MEET MARIA
Renovating your home is expensive and stressful, so, if you are going to spend your valuable time and money upgrading your home, you should make improvements that will last for a long time. Here are some home improvements you can make today that will last for years to come.
Kitchen Remodel
A new kitchen is at the top of most homeowners home improvement list. However, you must make sure you design a kitchen you will enjoy for decades. Many homeowners do not carefully plan out their kitchen design and wind up dissatisfied with the way it looks. That leaves them back at square one, renovating their kitchen once again.
To avoid this, keep your stove, sink and fridge conveniently close to each other so you are not spending time walking back and forth between appliances. You can also use this opportunity to maximize your counter space by adding an island or by installing racks to keep your utensils and kitchen tools from cluttering your counters.
Roof Replacement
Once you replace your roof with high-quality material, it can last you for the rest of your life. You can expect traditional shingles to last at least ten years. High-quality shingles last twenty years or more. Tile roofs last for thirty years or more but do not provide the type of protection from the elements as you would get from roofs with shingles. Metal roofs can last more than fifty years. They also protect your home from water leakage and reflect sunlight away from your home in the hot summers.
New Windows
Improvements in window design have made them more energy-efficient, and the type of glass most manufacturers use today does fail as the windows get older. You can also choose window constructions that will limit outside noise disrupting your home. Old wood window frames peel and fall apart after a few years. Today’s vinyl frames are built to last a lifetime.
Plumbing Updates
Replacing old pipes with new ones improve water flow and help reduce contamination, while also increasing the value of your home. Most plumbers today use durable copper tubing when they replace old and worn out pipes. Copper is well-known for holding its value, and chances are those new pipes should last you for fifty years or more.
When you’re remodeling your home, you want to make sure you won’t have to redo your work in a few years. If you carefully plan out your next remodeling project and stick with renovations that make sense, you will save yourself a lot of aggravation in the long run.
Addy Reeds is a freelance writer from Eugene, Oregon. She discovered her passion for journalism while attending the University of Oregon. Follow her on Twitter and Facebook: @addyreeds1; https://www.facebook.com/addy.reeds
