Home Upgrades That Basically Last Forever
We live in a throwaway society where people don’t think twice about how long something will last. So long as they have it now, they’re happy.
More and more people, though, are returning to the principles of the past – buy stuff once, and then have it for life.
Historically, this objective was something pretty much all manufacturers shared. They wanted to create products that lasted a lifetime to improve their brand image. But with cheap mass production in the Far East and cratering wholesale prices, that all changed. For the first time, consumers could afford to buy cheap tat. If it broke, they could just replace it.
Now, though, there’s a growing clan of homeowners who want to get off this carousel of consumption. They’re sick of buying things for the house that wear out in just a couple of years. They want better solutions.
So what are they doing? What are the home upgrades that they basically last forever? Let’s take a look.
Treated Stone Worktops
The vast majority of homeowners have cheap, fibreboard worktops in their kitchen and utility room. These are mostly cheap wooden panels surrounded by a plastic veneer. They can look great when first installed, but over time, they start to look worn and tired and, eventually, lose their luster entirely. After about ten years, they’re ready for replacement.
A lot of homeowners, however, aren’t happy with this burden on landfill. They’d prefer to have something that will survive for the life of the house itself. There’s no need to change a work surface every few years. It doesn’t make sense.
Here’s where treated stone worktops come into play. The treatment prevents moisture from getting into the stone, and the hardness of the material stops wear and tear. So long as you treat it every couple of years with a fresh protective coat, it should essentially last forever.
White Goods From Reputable Manufacturers
White goods, like your washing machine and dishwasher, are machines with many moving parts. As you know, anything with moving parts is subject to wear and tear and will eventually break down. But even if your appliance fails on you, that doesn’t necessarily mean that you need to replace the whole thing.
Some vendors, for instance, provide an entire supply chain of backup components, just in case something fails. Westinghouse spare parts include things like door brackets, pressure hoses, and even whole electronic circuit boards. In other words, you can replace pretty much whatever component fails on your white goods, without having to buy them new.
The critical point here, though, is to choose a manufacturer who supplies these parts. Many don’t bother.
Conservatory
The conservatory is the quintessential home upgrade that lasts forever. Most conservatory companies provide UPVC products designed to withstand UV from the sun, weather damage, cold conditions, and bright, warm sunlight.
What’s more, these additions to your home can add an enormous amount of value when you come to sell your property. Buyers want houses that offer indoor-outdoor spaces so that they can enjoy bright sunshine, even in the darkest and most miserable of winter months.
Loft Insulation
Decades ago, builders fitted lofts with insulation that was about three inches thick. It had some effect, but it wasn’t the best solution for keeping the heat in your home. Eventually, warm air would make its way through the material and out into the roof cavity.
Vendors and regulators, however, have improved the situation enormously over the last few years, and now offer much thicker insulation to help your home retain heat. This new foam composite material is about a foot thick and sits between the principal horizontal rafters in your attic space. It looks overkill, but it does the job.
Crown Molding
Crown molding is a simple and easy way to upgrade the appearance of your home in a way that will last pretty much forever. It offers a big bang for your buck.
The cost to install crown molding is relatively low – about a week’s pay for the average person to do the downstairs of their property. What’s more, it massively upgrades the appearance of your rooms. Crown molding is one of the most stylish and grandest features you can include.
Furthermore, it is one of home upgrades that lasts forever. Nobody ever walks on it, touches it, or goes anywhere near it once you have it installed. It just sits there out of the way of the chaos unfolding below.
Solid Wooden Kitchen Cabinets
When you think of household upgrades that DON’T last, kitchen cabinets are one of the first things that spring to mind. Eventually, the cheap chipboard wears out, and you’re left with something that isn’t fit for purpose.
Treated solid wood cabinets, however, are a different story. They can stand the test of time because of their durable construction, both inside and out.
Remember, the major cost of replacing kitchen cabinets is replacing all of the internal structures and paying somebody to install them. When it comes to cabinets made of solid wood, you don’t need to do this. Often, you can just replace the facade if you want to update your kitchen and keep all of the internals as they are.
Bathroom Tiles
If you’re wondering whether you should spend money on upgrading the walls in your bathroom, you’re not alone. Every year, thousands of people consider swapping out their paint and wallpaper and replacing it with tiles.
Those who do, however, are often glad that they did. Bathroom tiles not only look great, but they can last for decades. Furthermore, we’re now living in an era in which tiles don’t look out of date ten years later. Often, you can get something that lasts a lifetime and never ages.
Skylights
Would you like your home to feel light and airy, even during the winter months? If so, then skylights can help enormously to brighten up your room. The more natural light that you have in your home, the better it will feel and the more you’ll enjoy it.
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