Every home should be changed when you move into it. At minimum, it should fill up with your things and your home decor to turn it into your space. Most, however, aren’t that lucky. For most, making the most out of any new home, regardless of whether that new home is a new build or over a hundred years, means making a few upgrades and changes. While big upgrades and kitchens or bathrooms are obvious, they’re also largely due to taste. It’s entirely up to you if and when you need new essential rooms, but for the most part, your existing options should suit you just fine.
Where you’ll really see a lot of difference in the way your home looks and feels is by focusing your attention on these top five home upgrades:
Custom Storage
If there’s one upgrade that can and will make a big impact on the way you use and engage with your space, it’s storage. Storage frees up the floor space in your home and gives you control over what you display and what you don’t. Don’t just shove large, bulky furniture pieces in your home, either, especially if they aren’t pulling a lot of weight design-wise. Instead, look custom.
Custom storage can help you maximise the space in otherwise dead areas of the home. These dead areas are the awkward nooks and corners or even along a blank wall with no windows. You can do so much in particular with made to measure wardrobes, which can immediately help you get more out of your textile wardrobe without taking up essential breathing space in the bedroom.
Double Glazing and Energy Efficiency
If your home doesn’t already have double glazing and high-quality insulation, it’s time to change that. Even older homes with double glazing currently need to get their windows checked out and maintained, as the inert gas that makes double glazing so effective does tend to wear down over time.
Working on making your space highly efficient at retaining heat or the chill, depending on the season, is a smart, effective way to slash your utility bills while also making your home more pleasant throughout the year. It’s also an essential step to preventing issues like mould from growing rampant through your space, making it a must-have upgrade.
Solar Energy
If your property includes the roof, then you’ll want to consider solar energy. Rather than sell back your unused energy, know you’ll be better off storing it for when you really need it – at night. Solar doesn’t just mean panels, either. You can also get specific solar-powered systems. Solar–powered water heaters, for example, are a great, efficient way of taking out one of the largest electrical costs associated with running a household off the board, also a smart meter and a smart meter
Gardening
If you have any sort of outdoor space, then you owe it to yourself to start filling it with plants. A full and lush garden can help the local biodiversity and give you a calm oasis that can help you calm down and enjoy the great outdoors. It can also help provide you with the essential shade that then keeps your home cooler in summer. Add in some evergreen options near your external walls, and you can then cut back on the impact of those cold winter winds. This can take time to perfect so little and often is the way forward.
Smart Home Features
Smart homes are a great way to add function to your space, all while saving you money. While the initial upfront cost can be pricey (for example, getting smart plugs or bulbs), the overall impact of your smart system can mean streamlined energy usage. For the best results, have someone link a smart system to your HVAC system. This will help you use less heating (and cooling, if you have it) more efficiently. These smart systems can be configured manually with IFTT (if this, then that) protocols or linked to your phone to, for example, automatically turn everything off when the last linked phone leaves the home. Since your phone has an ongoing connection to the internet and GPS, your smart home will also be able to turn things back on in time for your home to be at the perfect temperature and not a second too soon,
The best part about smart homes is that you can easily keep adding more smart systems, expanding your home’s capabilities as you go on. This makes it a relatively cost–efficient upgrade option.
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