5 New Year’s Resolutions for Home Owners

The New Year brings a renewed feeling of optimism and opportunity! Many people are making New Year’s Resolutions like losing weight, eating better, quitting smoking, or paying down debt. What about making resolutions for your house? Finally fix that drippy tap, do something about those drafty windows, or getting organized like you’ve wanted to all year! Here are some ideas for New Year’s Resolutions that will make your home healthier and happier in 2019.

Budget for Improvements & Unforeseen Repairs

Create a budget for 2018 that includes room for home maintenance, improvements and unexpected repairs. This will ensure you’ll have enough in your budget in the case of emergency or for regular home maintenance projects like a new roof, updated appliances or furnace replacement.

House Logic suggests that an average home owner should budget between $2500 and $7500 each year for upkeep and replacements. If you have extra left over at the end of the year, save it for more costly projects that are sure to come up in the future. You’ll be glad you did!

Inspect and Seal Heating & Cooling System

old-furnaceNot only is creating a more energy efficient home better for the environment, it’s better for your bank account too. Your home may be gobbling up energy more than you think. You can start by looking at your furnace and ductwork. It might be time to update your old furnace with a high-efficiency furnace. Make sure your ductwork is free of leaks or damage, sealed and insulated properly. Not only will sealing your ducts increase energy savings, it will also be easier on your entire HVAC system so it will be long lasting.

You can do this yourself by investigating your ducts and sealing all the seams, holes and connections. Use a duct sealant and don’t forget to seal around vents and floor heat registers. You can also contact a professional heating and cooling contractor to do this for you.

Learn more about annual furnace maintenance.

Replace Windows and Doors

replace-windowsWindows can be one of the biggest contributors to energy loss in your home. Heat always moves from warm areas to colder areas, meaning the warm air in your home will stop at nothing to escape through your window. Having old single or double pane windows, warped frames, worn weather stripping and poor insulation can all cause heat loss.

New energy efficient windows have advanced insulation technology. They are manufactured with a chamber of argon gas between airtight, double-glazed insulated, low-emissivity (low-E) glass panes. Not only will they help to keep warm air from escaping your home, they help reduce noise transmission and are less likely to experience condensation in cold weather.

Learn more about energy efficient windows.

Get Organized and De-Clutter

california-closets_gallery_1414230570501You’ll feel a lot better once you get rid of all that clutter! Go through your stuff and make a pile to donate to your local thrift store or to give away to family and friends. From there, create additional storage spaces for what you would like to keep.

Not sure where to put it all? There are companies that will create storage solutions and custom closets for home owners who are at their wits end! Installing shelving, utilizing basement and under-the-stairs storage spaces and outdoor storage are all options.

Find a storage solution company in your city on www.renovationfind.com.

Become a DIY Guru

(or at least try one DIY project this year)

plumber-228010_640As a home owner you should be prepared to tackle some maintenance, repair or renovation projects yourself.  Buy yourself a power drill, wrench and screwdriver set (to start) and be confident that there are some projects you are very capable of doing yourself!

Did you know that keeping your house in tip-top shape can also give you a bit of a work out? Building a new fence, caulking windows and doors, painting, installing tile, installing fixtures…they are all jobs you can easily learn to do yourself and that will help you burn calories too! Here are some calorie burning DIY statistics from CalorieLab:

Painting: 238 calories/hour

Laying tile, lino or repairing appliances: 238 calories/hour

Building a fence: 340 calories/hour

Refinishing cabinets: 238 calories/hour

Roofing: 340 calories/hour

Need help?

Check the RenovationFind.com blog for lots of tips and resources for do-it-yourself projects. You can also consult with a local hardware store and find countless tutorials online.

Find the tools, materials and instructions you need by browsing the renovation companies in your city on our accredited directory at RenovationFind.com!

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