Minor home improvements can add
character and distinction
by Roger Faris
Real estate agents often advise their home sellers to paint the front door. They know that this simple chore can make a difference in attracting a buyer. Other superficial home improvements which have good payback potential include fresh paint on interior walls, and face-lift projects in the kitchen and bath areas. Investment experts know how important it is to make these areas appear clean and bright.
Minor improvements are particularly cost-effective partly because they are usually do-it-yourself efforts. The materials are inexpensive and labor is free, assuming that you can find free time. I recommend the following principles for staying happy while doing your own work: Select appropriate projects. Find out about necessary tools and techniques. Allow extra time. Remain calm.
Installing a new vinyl floor is easy if you first make an accurate paper pattern of the room. One vinyl manufacturer even has a no-fault guarantee of free replacement of the material if you somehow make a major mistake. A heavy floor roller is used to remove trapped air bubbles and press the material into the glue.
Replacing an old plastic laminate counter surface is another project that can make a dramatic difference and yet be reasonably simple to accomplish. The tools which are needed include a special scoring knife and a high speed trimming router. Ask the supplier about preformed edge and backsplash materials. These can save time and look attractive.
Interior painting is certainly the most common homeowner project. Preparing the site is crucial to getting good results. Plastic and canvas are used to protect floors and carpets from tiny drops or major paint spills. Special masking tape can help ensure professional looking results. If you want to create something dramatic, look into faux finish, sponge painting, rag roll, or other techniques. Beautiful color schemes may be selected with the help of design experts. Their contributions usually add far more value than their fees.
Another popular improvement is to bring light into a dark room. Adding a skylight is one answer. Since home-made skylights always leak, I advise buying a good unit and following the installation instructions carefully. Adding to the artificial lighting is another approach. Visit a good lighting store to become familiar with the vast selection of fixture and lamp choices which are now available.
All of the above are typical investments which are usually cost effective. While boosting the value of your house is important if you are about to sell, making the old place attractive is also part of maintaining a sense of well being. Extra satisfaction may come from doing something unusual, or even unique. This is leading, of course, to my own stories about little projects which have brought me pride and joy.
The first of these was the transformation of our aluminum screen and storm door. It had always functioned well, keeping out drafts in the winter and bugs in the warm months. The problem was its dirty, oxidized aluminum appearance. The solution was simple. After washing the surfaces and priming with a special paint, I applied a coat of our dark green trim color. An offensive decorative curlicue piece was replaced with a wooden board with carefully rounded edges. The screws which secured this were counter-sunk and hidden under wood plugs. This wood bar also received wood primer and the green paint. From a few feet away the old door now appears to be a traditional wooden screen door. My life is better.
Another minor triumph was finding a new use for an old electrical outlet in the living room. This non-functioning and slightly crooked outlet had been installed in a handsome baseboard back in 1907, and was about two feet from another electrical source which had been recently rewired. I tried covering it with a blank face plate, but it looked out of place and out of alignment. Patching the hole would have been possible, but not an easy chore. The satisfactory answer was to pull the metal box out of the wall and create a nice little home for a mouse. Tiny steps now lead up the the threshold. The entryway includes trim which matches the other doorways in the room, except that it is the proper scale for a mousehole. A fuzzy gray toy mouse peers out into the room.
One risk with this sort of minor home improvement is that other people may be reserved in their appreciation. One of my neighbors glanced at the handsome mousehole and commented that I have too much spare time.
|
