Photo by Luke Tanis on Unsplash
The situation revolving around the pandemic is keeping people locked inside and bored to death. The best way to avoid this problem is to invest some time and effort into designing your own home. If you are forced to spend time inside, why not make it into the most pleasant interior possible. Apart from this, enhancing the indoor living area is really not necessarily expensive or difficult. What you need are some will and determination. There are so many ideas online and upon researching them, you might come up with some ideas of your own. All in all, here’s what you need to have in mind.
Download an online design tool
The first thing you need is some help regarding the visualization. In this day and age, you can just download a tool like Roomstyler 3D, Homestyler or IKEA Room Planner. This way, you get the privilege of altering your floor plan in either 2D or 3D and seeing what the place would look like. The biggest perks of this are that A) you don’t have to rely on your imagination and B) you have the freedom to explore and play around. The majority of these tools either have a free trial version or have a free alternative. Either way, it’s cheaper than hiring a professional designer.
Draft a budget
In order to know what is doable, you need to draft a budget. The main reason why this is so relevant is quite simple. First, there’s no easier way to get disappointed than to set unrealistic expectations. Second, if you manage to draft a budget, you will immediately be able to dismiss or postpone ideas that exceed your costs. This will allow you to avoid using something like a core idea only to find out that it is not a financially viable option. All in all, the ability to think strategically is all that matters. This is relevant both for increasing value and quality of life improvements.
Lowest cost improvements
What would make the biggest difference inside of your home and is thus always tied to the matter of costs? Well, due to the fact that your home’s largest surfaces are its walls and that painting them might not be as expensive, this idea immediately drops. This is true even for your home’s exterior. If your roof looks old but it is still functional, quality roof painting is a much better solution than roof remodeling. When it comes to your home’s layout, you can completely transform the place by moving some furniture around, even without having to buy anything new. In other words, the maximum impact on a budget. Other low-cost methods that could save you lots of money in the long run when it comes to maintaining your home are ensuring your existing appliances are well looked after and regularly serviced. Doing this will ensure that your home is worth more than if you chose to neglect this task. For instance, if you have an air conditioning unit in your home, it is worth getting it regularly serviced, which will extend its life and give your home an added sense of luxury on the hot days – learn more here.
DIY all the way
The thing about DIY is that it saves you time, money and makes everything more practical. Amidst the pandemic, you don’t have to worry that a handyman will infect you. Second, you don’t have to wait for them to arrive or schedule around their workhours. You have trouble falling asleep? You can just go to the garage/workshop and do some restorative work on that old shelf you found in the basement. Most importantly, you get to save money while getting something to do during the lockdown. It’s a clear win-win-win scenario if there ever was one.
Invest in sustainability
Another thing you need to take into consideration is the impact of your home’s design on its sustainability. Some home improvements can save you a small fortune. For instance, an installation of double-glazing windows can reduce the cost of your heating by $200 – $250 every year. This is a massive issue that you need to address. Insulating the place, switching to LED and using renewable/reclaimed materials are other points worth addressing.
In conclusion
At the end of the day, you need to understand that this pandemic has everyone scared and indoors. Seeing as how you’re already locked out of so many incredible activities, why not make the best of the situation that you’re in. It’s a great way to pass time and make something great out of your own home. Moreover, it’s a perfect opportunity for you to hone your DIY skills, which is something that may come in quite handy in the future. Overall, for those with time and resources, there’s no reason to avoid this project.
Author Bio
Maggie Holmes is a passionate blog writer who is extremely keen on writing about fashion, lifestyle, pets and technology. Her exclusive hobby is to surf the net to find amazing articles that can inspire her with some fresh ideas for article writing. She loathes being a common person who wastes her time. Follow her on Twitter.