WINTER HOME UPGRADES TO DO BEFORE SPRING

Here are four suggestions for some winter home renovations to get done before the tulips start blooming.

1. Give your garage a makeover
If you live in a cold climate, getting a winter garage makeover might not seem feasible. A lot of homeowners seem to be under the mistaken impression that a garage makeover can’t even happen during the winter. This is simply untrue. Interior home improvement work can occur in a garage year-round, regardless of what climate you live in. A big part of any complete garage makeover is the application of a new floor coating, which is perhaps why there’s so much confusion about getting a winter garage renovation.

Choose a garage makeover specialist that uses polyaspartic floor coatings, which allows flooring applications to be done even in frigid conditions (unlike epoxy floor coatings).

Here are a few more ideas for ways to make your garage a more comfortable, functional, and visually appealing space:

• tame garage clutter by adding efficient storage systems like slat wall, custom storage cabinets, and overhead racks
• upgrade your garage lighting
• add new garage doors (which have one of the best returns on investment for home improvement projects)
• upgrade to a garage door opener with smart home tech capabilities

Talk to the trusted professionals at Garage Living for more information on making upgrades to your garage before spring arrives. In most houses, garages have become the primary entry and exit point for families. More homeowners are seeing the value in making their garage an attractive, functional extension of their living space.

2. Remodel your closet
Like the garage, closets are hotspots for home clutter. Owning too many things is naturally the main reason excess clutter becomes a problem. Another big reason clutter can become unmanageable, however, is that there’s a lack of an efficient, smart storage system to make optimal use of your available storage space. A remodel of your closet can make it easier to keep your closet space organized. Have a professional evaluate your closet space so they can create a more functional wardrobe storage area where everything has its place.

Establishing a proper storage space for all of your items will eliminate the time you waste looking for things and keep the closet looking much tidier. From improving a smaller reach-in closet with a closet organizer, to thinking bigger with this home improvement project and adding a large walk-in closet/dressing room, you’ll appreciate what a closet remodel can do for your home. Spacious walk-in closets are a good investment, too. According to a survey of 3,000 homebuyers for a recent Canadian Home Builders Association study, a walk-in closet was the home feature they wanted the most.

3. Make some small-scale home décor upgrades
You might not consider moving furniture around, changing light fixtures, or some of the following relatively minor tasks to be renovations, but they are. Think of them as just smaller “cosmetic renovations”. Applying one of the fundamental elements of feng shui and simply rearranging the furniture in a space can dramatically alter the flow and energy of a room. Changing the placements of wall decorations in your living areas can also help to modify a room’s dynamics. Update your lighting fixtures, trim, or crown molding to add a stylish, elegant touch to a room. You can also take things from stale to fresh in a room by reupholstering your furniture or replacing rugs, carpeting, or drapes as part of your winter remodeling project.

4. Freshen things up by painting
Another cosmetic renovation that’s perfect for doing during the winter is painting. Any room’s look and feel can be significantly changed just by slapping a fresh new coat of paint on the walls. Updating a room’s wall and trim colors with a different color can give the space a much-needed décor refresh. It’s also one of most inexpensive winter home renovations you can do. Whether you’re lightening up a room that’s too dark or getting adventurous with an accent wall, the wealth of paint varieties and shades available makes any room a literal blank canvas of endless creative possibilities.

A winter interior painting project might bring up temperature-related concerns and issues about ventilating the paint fumes.

Just make sure the temperature in the room you’re painting is at least 15°C and you should be fine. As a matter of fact, winter can be a better time to paint than in the summer, when heat and humidity can cause paints to take longer to dry. Unfortunately, you’ll need to open some windows in order to ventilate a painted room. That’s obviously not ideal when it’s cold outside, but it’s an unavoidable one-time extra utility expense you’ll have to live with. Use some fans to get more air moving in the rooms you’re airing out.

Another incentive to repaint is that you can apply a paint that has no VOCs (volatile organic compounds). VOCs are an organic compound gas found in many consumer products. The gasses (typically in very small amounts) are slowly released over time, so using a zero VOC or low VOC paint is a clearly healthier option for your home.

Remember, Carl Johnson Real Estate is always here to answer any other questions you may have about real estate, such as the current state of the market and current mortgage trends, or updates that will improve your home’s value. Please feel free to reach out any time! CLICK HERE and let Carl make your home buying/selling process less stressful.