Your home is your castle, but during the long winter months, you may get tired of being inside so much, particularly if you still have home improvements you’re longing to get done. There are some projects that will simply have to wait until warmer Spring weather, but there are also great home improvement projects you can tackle yourself during the winter that will immediately give your home – and you – a lift. The weather outside may be frightful, but home improvement can be oh so delightful.
Do some painting
Did you know that cold weather is ideal for drying paint? The dryness of the winter months actually makes winter the perfect time to paint the interior, so crack a window, grab your favorite brush and make the cold work for you! Nothing freshens up a room like a nice coat of paint.
Select a bold color and paint an accent wall in your living room. Or add dimension to your bedroom by painting the ceiling. Whatever you choose, new colors are a sure way to add visual interest to your walls and bring a splash of sunshine into a drab winter home. The right color on the walls can immediately update a whole room, adding life to tired furniture and changing the mood completely.
Refurbish or replace your doors
Interior doors can have a lot of visual impact on your home. Many homes have standard, hollow, wood doors that are blank expanses with little or no style. The good news is you can virtually “replace” all of your doors without spending excessively. Here are some ways to make over your interior doors.
- Paint them. Dark doors can make your home look more expensive. Colored doors can look much more modern and whimsical than traditional wood.
- Change the doorknobs. Updated hardware is an instant fix for outdated doors.
- Add molding to flat doors. Molding can create dimension and give an elegant, expensive feel to any run-of-the-mill doorway.
If you’re wanting to start over, new doors are a great way to spruce up your home’s interior and give it a more refined style. Replacing your old boring doors with new interior doors featuring raised panels, carved embellishments or frosted glass inserts will add architectural interest and depth, as well as unify the look of your interior spaces. It’s amazing what a difference a six-panel can make.
Replacing those old drafty windows
While replacing one or two small windows is a good DIY project, you may not want to take on replacing all your windows yourself during the winter. This is actually a great time to have replacement windows professionally installed. Professional window installers can quickly and efficiently pop out your old windows and install new replacement windows before you even notice it’s cold.
There are some advantages to replacing windows in the winter. You’ll be able to schedule more easily because window installation tends to slow down during the winter months. You’ll also get some great deals on top quality replacement windows; prices are typically slashed during the colder months. The biggest advantage is you’ll get an immediate return on your investment in the way of reduced energy costs. Energy efficient windows mean lower thermostats and a warmer home.
Install a backsplash
Backsplashes are to kitchens, as seasonings are to spaghetti sauce; they’re essential for completing the flavor. If you’d like to kick your kitchen up a notch, a backsplash will help accessorize and emphasize your countertops, cabinets and appliances. For a kitchen that needs color and life, a flashy or textured tile can wake up a plain scheme. For a kitchen that already has personality, sleek, neutral tile can add elegance and unity to the room’s look. If you’re daring in your design, check out Pinterest or Houzz for unique backsplash ideas. And when you’re ready to go, this guide from HGTV can help you figure out how to install your very own tile backsplash.
Change out lighting fixtures and light bulbs
Taking down dated ceiling fans and light fixtures and installing new ones is a great way to update the style of any room. Look for something bold and dramatic for a contemporary room, or install a lovely, crystal chandelier in your bedroom for a touch of romance. While you’re at it, consider installing dimmers in rooms like the family room or dining room. The dimmers will allow you to create the right mood or enhance television viewing by adjusting the amount of light.
If you’ve started using compact fluorescent bulbs already, you know they last a long time and are less expensive to use. What you may not know is that compact fluorescent bulbs are now available in “natural” or “daylight” versions that are much closer to the light spectrum of natural sunlight. Using these bulbs will give your home an instant lift and can even contribute to an improvement in mood during the dark months of winter.
By focusing on the inside of your home while the weather is cold, you’ll have a lot more time to tackle the warm-weather stuff when spring rolls around. What kind of home improvement tasks are you tackling this winter?
