Right at Home: 3 Tips to Get the Most Out of Home Upgrades
What makes a house a home? Is it the building? Is it the location? Perhaps, is the people who live in it? I’m doing the right upgrades at my home?
In the end, a home is a house that you have just the right emotional connection with. It takes time, as with any relationship. You can spend years deciding if your partner is the right one. You can spend years deciding if your house is the right one. Some are obviously not going to work — and the rest are what you make of them.
Just as we nurture our partners and bring out the best in them, we do the same with our homes. The structure is there, it just needs a little fine-tuning. And what all of this has to build is a lasting emotional attachment.
Bearing that in mind, here’s the 3-step guide for making sure your home improvements really are home improvements and not house improvements.
Work With Local Businesses
In an ideal world, we’d all be raised knowing how to build a house from scratch and maintain it fully. Sadly, we’re not quite there yet. While many of the best home upgrades are DIY, some aspects are best left to the professionals.
Roofing is a case in point. Constructing and maintaining a solid roof requires expert knowledge — but it also requires local knowledge. The materials best suited for roofing vary wildly depending on climate. If your local experts such as Blue Raven Solar are replaced by larger companies with less local expertise, your roof won’t look as good, and it won’t work as well. Solution: buy local!
Look up local roofing experts in the best roofing contractor directory. Not only will you get better results, but building relationships with local businesses is the foundation of a good community. And the community is another thing that helps change a house into a home.
Work With Local Craftspeople
You know that friend of your friend’s, who you met briefly at a wedding and was quite charming, and does upholstery work? Hey, they might be pretty good at refurbishing your old sofa. And they live nearby.
These encounters sort of… run off our backs. But if you meet someone who works in carpentry, or upholstery, or any kind of industry that could help improve your home, remember their name. Make a note of their number. You could both help each other out in the future.
Even better, ask around. You’d be surprised at the range of talents your friends-of-friends have. It’s easier to ask when you have a specific development in mind, such as new dining chairs, because nobody wants to give a run-down of every friend they have and what they do. But remember: the rough is full of diamonds, you just have to look for them.
Take Home-Making Literally
DIY projects are just the best. They’re satisfying, they’re educational, and they help you build a connection with your home like nothing else. Many don’t even require that much special equipment.
If you’ve got a saw, a straight edge, and a block of sandpaper, you’re only elbow grease away from being a carpenter. Got a pair of knitting needles and some wool? Guess what, you can decorate bedrooms!
Home Upgrades : Put Some Love Into Your Home
The closer to home your solutions are, the closer you are to loving your house as a home. Shop local. Work with friends. Learn new skills. It’s all there for you, and you’re going to love it.
