Winter home projects: DIY and professional upgrades to tackle

Key Insights

• Optimize time spent inside this winter by checking home projects off your to-do list.
• Amp up your home’s light fixtures and features to create an instantly brighter mood, especially during the colder months.
• Assess whether you have the ability and time to take on a DIY home project or if it’s best to call a professional.

During the chilly months, homeowners are likely to spend more time indoors. Take advantage of the time inside and make plans to update your property. Not only will a few fixer-upper projects help to increase the value of your home when it’s time to sell, but they will also create a space that is more livable for you this winter.

But before you start with improvements, make sure you’re doing your maintenance and checking off these to-dos:

• Run ceiling fan blades clockwise to push warm air back down throughout your home’s rooms.
• If your home has historically collected icicles or ice dams during the winter months, you may want to invest in having a contractor evaluate your home's insulation, as well as fix any air leaks. You should also make sure your roof is free of loose or damaged shingles from the year's storms and your gutters are clear.
• Check the caulking between doors and windows in your home and re-caulk them before it gets too cold and warm air seeps out.
• Turn off water faucets outside your home – frozen pipes can burst and cause major damage to your home or property. Disconnect garden hoses and allow extra water to drain.
• Gather all the winter essentials, including a snow shovel or ice melt, for your home's driveway and walkways.

Whether you’re staying put or planning to move this winter, here’s what you can do to upgrade your home during this season.

The best DIY winter home projects for homeowners

1. Give your walls a fresh update. Choose to add a new color, texture or pattern to your walls — and think about how permanent you want this new vibe to be.

Temporary wallpaper options, like these popular peel-and-stick brands, can add a pop of color to an accent wall or brighten up your guest bathroom. Removable wallpaper is the ideal option for property owners who love to keep up with design trends and aren’t ready to commit to one aesthetic for years to come. If you plan to do permanent wallpaper, you may want to hire a professional.

Meanwhile, most people can handle painting their interior walls. If you opt to tackle an indoor painting project this winter, keep these best practices in mind:

• Stick to painting smaller spaces that can be ventilated as the paint dries.
• When possible, open windows to circulate clean air into the painted room.
• Take fresh air breaks every few hours outside of the room you’re painting.
• Steer clear of the freshly painted room or space for two to three days.

2. Update your bathroom, DIY-style. Give your bathroom a facelift by painting the vanity, replacing the knobs and buying new accessories — like a soap dish, toothbrush holder, towel rack and matching towels. Don’t forget to add some fancy candles and bubble bath to your shopping cart, so you have a reason to enjoy your new spa-like bathroom once the work is done!

3. Optimize existing light sources. Do you feel like your house is dim, especially during winter’s shorter days? Incorporate floor lamps and side table lights into every room in your home, which gives the impression of a brighter space. And, make it a practice to open the curtains each morning to let natural light in. Adding mirrors to your space will reflect and amplify natural light, too.

The winter home updates that (likely) need a professional

1. Install new carpet. Fresh carpet creates the foundation for a polished room, but replacing an aged carpet requires a lot of work and planning. Between accurate measurement, new installation and proper removal, it may be in your best interest to hire a professional for the job.

2. Finish or remodel your basement. Add more living space to your home by finishing your basement or refreshing an existing basement to suit your family’s needs. Maybe you’d benefit from a space dedicated to gaming, an area with desks for working from home and studying, or simply a separation between storage areas and living spaces. A professional can help bring these basement dreams to life.

3. Upgrade light fixtures. Add recessed lighting to your home office, kitchen or any room that gets extra dark and gloomy during the winter. You’ll be amazed at how much a little more light can freshen up your house and brighten up the dark winter months.

How to determine if you need a professional

Stuck between tackling a DIY home project yourself or calling a professional for the job? Don’t overthink it! The two main reasons to hire outside help for home updates are:

• You don’t have the ability
• You don’t have the time

The first point is typically simple to assess. It probably isn’t in your best interest to take on recessed lighting as a DIY project if you don’t have any experience with lighting and wiring. (Some home improvements may need permits. Be sure to check local building codes and HOA rules before starting any renovations.)

The aspect of time, however, is often overlooked. Just because you can do something, doesn’t mean you actually have the time to. Life is busy, and projects — especially home improvement projects — tend to take a long time. Before you embark on a DIY project, write down the amount of time you think it will take to complete the job. Then check that estimate against your work and home schedule to determine if you have the bandwidth to do it yourself.

Ready for a home upgrade?

Whether you’re updating your living space for your family to enjoy now or preparing for a future sale, it’s important to make changes that add value to your home. If you’re ready to sell your renovated home, reach out to Edina Realty or one of our agents for expert tips on successfully listing your home and finding your next property.