Welcome back to part two of this two-part series highlighting a few of the many ways to improve your home’s curb appeal. As a reminder from part one, we made the point that the term curb appeal typically refers to aesthetically pleasing aspects of a given home, whether it be a front door, trim work, or even interior features. We also made the point that curb appeal can look like different things for different people. For some, superior curb appeal could look refer to universal design, which is a functional method of remodeling tailored to the unique needs of the home’s residents.
For most people, however, they are looking for both beauty and function. At Daniels Design & Remodeling, we are equipped with the experience, education, and passion to deliver stunning results alongside a superior, stress-free process. Our commitment to delivering excellence in terms of both process and results is what has helped us become one of the best North Virginia home remodeling contractors around!
Now, for the purposes of today’s blog, we’ll continue where we left off in part one — offering up some home improvement and remodeling ideas that will add curb appeal and, ideally, increase your home’s value!
Energy-Efficient Appliances
You’ll find that pretty much every one of these ideas takes some measure of investment on the part of the homeowner. Return-on-investment is the name of the game when it comes to home remodeling, and one of the best ways you can capture that elusive ROI is to replace old, wasteful appliances with energy-efficient models. You can find Energy Star-rated appliances that not only function better than older models, but they’ll contribute to bettering the environment as well. What’s more, they are efficient, meaning you should see a decent chunk of change come off of your energy bill each month as well. Take this as an opportunity to give your kitchen a facelift!
Make Extra Rooms Versatile
It’s no secret that adding square footage to a house is essentially the most costly thing you can do while renovating your home. A much more economical (and less stressful) choice is to forgo the demolishing of a few walls in favor of reinventing a room to make it more versatile. Assuming you don’t have a specific purpose for each room in your home, you can save money by electing to do something like finish a basement, turn your attic into a loft, or convert the garage into a multi-purpose room.
Why? For one reason, versatile, multi-purpose rooms tend to be more appealing to home shoppers. For another, you don’t have to want to sell your house in order to repurpose spaces in your home; if you are looking for a new hobby, consider making an arts and crafts room or maybe even installing a home gym in that unused shed in your backyard!
Get Your Home Inspected
Not all home renovations need to be cosmetic in nature. In fact, one of the best ways you can ensure your home’s resale value remains in your target range is to cover your bases via an inspection. You might find termite damage (which hopefully hasn’t gotten too bad just yet), out-of-date electrical systems, and discovering you need a roof repair/replacement are all things you’d prefer to learn about now rather than later. Small problems can be fixed for affordable repair fees before they become big ones (think water leaks). So be proactive about this whether you are looking to sell your home in the near future or otherwise!
Energy-Efficient Windows
HGTV states that you can recoup around two-thirds of your investment when you purchase energy-efficient windows for your home. Not only does this give you the opportunity to update the cosmetic shell of your home, but you can also get a green energy tax credit of 10 percent when you upgrade with Energy Star-rated windows. Let us know if you’d like our recommendation for a high-quality window installation company in the area!
Invest In Low-Maintenance Landscaping
People love greenery, this much is established. Having fresh, living trees, shrubs, bushes, and other plants surrounding your home is a great way to frame it as a place of growth and life. However, the best intentions in the world can end up askew if you find yourself unable to tend to your yard and landscaping. An unkempt homestead will easily detract from your home’s value rather than add to it, which is why we recommend going with low-maintenance landscaping if you have any measure of doubt about how dedicated you will be to the upkeep.
Hence, when you are shopping at your local garden shop, it’s wise to find plants that are somewhat drought-tolerant, or at the very least are native to our Northern Virginia climate. These will take less maintenance and water, which gives you one less thing to worry about in the long run!
Stay Away From In-Ground Swimming Pools
We know that this isn’t an idea so much as it is a warning, but heed our advice when we tell you to stay away from in-ground swimming pools if you think it will positively affect the valuation of your home. In reality, nothing could be further from the truth. For one, they are expensive, costing in the range of $75,000 or more, and, more pertinently, they make your house much more difficult to sell. This is because families with small children, among other interested parties, usually aren’t interested in owning a pool. There’s a tremendous amount of maintenance to deal with, not to mention the safety hazard that a swimming pool presents to the little ones.
So, our two cents on the matter is to cross it off your list of ideas to increase your home’s value!
Contact Daniels Design & Remodeling
We hope you’ve enjoyed this miniseries dedicated to giving you a few simple ideas for improving your home’s curb appeal. Some of them are more intensive than others, so comb through the list and pick out one or two of the ideas you find to be the most actionable!
For our part at our home redesign firm, DD&R is a boutique remodeling firm with a unique, customer-centric approach to home redesign. We offer a simple 3-step process that provides you with everything you need to have a stress-free, world-class experience where you are communicated with along every step of the way. If you are interested in learning more about who we are and what we offer, we’d love to hear from you and see if our services will help you accomplish your curb appeal goals! Schedule your conversation with us at your convenience.