We really enjoy projects. Especially when it comes to putting your personal touch on a home. If you find yourself in a similar place, this post is for you. This post spotlights my most important home improvement tips based on what we’ve learned along the way.
Home Improvement Project: French Door Installation
Confession time. I had some hesitations about our new home. One being its functionality when it came to the simplest of daily tasks. For instance, easily accessing the backyard. I mean, come on, we have two dogs! Ultimately the house won for its location and the many existing renovations we loved. So rather than compromising on the things we didn’t love, we got going on our list of home improvement projects. And you guessed it, adding a back door was at the top of my project list.
Before
With the help of a contractor family friend, we were able to open up the windows of our dining room to install new french patio doors. Fortunately, this wall didn’t have any electrical or plumbing running through it, so it made the job pretty easy!
The installation was all in a morning’s work from start to finish. Which is good because it was winter at the time and the house was freezing!
I had a vision of dramatic black doors to contrast our predominantly white home. After shopping around, we ended up purchasing white doors for a surprisingly reasonable price from Lowe’s and saved over $800 painting them ourselves. This is an important home improvement tip: DIY when you can!
After
Creating this new backyard access point just made sense. It improves the functionality of the home and is honestly a fix for something that should have been all along. And for that, a fairly inexpensive home improvement project like this is definitely worth the return on investment.
Which is a bonus because we would have paid triple just based on the value it brings us everyday. This upgrade maximizes our indoor/outdoor living space. We love having the doors wide open on pretty days! You may also notice that we have since extended our back patio that was once grass beneath the window. *I see a Part 2 patio post in the future 😉
So here’s the top 3 most important home improvement tips we learned from this experience…
Home Improvement Tips:
1. Consider your ROI [return on investment].
With any significant home improvement, you want to make sure that the investment is worth it. Is the upgrade going to bring a good return if and when you go to sell your home?
In many cases, wise home improvements will bring an increase in profits. Which makes it well worth the investment.
In other cases, it doesn’t matter because the investment is worth it for the value it will offer you personally.
…If it’s true on both counts, that makes the decision even easier!
2. Shop around.
Don’t jump at the very first option. Always price compare your materials or renovation bids to ensure you’re getting the best deal possible.
Read customer reviews for quality assurance. When it comes to services, ask for recommendations from trusted friends or family members.
3. DIY when possible.
Certain things should absolutely be left to experienced professionals… electrical, plumbing, etc. However, many of the cosmetic changes for home improvement are reasonably simple when you roll your sleeves up and just do it.
Do the things that you feel confidence about or have experience with yourself. Even if that is just one small piece of the entire project. Not only can it save you money, but it also grows your sense of pride in your home and accomplishment in what you can do!
Love,
Tori