Revamping Your Home

In the 2013 budget, the government announced plans to offer tax incentives for homeowners to carry out home improvements. Not everyone has the luxury of adding extra space such as additional bedrooms, bathrooms, attic or living space but relax as we have some cost saving DIY tips to add value to your home.

Where To Start.

Start by de-cluttering and cleaning the house top-to-bottom as this will instantly make your house feel bigger and fresher. This will allow you to identify space, both inside and outside of the home, that you might be able to develope or expand.

Put Your Stamp On It

Your home is a perfect place to show off your personality so why not try out our few ideas and get your guests talking about how lovely your home is. Adding both shabby and modern can give your home your own statement. Just remember that balance is key.

Outdoor Living Space

If you are lucky enough to own a garden then this is the perfect place for you to relax and enjoy. So why not give your garden a little TLC to spruce up the outside of your home, we promise this could give you the biggest bang for your buck no matter where you live. Look after the outside of your home as you would the inside as toiling away here has been noted to help improve your mental well being.

Confused about what to do in the garden? There are plenty of options available to you such as decking, paving or planting your own vegetables. Growing your own veg can be a great source of nutrients and can help save you some money.

A Splash Of Colour

Adding colour and light to the home is a great, cheap and effective way to update your home. Everything from turquoise to fushia: your options are endless. We recommend choosing colors carefully as they can affect the mood and can even make rooms seem bigger/smaller in size. For example, pastel colors create a relaxing and soft atmosphere where as deeper colours can show a sense of luxury.

There are some great home decorating apps available on the market if you are looking to find inspiration

Feature Wall

You can make a statement by creating a feature wall. Sometimes all you need is one brilliant wall to draw an entire rooms attention. You can take inspiration from anything from the sublime to the rediculious, if something appeals to you and you thing it will look good then try it out. Here is a great list of some feature wall ideas for you to browse for inspiration.

A top tip for doing a feature wall is to use masking tape to create straight edges. Make sure walls are smooth and even before beginning.

Reclaim Your Furniture

We've all got old pieces of furniture hanging around various friends houses and you can always find something of interest in Oxfam stores or other charity shops. This brings us to our next point, using this furniture again but in a different style can be a great way to add some new life to an pre-existing room.

A good tip is to sand down the surface of the wooden furniture you wish to use before as this allows the furniture take the paint better.

Adding light

Introducing mirrored surfaces to reflect light around the room can create the illusion of space and add style. Pieces of furniture made from clear materials also open up an area such as a glass coffee table. Adding table lamps and floor lamps can evoke a cosy atmosphere.

Once this is done you will feel a real sense of achievement, as you sit in your fresh and welcoming home. Make sure all your changes to your home and contents are covered by speaking to one of our team about what our home insurance can offer you today.