Life, Styled
Home improvement spending is surging as homeowners take advantage of low-interest rates to tackle overdue projects. However, homeowners aren’t spending their remodeling dollars recklessly. They’re investing in projects that save energy, add value, and make their homes more comfortable, functional, and livable.
Whether you plan to sell in the coming months or are simply ready for an upgrade, you’re probably wondering which home improvements will pay off in 2021. Let this information from Greenbrook Design guide you as you prepare to remodel your home.
The Top Home Improvements For 2021
Today’s trending home improvements reflect many of the changes brought about by the coronavirus pandemic, with outdoor living, home office, and kitchen and bath renovations topping homeowners’ to-do lists. These include projects like:
- Landscaping.
- Fence installation.
- Deck/porch/patio remodel or addition.
- Interior painting
- Flooring installation.
- Lighting installation.
- Minor kitchen and bathroom remodel.
- Home office additions.
- Energy-efficient improvements.
Of course, popularity isn’t the only factor when deciding to undertake a renovation. You also want to know what a home improvement project costs and if there’s any way to save a little cash along the way. Read on to get the lowdown on the leading home improvement projects.
What To Know About These Top Home Improvement Projects (Part 1)
When you want to revamp your home but don’t know where to start, Greenbrook Design is here to help. Here’s what to expect from these trending home improvements.
Outdoor living renovations
Spending more time outdoors is great for the body and mind — not to mention your sanity while cooped up at home. These are the projects with the biggest impact on your outdoor enjoyment.
Totally DIY-able: Landscaping
From building raised garden beds to installing drought-tolerant lawns, homeowners are getting their hands dirty in the backyard this year. Not only do landscaping projects improve curb appeal, but they’re great for getting close to nature, too. Test your green thumb with fun, affordable landscaping projects like creating a pollinator garden, installing landscape plants, or building a DIY water feature.
What To Know About These Top Home Improvement Projects (Part 2)
DIY potential: Building a deck or patio
Decks are enjoying a moment in the spotlight as homeowners lean into the outdoor living trend. According to CNBC, wood decks give a 66% return on your investment, which runs around $5,000 to $7,500 for a professionally installed deck. Composite decks, increasingly popular due to rising lumber prices, are close behind at 63%. While building a traditional deck isn’t a project to DIY, handy homeowners can construct a floating deck or create a patio out of pavers, flagstone, or gravel.
Don’t DIY: Installing a fence.
Fencing is another major backyard project homeowners are undertaking this year. The average price to install a fence is $4,500, but this varies significantly based on the property size, fence material, and geographical location. If you want to be sure you’re getting a good price on a fence company (because you’ll need one), shop around and tell your fencing contractor about underground utility lines in advance.
Kitchen and Bath Remodels
Minor kitchen and bath remodels are a safe investment for homeowners, but think twice before splurging on a major overhaul. Buyers value modern kitchens and bathrooms, but custom remodels rarely pay off. Instead, focus on mid-range projects with mass appeal. Three projects where you can’t go wrong include:
Totally DIY-able: New light fixtures
Changing out light fixtures is one of the easiest — and most impactful — projects in a kitchen or bathroom. As long as you have a few basic tools, including wire strippers, a screwdriver, and a ladder, you can quickly swap a light fixture for a new style. Just be sure to shut off the electricity first!
DIY potential: A kitchen island
Kitchen islands add prep space, seating, and define a kitchen in an open floor plan. The price of installing an island depends on the type of island and whether you need to remove a wall. A traditional island with plumbing and wiring costs around $5,000, while a basic island or rolling cart is much more affordable. Prefer to DIY? Islands made with stock cabinets and countertops are simple to build yourself. If you’re adding a sink or cooktop to your island, hire a licensed professional.
