Winter is here. Well, winter doesn’t officially begin until the solstice on December 21st… But it’s safe to say the cold has arrived and the days are shorter, meaning your outdoor chores and to-dos are either done or, if you’re like me, they’ve been postponed to the spring…
With the coldest season forcing us indoors I thought this month I’d go over some of the best indoor Do-It-Yourself projects to improve your living spaces and boost your home’s equity.
Indoor DIY projects can range from the simple to the very complicated and well-involved, from easily changing out the hardware in your kitchen to totally replacing your kitchen cabinets. What and how you decide to make home improvements on your own will, of course, depend on your skill set and comfort level.
For this blog post I’m going to focus on some of the more user-friendly projects that with the right tools, a quick online search and a little self-trust any homeowner can accomplish like a professional.
Sprucing up your house with fresh paint is a good start. I’m not necessarily talking about painting full walls but freshening up trimwork and door frames in your house. Although you can paint in the winter months, I’d leave full wall painting to warm, spring and fall days or hiring a company to ensure you’ll get the best look.
But freshening up the finer details and accents in your home, removing grimy spots and finger prints will help make your rooms look and feel clean and inviting.
If you are looking to liven up an entire room, you can go with wallpaper. I know. I know. You’re probably asking yourself if I know what year it is… But suspend your skepticism for just a moment. There are a lot of awesome, cool, quirky and cute wallpaper patterns out there to defy your immediate objections…
I’m not necessarily talking about larger rooms, either. I think finding a nice pattern for a small half-bathroom or reading room can lend a lot of character to an otherwise overlooked area in your house.
This winter we’ll be adding “chonky” seagulls to our half-bath, so stay tuned to my social media pages for the results!
A particularly fun and creative project is building out and optimizing your closet spaces. There are so many storage and organization options out there. Cleaning out your closets and finding creative ways to maximize those spaces are an easy and eye-grabbing project for anyone.
Closet facelifts are a great illustration of finding your home’s full potential, which can help maximize your home’s value and appeal to potential buyers in the future!
A difficult but still very doable project is refinishing your hardwood floors. The cost and the amount of work will depend on the condition of your floors, but putting life back into your hardwood floors might be the single best way to add value to your home.
Beautiful hardwood floors have mass appeal and add so much pop to any room in your house!
Remodeling your entire bathroom might be above your paygrade, but replacing a bathroom vanity is a lot easier than you might think. A simple change like this can make your bathroom feel completely new. Sanding down and repainting a vanity can go a long way too…
Even so, if that kind of project is too much, simply replacing your faucet and showerhead might be more manageable and is still a great way to bring life back into a bathroom that has perhaps grown a little stale for you.
There are many smaller projects to do around the house too. Replacing light fixtures, doorknobs and locks, adding rustic touches to interior and/or closet doors are other easy, quick and snappy improvements that can add up to make your home more appealing!
A final indoor chore worth discussing is deep cleaning your home. This particular chore might not add much equity to your home’s value, but cleaning out clutter, dusting and organizing all your furniture and belongings certainly will help bring life back into your home.
Plus, keeping up with decluttering will make your life much easier when or if it comes time to sell your home. With all the hassles involved with moving homes, having to catch up on years of junk removal can become impressively overwhelming.
Take some time this winter to organize and prioritize your things, minimalizing where you can and freeing up space in your home from unnecessary junk.
If you have any other suggestions for great winter DIY projects, feel free to leave a comment below, and if you have any questions about adding equity and appeal to your home, shoot me a message any time.
Sending all my love and wishes for a happy and healthy holiday to all of my clients, friends and family! I’m forever grateful for your support of me and my business.
