DIY Tips From the Experts

If you are a homeowner, your best investment is your home. Putting money back into your house can substantially increase its value. Fortunately, you don’t have to undertake a major project or renovation to spruce up a space and add curb appeal.

Here are some great tips for homeowners looking to refurbish a home, future sellers who wish to get the most bang for their buck or anyone looking for a productive DIY project to pass the time.

Curb Appeal

Often first impressions are hard to overcome, so having a clean, organized front yard can make all the difference to the exterior of your home. If you plan on renting or selling this season, curb appeal is crucial.

“Having curb appeal is overall very important for a house,” says Bart Fusco of Fox Tree Service in Southampton. “The largest investment you can make outside of your home is your landscape.”

Not only is landscape an important investment, it is relatively inexpensive to have experts like Fusco and Fox Tree’s staff of certified arborists come by to spruce up the property. By maintaining your home’s yard, pruning the hedges or trimming low-hanging branches, more light is able to reach the property, and this gives your home a more welcoming impression.

“A balanced landscaping budget keeps the appearance up,” informs Fusco. “People may spend a little more in the beginning, but in the long run they have a beautiful yard.”

Fusco advises any DIYers to educate themselves first before trying anything. Read a book on the subject or take a class—Suffolk Community College offers one—to ensure that you’re well-informed.

Window Treatments

When considering home improvement projects, windows are often overlooked. But giving attention to window treatments can have a transformative effect on the feel of a home.

For Tom Ferrara, owner of Wondrous Window Designs, window treatments are like fine jewelry. They’re the finishing touch on a home.

“Window treatments-—not only do they help your house with energy efficiency-, they enhance the beauty and add value to a home,” says Ferrara.

The look of a window—from exterior shutters to interior shades and decorative molding—can define the character and dynamic of a home.

Hard window treatments, which often come in wood or vinyl, are the perfect finishing touch to the exterior of the home. Blinds, shades and soft treatments like curtains and drapes can create a more polished look for the interior of a home. In addition, adding decorative molding around a window will give a room a more finished feel.

Lastly, homeowners can apply treatments directly to their windowpanes. Frosted window designs allow for more privacy, while not sacrificing any light. Smart treatments give homeowners the ability to transform their windows from being transparent to translucent. This partially blocks light while still providing a clear view through the glass.

Gain Space From Existing Space

A spacious closet allows for more open space in a room. But closets quickly become cluttered, as many homeowners overlook their reorganizing duties.

“By organizing space, you gain space,” says Michael Muller of Long Island Closet Design, a company that provides storage solutions and custom closets. “Adding drawers, baskets or shelves in your closet provides a space for your things and symmetry to your closet, giving you more space.”

Most closet storage is wasted because items do not have a proper space. Think of a closet as a city—not so much a horizontal room, but vertical leeway. Use more than one rod. For DIYers, tension rods are easy to install and are relatively inexpensive. Attach two, one on top of the other, to take advantage of your closet’s vertical space.