Spring Home Improvement Project Ideas

With warmer weather around the corner, you might be thinking about all the ways you want to renovate and freshen up your surroundings. Your home is where you spend a good portion of your day, and where you and your family build happy memories. There’s no reason why it should be anything less than your dream home.

When it comes to improving your home, Timberland is ready to be a partner every step of the way. You may have heard about home equity loans and lines of credit, but may have thought you can only use these types of loans for large projects. However, even smaller projects are one of the most common uses for those accounts.

As you consider many different ideas, we have a list of some popular ones to help spark your creativity.

The deck of your dreams

Consider turning your boring outside space into an outdoor living room! Whether you’re after a raised wood deck to give your guests someplace to sit or a classy brick patio for lounging by the grill, a usable outside space can make a big difference in how you enjoy your home. The charming visual addition to the outside of your home is a great way to add value, too.

While this is a big project, it’s big on rewards, too. Start by drawing up some plans – remembering that you’re basically building a series of wood boxes that are bolted together. Draw up a shopping list of things you need, and contact a Timberland Residential Lending & Construction Specialist to get the financing done. Then, head to your local home improvement store for lumber, bolts and a few new power tools.

Paint a room … or a whole house!

If you’re not feeling up to building much, you can make your house feel new again with a fresh coat of paint on the interior. Choose colors that complement your furniture and flooring, but choose slightly different shades for different parts of the house. Maybe you want to paint your kitchen and dining room in mellow earth shades to give it a sense of coziness, but you want to paint your bedroom a calming blue to help you sleep.

This can be a great project to get the kids involved in, too. Wall paint, sponges and scissors can let children paint fun and imaginative shapes on their walls. A sense of ownership over the design might encourage them to help keep it a little cleaner as well. You can get creative in main spaces, too! Try painting an accent wall to change the light effects in your living room! Aside from paint, brushes and rollers, make sure you get covers for furniture and floors and painter’s tape.

Fix up an entryway!

Your front door is the first thing people see when they come into your home. You want to make sure it says great things about you and your family. A little bit of time and effort can make this part of your house feel more welcoming while also saving you time and effort.

You can make relatively minor changes here. Metal house numbers, trim paint and a few planters can make your front stoop look much nicer. You can also make some serious investments. A new door can really liven up the front of your house. New weather stripping can make your front door more energy efficient to save on winter heating costs. Nice light fixtures can take a little time to install, but they can make your house both more charming and a little safer. Sketch out some ideas, then head to your home improvement store to figure out what you need to make your front door the talk of the neighborhood.

Add a splash of class with a tasteful backsplash

The section of wall above the sink can see a lot of water damage. Left uncovered, this can lead to mildew and even mold behind the sink. A backsplash is an attractive option for preventing that damage.

While these are typically done in tile, there’s nothing stopping you from looking at wood bead board, ceiling tile or wallpaper. You could even turn them into a functional addition to your organization system with chalkboard, whiteboard or magnetic film! Write up a recipe or meal plan to help keep your prep work organized in the kitchen, or write a fun morning greeting to your kids! There’s no limit to what a backsplash can do for your home. Head down to your local home improvement store to see what kind of material you want to use, and don’t forget to pick up adhesive to stick it all together!

Create a new outlook with new windows!

Installing new windows can seem like a daunting task, but they’ll pay for themselves. Energy efficient windows with new molding and stripping can significantly reduce your energy bills. Plus, having new windows and screens will make your home look well-cared-for when it comes time to sell.

Do some research on energy efficient two- and three-ply windows. Figure out which will both fit your budget and hold long-term value. Remember, though, that the general rule is you get what you pay for. Cheap windows won’t conserve much energy.

Refresh a tired kitchen or bathroom with new fixtures!

Your faucets and knobs see a lot of abuse. They get touched by grimy hands, splashed by soapy water and can build up calcium and rust even if you’re careful about washing them. Because they’re usually metallic, they tend to draw a lot of eyes. Dull, streaky fixtures can suck all the energy out of a kitchen or bathroom.

Replacing them, though, is pretty easy. In the bathroom, you can get sleek, modern fixtures that will save you sink space for storage. In the kitchen, consider getting a detachable head with a vegetable sprayer to make cleanups easier. Whatever you do here, you’ll end up with a nicer looking kitchen or bathroom.

Bring your stuff together with built-in storage!

If your house looks like most others, it’s chock-full on the inside with memorabilia and keepsakes. Tossed about the room, this can look cluttered and dingy. It makes it hard to clean and dust. Adding more furniture, though, can make a space feel cramped and tiny.

Instead, think about adding more built-in storage. Whether you just want to hang a shelf over an entryway, put some coat hooks by the door, or build a bookshelf into a living room wall, built-in storage is a great way to display your treasured memories without shrinking a room with too much stuff. Installing it requires lumber, mounting tools and a few other gadgets that DIY experts should have no trouble identifying.

When you’re ready to talk about financing for your projects, be sure to reach out to a Residential Lending & Construction Specialist near you.