Are Your Home Improvements Providing Life Improvements?
Just to be clear, I’m not saying you should avoid making home improvements. I’m saying the process should be deliberate and the result of the improvement should be a measurable improvement in your quality of life, which justify it as an investment.
If you’re spending money on upgrades, high-end furnishings, decorations, accents, random trinkets, think to yourself, how much time I am dedicating to these things to enjoy and improve the overall quality of life?
Do these so-called improvements result in greater relaxation or reduced stress? If so, then yes, these improvements do provide value and improve your quality of life.
An Unpleasant Taste
As I’m writing this, I’m enjoying some pistachios. But you know how sometimes, you’ll crack one open and it’s one of those nasty bitter ones. It hasn’t happened so far (fingers crossed). This can happen in home improvement too though.
A few months after we first moved into our home, we finally decided on a backsplash for our kitchen. It was this expensive multi-colored mosaic square design. But it looked horrible after it was installed. And some of the pieces were not properly aligned because the contractor said the adhesive it came with was too strong and didn’t allow for maneuvering to set the pieces in place.
Of course, the picture from the catalog and the product did not seem exactly the same. It wasn’t enough for me to put up an argument with the merchant. But it was just another example of seeing things in person, especially big purchases, before moving forward.
Anyway, after we were thoroughly sick and tired of looking at it, we decided to bite the bullet and remove all of it. Then we bought a few large and simple patterned stainless steel-looking backsplash panels, for a fraction of the cost.
To top it off, I installed these panels myself. They just required basic adhesive and sticking the large, easy to handle panels into place. It took me less than an hour to complete the entire job. These are easy to clean as well, unlike the mosaic ones. This debacle meant we swallowed up our entire budget for improving the house with one unnecessary job. I guess other projects like a professional siding installation will have to wait for another year…
Optimize Income-Producing Areas
There are a couple of ways to add functionality into space, which can result in an income-producing area for your home or a tax-deduction.
If you have a spare room or if you travel frequently, you may consider renting your space for additional income. You can easily advertise and post pictures to Airbnb.
If you’re self-employed and have a home office, you can add functionality, maybe with a bigger or tiered desk and may be able to deduct some of this expense in your tax return.
Possible Home & Life Improvements
We all may have different aspects of our home that we enjoy. But here are just a few that are important to me and the reasons why:
Quality Foam or Other Smart Mattress – if you sleep an average of eight hours per night, that and are typically away from home eight hours per day for work, and at home or other places the remaining eight hours, you’re roughly using your mattress for one-third of the time each day.
Why not have a mattress that can improve your sleep and improve your overall health as a result of being well-rested.
Insulation – Keeping your house warm is going to improve your quality of life massively. It’s pretty easy to make your house warmer – just add a good, thick layer of insulation in your loft and draft proof any holes in your roof. Rolling out insulation can be done yourself, but other things like replacing missing roof tiles will require a professional. These Denver roofing companies offer great quality craftsmanship at a great price, so try to find a similar roofer to carry out any repair work that needs doing for you.
Quality Shower Head – a nice relaxing shower is optimized with the use of a powerful multi-functioning shower head. The one I have is decent, but I’m researching better ones. Also, if someone else is using the shower in another bathroom, the pressure slows down a bit.
I’m actually quite late in realizing I should have a powerful showerhead. My wife and I took a cruise several years ago, and surprisingly, the tiny shower in our cabin was ultra-powerful. It enhanced my already great cruise experience. So now I’m thinking why not have a relaxing shower with a powerful spray all the time?
A great and relaxing shower is a fulfilling experience like a great night’s sleep resulting in a bit more life improvement.
Air Conditioning – If your house is too hot, you’re never going to be able to enjoy it. Sitting will be sweaty, let alone home workouts, and sleeping is almost impossible in a room that feels like an oven. An Air Handler might be what you need if you have a particularly stuffy house – it helps to improve circulation and refreshes stale air that has overheated. As heat rises, your upstairs is likely to be hottest, so it’s a good idea to focus on any cooling in the bedrooms to ensure you get a good night’s sleep.
Solar Panels – Installing solar panels on your roof can not only help save the planet, but also help to save you money on your energy bills. In fact, you can even get paid for the energy you produce, meaning you can reinvest into other things that you want – it’s a good little side-hustle that can earn you money passively, and you’ll feel the benefit at the end of each month when your wallet is a little less tight! Using a Milwaukee residential electricians, or any electrician close to you, you can quickly and easily get solar panels installed and be creating your own electricity in no time!
Quality Family Room Furniture – I have written in the past about mistakes I made when purchasing furniture – long story short, I purchased online and it wasn’t the best quality but a seemingly great deal. After a couple of years, the finishing started to wear out at a rapid pace, it wasn’t as comfortable (could feel the springs a bit), and design was fading away.
So I learned to splurge a little bit when it comes to furniture and definitely make sure to try it out at the store before buying to see how comfortable pieces are that you’re thinking of purchasing.
But why is it important for me to have quality furniture in the family room. Because that’s what this room is; a spot where your family and guests can hang out. You want a space that is inviting, comfortable, cozy, relaxing, etc.
Quality Television – this one may or may not cause some debate. I know many people are trying to avoid watching TV more and more. And yet there are still many of us that enjoy indulging in a show or two on some evenings.
