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:

  1. How have your home improvements improved your quality of life?
  2. Do you regret any home improvements? If so, how have you learned from them?
  3. Do you employ a checklist of any sort before starting a home improvement project?

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