If you’re looking forward to buying your first home in the next few months (fingers crossed), you should already have plenty of plans. You may even have the entire layout imagined perfectly, making you even more excited to move in and start the next chapter of your life with your partner and family.
And there’s a reason to be excited, but it’s also worth thinking about essential upgrades that can transform your home. While you may have ideas about extensions and renovations, these can wait. Before all this, think about these must-do upgrades for your first home.
Improve Efficiency
If you’ve bought an older house, there’s a chance that the appliances have not been upgraded for a long time. This could include the boiler, water heater, and other essentials that will keep your home warm and comfortable throughout the year.
You can get these appliances checked out before you move in so that you know what you need to do before settling in. You can also look at this Water Heater Buying Guide to get an idea of which option is best for your property. Fixing these issues as soon as possible prevents damage that may cost a fortune.
Replace The Locks and Boost the Security
Everyone should replace the locks when they move into a new property. While the chances of whoever lived there before coming back are slim, you never know. Changing the locks is cheaper than replacing items after a break-in, and you cannot put a price on peace of mind.
Likewise, setting up security systems (even in a safe neighborhood) can protect you from possible liability in case something happens. At the very least, the cameras and lights can deter thieves or burglars from trying to access your home.
Basement Facelift
The basement doesn’t need to become the home for everything which you don’t know what else to do with. It doesn’t need to be an overflow room that is filled with things you don’t need but also doesn’t want to throw away.
However, if you don’t give your basement a facelift, this is bound to happen eventually. Making your basement a place to be, such as a games room, spare bedroom, or office can give it a purpose and means you have more space to work within your home.
Fancy Wooden Floors
Wooden floors have become more common in new homes, but carpets are still the norm. While carpets offer a range of benefits like better insulation, wooden floors can enhance the home’s style and appeal. It makes it look fancier, and it’s also easier to clean up messes.
Picking the best wood for your home depends on what you’re looking for, although hickory, maple, or oak are ideal if you have pets, as it’s less likely to scratch and shouldn’t cause them to slide all over the place when they run around or play.
Better Storage
Many homes lack storage solutions, even if they have built-in wardrobes and cabinets. This is especially true in your kitchen if you love to cook. You might find there isn’t enough space for all your pots and pans.
There are several storage solutions you can consider that can maximize the space while still keeping your kitchen from feeling crowded. An overhead pan rack hanging above the center of the kitchen is ideal as it leaves plenty of space in the other cabinets. Likewise, hooks and baskets that hang over doors can make it easier to keep things organized, saving you a lot of stress when you’re preparing dinner.
Upgraded Ventilation
Ventilation is crucial for any property but it’s even more important if you live in an older house. These homes are not always fitted with high-quality insulation or ventilation materials, which can make the house too hot and too cold depending on the temperature and the time of the year. Your HVAC system can improve the conditions, but it’s still worth looking at the ventilation setup.
Upgrading the ventilation in your bathroom (at the very least) means less condensation and less mold and these benefits make your house healthier which significantly reduces health problems that might affect your family. If anyone suffers from allergies or asthma, these upgrades are essential.
Better Home
Everyone has their idea of what a home should be and how it should look. Your new home may not need all these upgrades, but it’s worth considering which ones would be perfect for your new house to become the best place you’ve ever lived. From comfort to efficiency to safety, these upgrades bring many benefits.
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