A New Year means new opportunities to reinvent yourself through New Year’s resolutions. As you look forward to 2019, why not consider some New Year’s resolutions for your home? In this blog post, we’ve shared some of the most common New Year’s resolutions that people make for themselves and offered opportunities to apply those resolutions to your home.
Health & Wellness
Considering a diet, cleanse, or other health and wellness resolution? Your home needs the same attention. You can start by giving your home a check-up. Go outside and take a long look at your home. How does your roof look? Do you see any sagging or missing shingles? These could be signs that your roof requires repair or replacement. Now, look at your gutters. Are they clear enough to ensure that water is collected and then moving or draining away from your home? How is your siding holding up? Is there any vegetation touching your home that could cause water damage or encourage pests to enter? Moving to the foundation, is water draining away? Are there cracks or other signs of uneven settling? After you’ve finished reviewing the outside of your home, don’t forget to perform the same once over on the inside. Change your air filters regularly to ensure you maintain good air quality in your home for your health. Having finished the review, set goals for your home’s wellness and create a plan to achieve them.
New Year New Me
A new look is often a fun way to ring in the New Year. Why not resolve to give your home a new look too? You don’t need to remodel your home to get a new look. You can refresh the look of your home by simply rearranging your furniture. Moving a piece of furniture into a different room can give new life to the furniture as well as the room. Refreshing your wall hangings can be another way to refresh the look of a room. New photos, art, or other wall décor can create an big impact because as you walk into a room, they greet you at eye level. Similarly, a new wall color can create a big impact. You can create an accent wall or lift the entire room with a fresh coat of paint.
Organization
“I will be more organized this year,” is a common declaration at this time of year. Your home can play a large roll in supporting your organization resolution. The seed of a disorganized home is often a lack of dedicated locations for the items that clutter homes. Resolve to create places in your home for mail to be sorted, papers to land, clothes to be stored, and more. Don’t forget inside your drawers and shelves. Simple and inexpensive organizers in these out of sight places can create real impact and allow you to store even more in those spaces in a clean and neat way. Consider a custom built-in for odd spaces that the store-bought furniture and organizers cannot maximize. A little effort can go a long way in creating a more organized home and you.
Family and Friends
Are you resolving to spend more time with friends and family in 2019? Don’t neglect your home’s role in that effort. Have you created spaces in your home for your family and friends to gather? Design a place or places where you come together to do homework, have family game night, or watch a movie. Screening in your deck or installing a three-season porch can create additional space for entertaining family and friends. Fire pits are a great place to gather to make smores and memories. Plan to host a Holiday or big event at your home and give yourself plenty of time to create an environment that is welcoming to all.
Financial Savvy
Budgeting and debt resolution are also common goals at the beginning of the tax year. Your home can make or break this resolution. Improving energy efficiency is a simple way your home can help you meet your budget goals. Energy efficient appliances, insulation, windows, lights, and smart thermometers are just a few ways to make a difference. Increase your water efficiency by fixing leaky faucets or installing water efficient toilets. Proper maintenance of neglected major appliances, such as your water heater, can add years to their life and save you big money immediately and in years to come. Installing spray foam insulation in your attic or encapsulating your crawl space is a great energy saver.
Staycation Vacation
Is a vacation on your New Year’s resolution wish list? Why not consider a well-planned staycation? If you love a relaxing vacation, create your own spa retreat by adorning your bathroom with candles and soft towels and spending time in the space in bubble baths and masks. Create a culinary vacation experience by stocking your kitchen and trying new recipes. A new outdoor kitchen or pizza oven can take your culinary adventure to the next level. Your home can be your retreat and a destination you can enjoy all 365 days of the year.