The costs of home ownership always include the cost of home repairs and improvements. Average homeowners should put aside about one to three percent of their home’s value every year to spend on improvements. There are ways to reduce costs while maintaining your home.

If you are not bound financially, install the real hard wood flooring, rather than the laminate. Despite a similar appearance to real wood and being easy to take care of, laminate cannot be refinished. In another decade or two, you or another owner will find it necessary to install new flooring rather than simply refinishing.

To add a unique touch to a bookcase, invest in the help of some wallpaper. Try to pick a design that is unique and interesting. Apply the wallpaper to the back of your bookcase and when you stack your books, the design will peek out from behind your books. This will not only give your old bookcase a design boost, but give a focal point to your room.

The proper tools make the difference when completing a home project. If you have the right equipment you will ensure you do a good job and it is simple to do. It also helps to know what the best way to use each tool is.

When starting any home improvement tasks, be sure to accurately assess the amount of work to be done. Sit down and take the time to figure out everything that needs to get done. A second opinion may help you avoid making any mistakes during your first assessment. You can save more money if you are clear about everything that needs doing.

One way to prevent bugs from coming into your house, and to save money on heating and cooling costs, is to seal any cracks or openings in your house. All you need is simple caulk, which is applied around your windows, along baseboards and any other areas that could have small openings to the outside. Once the caulk is dry, bugs have a much more difficult time getting inside, and the air doesn’t escape as easy.

If a lock is having problems, you can change out the entire thing or look to change out only the cylinder. The part that does the locking is the cylinder. If you lose keys or want to change locks, it is possible; just replace the cylinder. If you want to boost security, replace the whole lock.

You should drain all of the water out of the hot water heater once every six months. Well-maintained water heaters can last much longer and run better. You just need to find the drain valve, attach a hose and turn on the valve on as if were turning on a spigot.

Change window treatments for an instant facelift. Curtains are an affordable way to change the entire character of a room through creative use of patterns and different fabrics. In addition, you can select fabric colors by season. For example, you might want to use lighter colors for the spring and summer seasons. During the fall and winter seasons, you might want to use darker, richer colors.

When you are thinking about home improvements, you might want to look around. Check out a book from your library or look at some home improvement magazines. Bring home color samples and carpet or fabric swatches. Take the time to thoughtfully plan out how you want to redecorate so that when the time comes you will be well prepared.

When you paint the walls of your home, it is very important to tape the trim off. No matter how mindfully you paint, the paint is going to run. Covering trim pieces with tape can help ensure that they stay free of paint. Once the paint reaches the trim, you’ll have to paint over it.

You must remember that when working on woodwork, you must not eye any measurements that need to be leveled. This includes any angle, surface or measurement. Use a level, speed square, and tape measure for accurate woodworking.

If you shorten the hose on your dryer, you can save money on energy. First take the hose off and then use your vacuum to clean it out. Clip the hose to make it only as long as a few feet. It only needs to have enough length to pull out the dryer.

For an inexpensive way to spruce up your home’s exterior, plant some bright flowers. Find ones appropriate for the season. Properly trim any bushes or hedges, and take the time to keep your lawn well manicured. Simple lawn care and landscaping instantly make your house look better.

Flat Paint

Use the same shades of glossy and flat paint to achieve a multi-textured finish on your walls that can be really unique. Paint the entire wall with a flat paint and then use glossy paint and stencils to add designs or apply them freehand. Paints with gloss help reflect light, adding a visual interest.

Inspect the foundation of your home for damage as part of your yearly winterizing routine. It’s important to seek out and patch up these weak points because the warmth of your house will attract insects, spiders, rodents, and other vermin. Seal them out by fixing up your foundation before cold weather comes calling!

Clean out your pantry and organize it in order to improve your kitchen’s functionality. Throw out any foods, spices and canned goods that have expired. Thoroughly clean your shelves and install new shelf paper if needed. Now you can organize the things going back in the cupboard by keeping like items together on the shelf or within the same general area. All the ingredients you need will be at your disposal and you’ll be able to find them too!

By following the tips and advice found here, you should be better prepared to tackle your next home improvement project. You should be able to save money as well. By making good home improvements, you could enjoy your house and it will also raise its value.