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home update tricks

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Modernize your home with some change – and as the proverbial saying goes:” change is as good as a holiday”. While there is great beauty in antiquity, we live in a perpetual, technological evolving world. Just as our cell phones, cars and computer systems continue to modernize, so too can our homes. For those contemporary, modern thinkers amongst us, here are some ideas to turn any rustic home into a modern marvel. 

Create a Smart Home

Just like your smartphone, you can create a smart home. Home automation is the perfect project for the technically inclined. It allows you to remotely control your homes lighting, electronic devices and heating via your smartphone or computer. The benefits of this are numerous, providing security, energy efficiency, comfort and convenience

In today’s modern, fast-paced world, the less you must worry about, the better. A smart home setup allows you to achieve this convenience. You can manage all your home devices from one central place.

A smart home is also a way to enhance your home’s security significantly, ensuring you and your loved ones are always safe. Smart home security systems to connect to a WIFI network, meaning you can control and monitor your security devices with your smartphone. This ensures your home is safe even when you are not there. There are many fantastic DIY smart home projects out there, making them affordable and easy to set up. 

Use Alternative Energy 

Powering your home via means of an alternative electrical source is a great way to save on electrical bills, as well as contributing to the preservation of the environment. It also enables you to be self-sufficient and to “get off the grid’, not having to rely on the local power stations.

Installing solar panels is one excellent solution. A solar panel harnesses the power of the sun through solar energy to generate electricity and to heat your water. Your geyser is one of the most significant consumers of electricity. Using a solar panel to power your geyser can potentially save you thousands of dollars as a long-term investment. 

Another way to generate clean energy for those living in windy areas is through wind turbines. Small wind turbines can be a cost-effective way to create renewable, clean energy for your home. They are incredibly durable too, with average turbines lasting for 20 years. 

Install new Lighting to modernize

Sometimes, the simplest solutions are the best. By adding modern lighting to your home, you can bring it to life and into the current century. A popular type of modern lighting are LEDs. LED lighting systems provide many advantages. In addition to generating high brightness intensity, they are highly energy-efficient and come in a variety of different colour ranges. Being extremely reliable and having a long life, LEDs also offer cost-effective lighting solutions.

There are countless modern lighting options you could consider. Replacing your old lights with contemporary lamps and chandeliers will liven up any home. Not only do they light up your home more effectively, they are aesthetically pleasing as well. You could turn your home into a masterpiece of artwork through lights. 

SHOP MODERN PIECES FOR THE HOME…

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My husband is a real estate agent and he often finds himself in homes that just look old and tired but many seem to have great potential, they just need a few updates to bring it into current day style.  He shares a lot of easy tips and tricks with his clients on how to make an old home look and feel new again without compromising on character.  As an interior decorator and home stager, I couldn’t agree with him more. Plus these are great tips if you are thinking of selling your home in the not-so-distant future – keep it current looking – buyers will take notice

Here are some easy tricks to get an old home feeling new, again….

1 – Clean or replace carpets.

Make the space feel fresh with new carpet. It will instantly add a brand-new feeling to your home. If you are living there and like carpet than that’s fine but if this is an update for sale – price out replacing the carpet with hardwood or a laminate (that looks like hardwood).

2 – Make it cohesive.

A lot can be lost through the years—an update here and an update there can leave your house in a state of mismatched chaos. Determine whether you want room-by-room finishes to be the same throughout the house. The cohesive pattern will help your home feel polished, thus giving it new life.

 

3 –  Install new doors.

If you really want to go all out, replace your doors with Shaker-style doors or six-panel ones. A front door can also add a lot of curb appeal. If that doesn’t fit in your budget – paint the front door!

 

 

4 –  Update outlets, light switches, and plates

My husband and I have found that this is something that made a significant difference in all three of the older homes we’ve lived in. Some may have yellowed, been painted over, or have had various shapes and styles.
Update your house by switching all of the light switches and plates. Note: If you’re not experienced in doing this, hire a licensed electrician or find a great online video source and watch a few tutorials. It’s relatively simple, yet tedious work. We also updated yellowed alarms, thermostats, doorbells and smoke detectors.

 

5 – Repair walls.

In the past, we had purchased our home, it was apparent that years of poor quality DIY patching had taken place.
We had our painter fix the blemishes and fill all 240 nail holes. Yes, 240. Now when the light shines on them, it looks like new drywall.

6 –  Add light…

Whether it’s adding curtains, replacing light bulbs, or removing screens, adding light in your home is an easy way to breathe new life into each room. Remove vertical blinds they are so dated!

7 – …and paint.

A current and cohesive paint palette brings your home into the present and makes it feel fresh. If you stay away from yellow based tones that is recommended, when this get ‘yellowed’ they look aged.

 

8 –  Remove dated fixtures.

Updating lights and hardware on kitchen and bathroom cabinets are easy ways to make your home feel like new.

 

9 –  Refinish hardwood.

Choose an appropriate stain and give your hardwoods new life. I remember being astonished at how inexpensive it was to do the living room in our previous home and it made such a huge difference!

 

 

Every house needs a little sprucing up, I hope this inside info helps you out!

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