Whether you’re trying to sell your home or simply upgrade it for your own enjoyment, additions do not have to be that pricey. OK, OK, so as you haven’t been born yesterday you do know that any high-quality improvements to your house – the only type worth doing – won’t be as cheap as your daily shop. But the following additions have been selected for their relative low cost and high impact.
The seven recommended additions are applicable to you especially if you feel like modernizing your house, have guests to stay with specific needs, are buying or selling your home and are aware of updates needed.
Garden
It’s always easy to forget the outside area and palm it off as a “dad-job” for a Sunday in the far far distance! Sometimes those days arrive sooner than you think and a good job too because taking care of your outside area is as important as your house.
Built-in seating can be a great alternative to expensive garden furniture and one way to make your outside space guest-friendly and welcoming in a matter of days. Recycling concrete blocks and stacking to make a rectangular bench can be transformative. Top with an upholstered foam mattress and pillows and you’re good to go!
Patio
Patios are pretty self-maintaining year round aside from the odd weeding but if you want them to be extra special you could consider putting in a little more care. More and more folks have opted for patio walls over the last few years to create a homelier space. Adding in a custom-built fireplace to the area will make your regular patio every home-owner’s hosting dream. If you need to start from scratch you certainly can build your own patio yourself and save on the tiresome labor costs!
Railings
Injuries do unfortunately happen regardless of your capabilities and a railing to help you get around the bathroom and in and out of the bath itself is a must. These guys are quite literally a life-saver. Whether in or outside the house – preferably both depending on the terrain – railings give much needed support as well as detail. Protect you, your family and your guests with railings where you need them the most – they can be beautifully designed to match your preferences, too!
Smart Appliances
Smart appliances are the quickest way to add value to your kitchen, your house and to your life! We all know a good real estate agent will make the most out of these centerpieces of our kitchen – dishwasher, fridge-freezer, oven and microwave. If yours could do with some updating it may be time to take the plunge. They can instantly modernize your kitchen into a chic and sleek operating room – stainless steel appliances are still a la mode – and raise your house-cred immeasurably.
Connectivity, intelligent communication and full-on integration is what people want in their new appliances to the point where your fridge will text you when you run out of an ingredient! If you don’t have that much to spend on a major appliance, try revolutionizing your kitchen routines with some of these portable options, however you might want to check second hand options before giving up!
Lighting
Much like your smart appliances, improving your lighting game is a quick and easy addition to your household that will bring admirers wide and far! Looking at spotlights for example bring a welcome minimalist feel to a home whilst not massively interfering with your interior décor. Lighting is also an easy way to bring balance to a room through adding or taking away warmth depending on the style of fitting and the glow emitted.
Lighting should be uniform throughout your house to some degree to give continuity, therefore if you aren’t careful this can rack up a bill. However, simply moving to energy efficient lights in the meantime will be a fantastic addition to your household.
Upholstery
The DIY and home improvement community has talked about up-cycling a lot for good reason – you have unpolished treasures in your room as you read this and you’re considering buying replacements?! A perfect and easy-going initiation into the up-cycling club is re-upholstering a chair, sofa or headboard. It is guaranteed to be far cheaper than buying new furniture, allows you to pick out exactly the material you want and adds to the atmosphere of your room in a relatively low-effort way!
Windows
I won’t start with a quote about windows and eyes and souls, but windows are very important. Seasonal Affective Disorder sufferers are particularly sensitive to amount of light in their living areas and frankly the majority of us are too. So let’s get as much light as possible into your houses! The easiest way to do this without complete overhaul of your existing windows is adding in a sky light where possible.
So, this may be in the same cost ballpark as smart appliances, however adding in a skylight will entirely transform your space and your mood, and add major value if done properly to your property.
Additions do not need to be time consuming, complicated or massively expensive, however they do need to be well thought out. Positioning, overall design and feel and appropriateness all come into play when making changes to your house regardless of how small they might be. But one thing is for sure, simple home additions can bring major positives to your life whether practical and adding convenience or aesthetic and adding comfort!
Author Bio:
Kacey is a lifestyle blogger for The Drifter Collective, an eclectic lifestyle blog that expresses various forms of style through the influence of culture and the world around us. Kacey graduated with a degree in Communications while working for a lifestyle magazine. She has been able to fully embrace herself with the knowledge of nature, the power of exploring other locations and cultures, all while portraying her love for the world around her through her visually pleasing, culturally embracing and inspiring posts.
