Projects To Upgrade Your Home to Add Value and Curb Appeal

Last Updated on May 6, 2020 by Diane Hoffmaster

This post about projects to upgrade your home has been sponsored by the Brazilian Wood Depot. All opinions are my own.

Looking for cool home improvement projects this month? There are dozens of house upgrades you can tackle that will add value and make your space more enjoyable. There are a number of changes you can make to your home and yard that add curb appeal and make your space appear bigger than it actually is. Here are a few projects to upgrade your home while the weather is nice.

Declutter Before Tackling These Cool House Upgrades!

Spring often means spring cleaning and getting rid of our clutter is a great way to energize our home.  Make sure you try to find ways to recycle, reuse or rehome the things you are getting rid of to help keep them out of landfills.

Once you have tackled the clutter, you will see what you really NEED out of an upgrade. No sense wasting time building bookshelves when your kids have outgrown all those little kid books, right? 

Aim For Energy Efficient Home Upgrades 

The sun coming through your windows will heat your home unnecessarily this spring and summer.  Install blinds, shades or sheer curtains to keep the sunlight to a minimum during midday. Consider replacing your windows completely if they aren't energy efficient.

Other energy efficient home upgrades might include replacing old water heaters and air conditioning units with newer ones.  You could also try a few of these energy efficient projects to upgrade your home:

• Replace old appliances: Look for newer versions that use less energy and water.
• Install a programmable thermostat:  This will save you a ton of money in the long run
• Add extra insulation in the attic:  This will help keep heating and air conditioning costs down.
• Install a new front door.  While this may only be slightly energy efficient, it is a great way to increase curb appeal.
• Install ceiling fans. These not only add a beautiful and elegant look to a room, they also cut down on heating and air conditioning costs. 

Tackle Outdoor Projects

If the weather is nice, tackle your yard and garden to add value to your home.  From upgrading your mailbox to installing solar lights along the driveway, there are dozens of home improvement ideas that start outdoors.  Here are just a few other outdoor projects to upgrade your home:

• Start a compost bin: You can build a compost bin or buy a pre fabricated one from a local hardware store. Composting your kitchen scraps instead of throwing them away.
• Start gardening: Whether you have pots on your patio or a huge garden bed in your yard, every bit of food that you grow yourself reduces your carbon footprint.  
• Consider ditching the grass completely: While it may seem a bit extreme, grass is really not all that eco friendly.  You will use less water and fertilizers if you replace your grass with native plants, stones, or other less demanding yard décor. 
• Increase living space with a patio, deck or other outdoor area: Outdoor living is popular and in order to enjoy your yard and garden, consider building a patio or deck.  Save money by doing it yourself.  You can find a ton of information on how to build your outdoor space at the Brazilian Wood Depot. 

Building Your Front Porch or Deck

A wooden porch or backyard deck will help increase your living space, add value to your home, and increase the resale value of your home when it is time to sell.  While refinishing an existing wood porch may be possible, you might have to consider tearing it out and replacing it completely.  Do your research and find the best wood for your needs. 

The Brazilian Wood Depot  has a wide variety of tropical hardwoods to choose from.  Installing a new Brazilian hardwood deck will provide you with an outdoor space with unbelievable durability and longevity. Choose from Tigerwood, IPE,  eco-friendly Massaranduba decking and many other options.  Never heard of  Massaranduba?  Me neither, but here are a few characteristics that make it useful in outdoor spaces:

•  Massaranduba is 100% natural.  No chemicals or plastics whatsoever, just 100% real wood. 
• It is one of the hardest woods in the world, having  natural weatherproof properties. 
• May last many decades even in extreme weather conditions.
• It is naturally insect resistant. (great for those of us who live where termites thrive!!)

Projects to upgrade your home can be as small as planting flowers at the mailbox or as large as knocking out a wall between rooms.  However, know your limits when it comes to home repair and improvements.  While challenging yourself is great, flooding the house because you broke a pipe is not.  What home repair projects will YOU be tackling this month?

Diane Hoffmaster

Diane is a professional blogger and nationally certified pharmacy technician at Good Pill Pharmacy.  She has two college aged kids, one husband and more pets than she will admit to. She earned her BS in Microbiology at the University of New Hampshire  but left her career in science to become a stay at home mom. Years of playing with LEGO and coloring with crayons had her craving a more grown up purpose to her life and she began blogging and freelance writing full time.  You can learn more about her HERE.