Best Home Improvement Ideas to Transform Your Space – Part 2

It’s great to freshen up your home every so often to keep things feeling new. So, whether you thinking of making a minor home improvement, or creating a whole new look, we have plenty of ideas below to get you started!

Home Improvement Tips and Tricks

To help ease you into the idea of which home improvements you could make, we’ve broken this blog into 2 parts with this blog looking at some sustainable living and home makeover ideas. You can find our home improvement tips and advice on space saving and a mini home refresh in Part 1.

Sustainable Living Ideas

It’s always handy to find little tips and tricks to become more energy efficient and sustainable around the home. From specific lighting to insulation and timer plugs, there’s plenty of ways to do this.

LED Lightbulbs & Solar Lighting

Switching out your traditional lightbulbs for their LED counterparts will reduce your energy usage by around 75%. They also last up to 25 times longer, which means you won’t have to replace them as often. Find out more about different types of bulbs here. Using solar lighting outdoors will help reduce costs and energy usage, as they are powered by sunlight instead of electricity.

Insulation

Did you know that aerogel-infused insulation can reduce your heating costs significantly? While it's a more costly investment initially, the comfort and long-term savings it provides, make it a smart choice for your home. Insulation will help your home stay warm in winter, cool in summer, reduce noise levels, improve sustainability, and increase your home’s overall value. The best places to insulate in your home are the exterior walls, floors, and attic. You can do this with multipurpose insulation. You should also caulk and seal around windows and doors to provide further insulation. Pipes and tanks are other areas of your home that will benefit from insulation. Draughty doors can be fixed with draught excluders too.

Timer Plugs

Another way to take better control of your energy usage is by using timer plugs. These plugs, can help you to control when an electrical device plugged into it is switched on and off. This will instantly make your home more energy efficient.

Home Makeover Ideas

In the mood to tackle a bigger home improvement task? Why not try out one of the DIY projects below to give your home a complete makeover.

Paint

One of the best ways to get your home feeling shiny and new is to apply a fresh coat of paint to its interior and exterior. Whether you’re applying a new coat of the same colour, or switching it up with something new, you’re guaranteed to feel like your home is completely refreshed once the job is done. Read our guide on how to expertly paint interior walls here.

Don’t just stop at painting walls, a fresh coat of paint on ceilings can instantly brighten up your home too! Not sure how to go about painting ceilings? Read all about how to tackle the task here.

Another great part of your home to paint to instantly make a room feel brand new, are your wooden furniture and cupboards. Forget about replacing cupboards or wooden furniture that are still in good condition but looking a little tired. Instead, revive them with a lick of furniture paint, wood dye, or varnish. This will have them looking brand new in no time!

Wall Panelling

Gaining in popularity, wall panelling is a great way to enhance your interior design, creating walls with texture and interest, with an expensive look and feel. They’re also relatively easy to install with most wall panelling kits coming pre-cut with detailed fitting instructions and can be put up using only adhesive. There’s a range of different wall panelling styles you can choose from. There’s also alternative options like acoustic wall panels which provide not only a different look, but are also sound-absorbing. Most wall panelling kits come unfinished so you can paint them whatever way suits the look and feel of the room you’re going for. While some opt to paint the panelling the same colour as the rest of the wall, others use it to make a statement with a different or contrasting colour.

Wallpaper

Another great way to transform your interior walls is by using wallpaper. Whether you choose to cover the entire room or create one feature wall, wallpaper can add to and enhance the style and aesthetic of a room. From patterns to solid colours, textured to smooth, there are plenty of options to choose from. Learn how to hang wallpaper here.

Doors & Accessories

Updating your doors and door accessories can make more of a difference than you think! From a new style or colour, to changing the direction a door opens in, each change can transform your home straight away. Altering the direction a door opens in can increase and improve the space in a room. Updating the style of door will add to the new aesthetic of your home. Changing the colour can help to make it stand out from or blend into a room. Small alterations like switching out your old door handles will also help to add to any new look or feel you’re going for.

Flooring

If your tiles are looking a little worse for wear, then it might be time to invest in some new ones. Updating your tiles to a new set, whether you go for a similar style or something completely different, will immediately transform your room. There are a wide range of options you could choose from, with each style and pattern helping you to achieve the aesthetic you are going for. Learn how to successfully lay tiles here.

Laying laminate flooring can also completely change the look and feel of any room. Laminate flooring comes with plenty of advantages. It’s a great alternative to hardwood floors and handy enough to install. Find out more about how to lay laminate flooring in our handy step-by-step guide here.

There you have it! With plenty of ideas to kickstart your home improvements task list, why not make a start on it now? You can find everything you need to complete the jobs above here. Read more tips and advice in part 1 here.