Sometimes choosing a home improvement project to work on can be overwhelming, but don’t worry; we’ve got you covered. If you’re having trouble deciding what to work on this weekend, here are three easy projects that take less time and effort than you may think. These small improvements can make a big difference to how your home looks and feels without costing you tons of time and money.
Install a Smart Thermostat
Smart thermostats offer you more efficient control over your home’s temperature, helping you save money on heating and cooling costs. Many people don’t realize how easy it is to replace your regular thermostat with a smart thermostat. Unless you have an older home with an outdated thermostat, you probably won’t even need to hire an electrician.
Controlling your home’s temperature from your home is only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to what smart thermostats can do. Some units can “learn” your heating habits and automatically adjust your system’s schedule, saving you from ever having to adjust the temperature manually.
Everyone can benefit from installing a smart thermostat, but people with integrated heating and cooling systems will benefit the most. If you cool your home in the summer with a stand-alone air conditioning unit, consider options that allow your smart thermostat to communicate with them wirelessly; otherwise you’ll lose some of the advantages during the summer.
Build a Fire Pit
Building a fire pit is one of those home improvements that sounds like a much bigger job than it actually is. If you want a simple stone fire pit that sits above the ground, you can get everything you need inexpensively from your local hardware store. All you need are stones to form the exterior wall, a metal insert, and a bag or two of fire rocks to form a two to three-inch layer in the bottom.
The simplest fire pit can be assembled in just a few hours, but you can also up the ante and build an in-ground or smokeless fire pit if you’re feeling adventurous. No matter what kind of fire pit you build, don’t put it too close to your house. Embers can easily damage your roof, something that is unlikely to be covered even if you have a plan with all the best home warranty options for your home.
(Note: Before installing a fire pit, check your local city ordinances to ensure you meet local laws.)
Repaint Interior Rooms
Repainting a room can give it a whole new look and feel, making it an easy way to breathe new life into your home without doing major remodeling. A room’s color dramatically affects how you feel in the space, so it’s important to design your rooms with their purpose in mind. People often like to use cool, calm colors like blues and greens in offices and bedrooms and inject some energy into gathering areas with bright yellows or reds.
Painting is relatively inexpensive compared to other home improvements, especially if you already have brushes and rollers. Choosing what color you want is usually the most time-consuming step, so make sure you have the colors you want picked out before painting day. Otherwise, you’ll spend your precious painting time agonizing over whether aqua or aquamarine is better for the guest bedroom.