There’s nothing quite like becoming a homeowner. Knowing that you never have to pay rent again and have control over what you do in your own home is an amazing feeling. Many first-time homeowners take on home improvement projects “DIY Style” which has become even more popular with the surge of TV shows on HGTV and the DIY channel. Many of these programs cover the basics: making your home greener, remodeling a room, enhancing the look of your kitchen for pennies on the dollar and so on. These are all amazing projects and great tips, but what if you want to take it to the next level?
There is a whole world of “pro level” projects and improvements you can make to your home to dramatically increase its value and make it stand out in the market. While we could write volumes on the topic, our writers have chosen their top 5 favorites, shown to be the most fun and best “pro level” improvements you can make to your home. Here are our top 5!
5. Get Off The Grid!
Making your home completely independent of the utilities network in your city or neighborhood is a huge step toward winning over potential buyers down the road. While this may seem like a HUGE undertaking, trust us when we say it is well worth it. The technologies available to make this possible have become less expensive over the past 5 years, making the transition a lot more affordable than you may think. When it comes to electricity remember that the largest part of your power bill is in heating and cooling your home. That is why opting for solar thermal panels versus solar photovoltaic is a far better choice. Not only do solar thermal units produce more electricity and are less expensive, they also help heat and cool your home based on their heat-pump style design. Nearly every area can have a well drilled which, when pushed through a water filtration or reverse osmosis system, provides ample drinking water year-round. Getting off of services such as Internet, cable television and the telephone are more difficult but remember these are optional services where electricity and water often are not. Put your money into your power and water and you’re good to go!
4. Install A Backflow Preventer
Most people have never heard of the nifty little device known as a backflow preventer. This piece of plumbing goes on the outside of your home between your water supply and your house. What it does is prevent contamination that may occur inside your home’s plumbing to get back into the local water supply. While this may not sound like much of a big deal it is a huge improvement to the home and some areas even offer tax credits and other incentives for installing them. Backflow preventers manufactured and installed in 2014 will be “lead free” as per the new federal laws. This doesn’t necessarly mean they contain 0% lead, but that the lead components are below federal guidelines and/or no lead components touch the water coming in or out of the house. Though most often found on commercial buildings, adding one of these to your residence goes a long way to increasing your property value.
3. Upgrade Your Attic
By enhancing the insulation in your home you lower your energy bills and make the home greener to the environment at the same time. There are many types of insulation including: batts and roll-on fiberglass or natural fibers, foam board, loose-fill / blown in and sprayed foam. While all of these are great at keeping the home warm in the winter and cool in the summer, some work better than others and each have their own advantages and disadvantages. Lucky for you the US Department of Energy has a handy tool that covers each type of insulation and a calculator where you can find the return on your investment over time. You won’t necessarily have to remove all the existing insulation from your home, however sometimes “out with the old and in with the new” can do wonders.
2. Shorty Got Low Low Low
Well, low emissivity windows anyway. This is a huge upgrade for any home and goes way beyond the introductory “DIY” level most homeowners are capable of. After all, you are cutting holes in the side of your house and removing your existing windows. Low emissivity windows work like insulation for the most vulnerable areas of your home, the glass set within your well-insulated walls. This is where most of the heating and cooling of your home is lost. By dramatically reducing how much you are losing, and conserving what you are paying for, these windows can often be the single most effective way to add some big bucks onto the value of your home.
1. Make Your Home Smarter
There are tons of gadgets on the market today to turn your house into a smart house. From the Nest thermostat that learns how warm or cold you like it, to the Phillips hue lights, smart home tech is designed to integrate with your life, and your smartphone. There are devices which enhance your home security and energy efficiency while there are others that are simply there to make your life more fun. check out a complete list of the coolest smart house gadgets on the market here:
Got your own “next level” tips to share? Add them in the comments below, we’d love to hear from you!
Eric Brennan is Co-Owner of J.E. Brennan Construction
