaking long time!

Source

Pinterest idea number 4: If the patterns are too overwhelming I could go with solid colors.

No Source Found. If you know who did this let me know, so I can source it!

What combination do you like? I'm for sure using the encyclopedias. What do you like with them?