We may even want to watch a movie too once in a while. I believe in a good TV that has a vivid picture and crystal clear sound.
The good part is that the TV market is so competitive these days, you are sure to find great deals. I would only suggest making sure you do your research and read the actual specifications before you buy.
And yes, TV technology is changing every year, so it’s important to understand what your objectives for buying a TV and use that as your guide.
Finally, having a quality and big enough TV is a reason to avoid going to the movies and dealing with the exorbitant ticket and concession costs.
Go With What You Really Want, Not What Others Think You’ll Like
We look at magazines where there are kitchens with “clean lines” and sleek backsplashes. And we see furniture that is crisp and “sexy” looking. But is all that home eye-candy going to improve your quality of life; maybe, maybe not.
I’ve realized, sometimes the hard way, that when contemplating home improvements, the main aspect should be around functionality that ultimately improves your quality of life. A simple mental checklist and avoiding the impulse to start a project right away (from reviewing a magazine or watching HGTV) can result in sound decision-making.
Join The Discussion:
- How have your home improvements improved your quality of life?
- Do you regret any home improvements? If so, how have you learned from them?
- Do you employ a checklist of any sort before starting a home improvement project?
______________________________________________________________________________
I use Personal Capital because (1) it’s free, (2) it tracks all of my accounts and overall net worth, (3) my account balances automatically update, (4) it shows how my investments are diversified and allocated in various sectors, and (5) can use built-in tools like “Investment Checkup” to get….wait for it…free personalized advice!
Hey SMM,
My wife and I did a home remodel in 2016, and I agree with what you say. For me, perhaps the biggest lesson is that (in general) no one element of your home will stand out that much when all is finished, especially the smaller things. So, it’s important not to fixate (or spend) too much on any one detail, and accept that no remodel comes out perfect.
Cheers,
Miguel
About 2 years ago now we did a bunch of renovations in our home: we painted our kitchen cabinets, redid our back splash, stained our floors and bought new furniture (our kitchen, dining room and living room are all one big open room).
Truthfully, I feel like these home improvements did improve our life. It is way more comfortable to entertain in our house. Our couch is beautiful, but also insanely comfortable. We got a glass dining room table that we can simply wipe down with Windex for easy clean up. Our back splash is tile from Home Depot that looks like marble, but is also easy to wipe down after cooking.
As far as regrets go, I think the only one I really have in our house is painting our office a horrendous color that was “trendy” at the time. I hate looking at it haha.
Comfort is a big thing. We’ve had a dining set in the past which was also “trendy” but super uncomfortable. And screws kept coming loose.
When you own a home, Home Depot is sometimes an every weekend kind of place.
It’s also good that you were able to do so many updates without hiring someone. 🙂
SMM, We try to make smart home improvements that increase our comfort and peace of mind with an eye toward supporting or increasing the value of our home.
We live in a pretty mature housing market and find we need to invest 2-3% of the value of our home back into it each year to get consistent appreciation in the property.
Tom
That’s a good chunk each year. I like the idea of smart home improvements – i.e. adding a combo of convenience, comfort, and efficiency. I may do things later down the line like linking locks and windows on my iPhone and such.
I love the idea of— “Go With What You Really Want, Not What Others Think You’ll Like”. People tend to buy things that they think would make their houses look more beautiful when in fact those things don’t actually do anything to make their lives more comfortable or easier. When we buy things, we have to ask ourselves what will that thing/furniture/gadget give us? Will we benefit from those? Of course people can buy anything they want if they have lots of money to spare. But if you’re tight on a budget, their has to be a lot of considerations 🙂 Anyways, great post!
Agreed! It’s good to go through that mental checklist before hand; like before we even goto a store. There are so many ways merchants can lure us into their products and when we come back home the regrets begin.
Hi,
Great post! I Love your Article that’s really great… I like to made changes in the decoration of my home continuously. You shared such amazing ideas for home decor. Thanks for sharing and
Please share your more articles.
Bliss Brand Store
I’m glad you liked it and thanks for stopping by. 🙂
I’ve been following you for a while now — and I just love the way you style…… Your blog has such a great energy. Thanks for writing for us.
Rob Fernandis recently posted…Shower Bases & Pan For Bathroom Renovation
Appreciate the comments; thank you! 🙂
Hey! What’s up?
Nice post you’ve written here on Platform. Usually I never comment on blogs but your article is so convincing on Are Your Home Improvements Providing Life Improvements. Keep it up man.
Can I start with minor improvements if I don’t have the budget on the entire renovation right now?
Yes you can. It will help you to plan for more improvements in the future and fine-tune your plan.
I don’t want to improve my home after my marriage it seems that I need to learn home improvement. why you only said 7ideas we need more out of it do the same thing once more with 14 home improvement ideas.
couponstechie recently posted…Tips to Control Your Business System with Your Cellphone Through a Mobile App
I am strongly agreed with you that our improvements must provide life improvement. If they don’t provide life improvements then our home improvements are useless.
Hi there! I find well-designed space boost productivity!
Glad to read this blog ‘coz were planning to have a house improvements. thanks for this blog.
http://concrete.com/
cheryl recently posted…Locate a Concrete Contractor and Additional Industry Resources