Don’t DIY: Eco-friendly appliances
ENERGY STAR appliances use less energy and water than conventional appliances, making them the go-to choice of budget-minded and eco-conscious consumers alike. Expect to pay $4,000 to $6,500 for a mid-range kitchen appliance package with slightly higher prices for gas appliances. Luckily, most stores offer delivery and installation (including free local delivery from Home Depot and Lowe’s), so there’s no need to do the heavy lifting yourself.
Living and Home Office Renovations (Part 1)
When it comes to your home’s value, kitchens, bathrooms, and curb appeal are the money makers. However, there are lots of other home improvements that are worthwhile to undertake. While they may be less flashy than a brand-new deck, these home improvements are still a smart investment.
Totally DIY-able: click-together flooring
Click-together luxury vinyl tile and engineered hardwood are a DIY-friendly alternative to traditional flooring. Because click-together planks are installed as a floating floor you don’t need to attach planks to a subfloor. Homeowners who install their own click-together flooring only have to pay for materials, which range from $2 to $10 per square foot, depending on quality.
DIY potential: Interior painting
Painting sounds like a project that’s easy to DIY. In reality, getting professional-quality results from a DIY paint job takes more time and patience than most homeowners are willing to spend. That’s not to say it’s a no-go, however. If your walls are in good condition, you’re repainting a minor room like a bedroom or office, and there’s no chance your home contains lead paint, DIY painting is doable. Otherwise, shell out the $300 to $1,000 for a professional’s touch.
It is always fun to watch those home improvement shows. It is always a delight to watch designers come up with a plan that completely transforms the space from drab to fab. Often, after watching those shows, you have a tendency to look around your own home, wishing you could give it an update, but a renovation is not conceivable at the moment for one reason or another. The good news is that you don’t have to undergo a renovation to give your home a lift or freshen it up; sometimes it’s the little things —the details —that can completely revamp your space and make a big impact without breaking the bank. Discover six simple ways you can freshen up your home and even make it feel completely new without going through a renovation.
Here are some steps you can take to ensure your kitchen is healthy and ready for creating dishes that are not only delicious but also beneficial for your family’s health. We know that it is not always easy to stick with the decision to be healthier, but with a well-designed kitchen, it can be. With over twenty years of experience, our design team is well-versed in planning a kitchen design that functions well for your specific needs while also reflecting the style you will love. We serve more than 15 counties and invite you to visit our 5,000-square-foot showroom, where you can walk through multiple kitchen displays to get a feel for the possibilities that await you. Connect with us and let’s start planning a healthy kitchen design.
Walker Woodworking Organization is a key part of a successful life. You make a plan, you know what you need, and how you will accomplish your goals. This strategy requires you to lay everything out so you can be prepared, which is why people love apps that help them stay on track or write it down in an old-fashioned paper planner. An organization can also infiltrate multiple areas of life, such as time management and home layout, meaning it has made its presence known in the design world. More and more designers are seeking ways to integrate organization into their designs, to the extent that a new term has been coined to describe this approach: organizeology. Let’s unpack what organizeology means!
If you are looking to hit the refresh button on your home, color is always a great way to start. From simple accent pieces, such as pillows and rugs, to repainting an entire room, choosing a new color can inspire you and help you regain your focus. The color of the year for 2022 are a wonderful place to start and can guide you down the right path for your home. Come visit our showroom in Uptown Shelby, NC, where you can walk through our 5,000-square-foot space and experience the possibilities for your home.
Walker Woodworking Lighting is a crucial aspect of interior design; it significantly influences the mood in the home and alleviates eye strain when there is minimal natural light or when it gets dark. More often than not, a home suffers from insufficient lighting instead of overillumination. For seniors, lighting is even more critical, as the muscles in the eye weaken over time and the pupil size decreases, making it harder for light to enter. Better lighting reduces the chance of bumping or falling over an obstacle and lessens the strain on the eyes as you look around. Good lighting also helps create a comfortable and relaxing environment, exactly what you want for your well-deserved retirement. Let’s talk about how you can have the best lighting, what the benefits are, and which lighting choices are best for certain areas in the home.
Greenbrook Design
Greenbrook Design