Is your home ready to weather the upcoming winter? Now is the ideal time for making some improvements around the house to make sure it’s ready to handle the cold weather, snowstorms, and other “unforeseen” surprises. Here are 4 inexpensive home improvements that you might want to consider, including: checking and tuning up your heating system, adding extra insulation, spicing up your kitchen and repainting.
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Checking and Tuning up Your Heating System
Before the start of the cold season, it’s not a bad idea to tune up your furnace. 30% of an average home’s energy costs are related to heating, and this number can spike further if you have inefficiencies with your furnace or boiler system. The first place to start is by replacing the filter at the beginning of the season and every couple of months while you run the furnace. When purchasing a new filter, note that the cheap ones are made just to protect the furnace fan motor, so make sure to get a more efficient and healthy pleated filter for improved air quality. Source: Inhabitat
Adding Extra Insulation
Unless you live in an older home, chances are the walls in your house are fairly well insulated with fiberglass batt insulation. If not, you’ll want to look at insulating your home’s walls sufficiently.
Even brand new homes often lack sufficient insulation in the attic. Since heat travels up, this presents a huge problem in the winter. According to Energy Star, you don’t have enough attic insulation if you can easily see the floor joists in your attic. This do-it-yourself guide from Energy Star shows you how to better insulate your attic on your own. Source: Money.USNews
Spicing Up Your Kitchen
Full kitchen remodels can be incredibly expensive, and that’s especially true if you have to get plumbers or electricians involved. But a lot of kitchens don’t necessarily need a complete redo; they could be vastly improved with just a few inexpensive changes and upgrades.
If your cabinets need a facelift, consider sanding and staining them, or even repainting or glazing them to add an updated look. And if your appliances are still in good shape, give them a good cleaning inside and out to help them look their best.
Winter might drag on, but that doesn’t mean you can’t make these long, cold months productive. Instead of counting down until spring, create a list of easy, inexpensive improvements to help pass the time while you’re stuck indoors. Then get started – because spring will be here before you know it. Source: TheSimpleDollar
Repainting
You’ve been staring at your neutral colored walls every day for months. Want to brighten your mood? Try repainting! Go with a bright, cheery color to liven things up.
I always repaint in the winter because that’s when I need the most visual stimulation. A new coat of paint can dramatically lift your mood and the mood of the entire room.
Make sure you crack open the windows to let in fresh air while you’re painting. Or, consider going with an eco-friendly, low-VOC paint so you don’t have to worry about breathing in toxic fumes. Source: MoneyCrashers
Contact:
Kerrisdale Roofing & Drains
8279 Ross St, Vancouver, BC V5X 4W1
(604) 360-2114
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