Since winter is just around the corner and you’re going to spend most of your time indoors, why not think about and discuss the improvements your home needs for you to feel more comfortable and cozy. With all the holidays and winter outdoor activities, you might have limited time to remodel too close to wintertime. Additionally, building materials and projects for home renovations are usually the cheapest between October and March.
So here are some upgrades you might want to get for your home:
Insulating Your Attic or Basement
This might be very common to an American homeowner. Although the importance of insulating the attic or the basement is often underestimated. If they’re poorly insulated, it will compromise the airflow and indoor temperatures, making the air quality poor as well. It’ll be too hot in the summer and too cold in the winter.
Mare than 90 percent of homes in the U.S. lack insulation and this inflates your energy bills. Low-quality air movement, whether in the basement, attic, or the rest of the house, surely contributes to wasting energy and money. That’s why investing in proper insulation is important and can make a desirable difference in your home.
Unlike other rooms in your house, basements are damp and cold because of the low temperature underneath the earth. Low temperature and dampness intrude when there is no proper insulation, which serves as the barrier between the interior and exterior.
Installing a Smart Thermostat
With a smart thermostat, you will be able to adjust the temperature wherever you are in the house just from your smartphone or tablet. More importantly, a smart thermostat enables you to set automatic and programmable temperatures based on your daily schedules, weather and climate conditions, and heating and cooling needs. Aside from this, it saves money and energy. In other words, decreased energy bills.
Checking Air Filters and Ducts
Not just in winter, but every time the season changes, it’s recommendable to maintain your air ducts and filters for better air quality around the house, making you and your companions more comfortable. Home safety is especially important during winter since people will spend most of their time indoors.
Clean out the ducts you can reach, like kitchen and dryer bents. It’s important to maintain or upgrade your fireplace into a modern one since you’ll be using it a lot during the winter and it contributes to the air you breathe in.
Sealing Up Cracks, Doors, and Windows
Old houses with old doors and windows are often a waste of heat a cause or air leaks. Resolving air leakage and insulation issues lets homeowners save up to 11 percent of their total energy costs. So replacing every window and door in your house might be necessary. If this isn’t feasible for you, you can always do a DIY sealing without spending so much money on remodeling your home.
Freshly Painting the Walls
This is the cheapest thing you do to upgrade your home before winter comes. Winter is a perfect time for a fresh new set of colors since your home interior can significantly affect your mood and you’ll be inside the house more often. Although make sure the new paint still compliments your home furnishings.
Of course, it is also important to consider safe and non-toxic paints because toxic fumes are a recipe for indoor air pollution and potentially, a damaged respiratory system.
Making Alterations to the Entertainment Unit
Again, since you’re going to spend most of your time in your home, catching up or rewatching all the comfort TV shows you love is perfect in the wintertime. Cuddled up in a blanket and enjoying hot cocoa with your close friends and family by the fireplace.
Make the room more inviting by adding warmth to the place to make it cozy. Streaming devices are in demand these days and it’ll be worth it to invest in one. You can purchase a new and updated smart TV there you can install streaming apps such as Netflix, Google Play, Amazon Prime, and HBO Max. With a smart TV, you can watch all you want while keeping some cash because you won’t have to pay cable bills anymore.
With all these upgrades, you can now enjoy wintertime without worrying about inflamed energy bills and poor air quality and insulation. And if ever you decided to do these changes during the winter, that’s perfectly fine! At least you can save extra few bucks since the labor of house renovation during this time of the year is way cheaper than they are in the spring and summer.
