5 Budget-friendly Home Improvement Projects You Can Do as a Family

Whether you have just moved in or you have been living in the same place for a few months or years, a few home renovations or improvements may come inevitably. May it be just to fix a small crack that would soon lead to discovering more things that need repairs or a general overhaul of your previous architecture with some new interior designs? These things can be costly. Above paying for materials like paint, paintbrushes, and other tools, if you would be getting a repairer, for hire it would cost you more than a few bucks regardless of how small you think the repair or renovation might be. 

So if you’re thinking of saving a few bucks if you’re renovating your home on a budget, or if something that needs to be fixed in your home, you can try doing it as an activity with your family.

Here are 5 budget-friendly home improvements you can do as a family

Declutter

To start fixing your home, you have to begin with the seemingly easy but is never done- cleaning up. Determine which stuff lying around the house can be salvaged and turned into something brand new and useful, like repurposed furniture or what you could donate, sell or even throw away. Cleaning up and decluttering seems like an easy task, but honestly who ever has the time to organize and revisit old things collecting dust? By doing this with your family, you are not just starting your home improvement journey but looking back to past times through the memories that will be brought back by the old stuff you may have even forgotten you had. 

Rearrange

Once you’ve started decluttering, you could see the space that has been taken up by the things you’ve left lying around for so long that you sometimes don’t even use anymore. You can now use this space and rethink where you should rearrange the furniture now that you have all this brand new unoccupied space. If you do this with the helping hands of your family, you’re going to be able to save a lot of money by avoiding labor costs.

Sales are key

Usually, when you are improving or renovating your house, this isn’t decided on a whim. You decide about it with the help of your family until you all come to a unanimous decision if you’ve all got the time, the eagerness to help, and maybe money to pitch in on this. Hence, it is advisable for you to wait for the items that you want to buy to go on sale, and usually, this happens during vacation time so it’s really a win-win for everybody. 

Do it yourself!

  Of course, what better way to spend quality time with your family than to be painting the walls or new furniture together? If you’re deciding to do this as a family, it is better to do all the labor by yourselves if you can, because it will entail more time that you will be spending with one that in turn will save you big bucks because you won’t need a professional painter or carpenter to do the labor for you. You could even get the grandparents involved with the fun family DIY activities like painting the figurines or cutting cardboard letters for signs or even decorating the living room. 

Think of what decorations you could add

Now that you have polished the old furniture, painted out the walls, and covered the holes in the ceiling, it is time to think of what new decorations you could add to make your home look renewed. This doesn’t have to be expensive. You could display some of the reimagined materials that you found lying around that used to be just old scrap lying around or finally add the piece you’ve been waiting to go on sale or you bought at the garage sale. Decorations don’t have to be expensive to look good. 

At the end of all this, you not only have a home that looks much brighter and brand new that you didn’t overspend for, but you’ve also been able to have the time to spend with your loved ones! Home renovations or improvements don’t need to cost way more than they should because you can follow some tips and tricks that would just not help you save up more than a few bucks, but in turn, also let you have a good time with the process! Being hands-on in your house renovation may seem tedious, but if you have good people like your family to help you out, then it might be a new activity you would actually be waiting to do from now on! A new family holiday tradition cleaning up and decorating for holidays like Halloween, Thanksgiving, or Christmas.

Signs of Foundation and Structural Damage That You May Find in Your Home

Your home is your most valuable asset and it pays to protect and care for it. To prevent expensive or even irreparable damage, you should watch out for the signs of foundation and structural damage and have them repaired immediately. Concrete foundation slab and pier and beam foundations can both develop very serious issues.

If you notice any of the following signs of foundation and structural damage, your home may need foundation repair.

Cracks in Your Walls, Floor, or Foundation

The most obvious sign of foundation damage are cracks in the foundation, your floor, or your walls. These can be both exterior and interior walls.

It’s normal for a foundation to settle in the first two to three years and develop tiny cracks. However, cracks in the concrete block or brick exterior walls can indicate that your home has experienced an unacceptable level of settling. A ¼” crack in your exterior walls can warrant an inspection from a foundation repair service.

Unusual cracks on interior walls, floors, and ceilings are also of concern. If the foundation of your house has had an extreme amount of settling, cracks can appear almost anywhere in your home.

Foundation Upheaval

While foundation settling is common, foundations can also move upwards. Foundation upheaval can have many causes, including soil expansion and contraction. However, excess moisture in the soil due to heavy rain, floods, or underground plumbing leaks is often the cause. Clay soils are commonly affected by moisture.

Frost and freezing temperatures are another common cause of foundation upheaval. When the water in the soil freezes, its volume increases. This can push upwards, putting pressure on your foundation. Like settling, foundation upheaval can cause cracks in the foundation, walls, floor, and ceiling of your home.

Window and Door Frames Separating From Walls

If you notice that the door and window frames of your home appear to be separating from the walls, that's another sign of foundation damage. Likewise, you may notice that your kitchen countertop and cabinets seem to be pulling away from the walls. You could also notice that the doors in your house are sticking or that cabinet doors hang open.

Sagging Floors

If your floors are no longer level or, even worse, are bowing up or dipping down, you likely have foundation damage. The problem might be barely noticeable now, but it will likely get worse and should be fixed as soon as possible.

While many of these signs can indicate other problems as well, it’s a good idea to have a foundation repair professional inspect your home. Having your foundation fixed as soon as possible is vital for keeping your home safe for both you and your family. It can also help keep repair bills lower than they might otherwise be.

Foundation and structural damage are both serious issues. Know the signs of damage as well as what problems are most likely to affect your home. By watching out for these signs, you can protect your home and your family.

Yearly Maintenance to Keep Track of for a Worry-Free Home

While regular home maintenance might seem like a big hassle, it can also have a major impact on your finances and stress levels in the coming years. With a little bit of regular maintenance, you should be able to avoid some of the most common problems that homeowners run into.

Roof

When it comes to home maintenance, very few structures are as important as the roof. Roofs that aren’t properly maintained will quickly deteriorate, and that can lead to leaks and other serious structural issues. In addition to inspecting the roof once every few months for any signs of damage, you should also clear out any debris that has collected on the roof or in the rain gutters.

Pest Control

Even though pests can quickly take over your home, keeping them off your property is usually a relatively easy process as long as you are diligent. Most pest control experts agree that homes should be sprayed and inspected at least once every few months. You can also spend a little bit of time ensuring that there aren’t any obvious entryways where pests could make their way into your home. Some of the most common entry points include holes and cracks around windows, vents, doors, and pipes.

Plumbing

It is an unfortunate fact that almost every homeowner will have to deal with at least a few annoying plumbing issues over the years. While a leaky faucet or noisy toilet probably doesn't require immediate attention, you should still keep an eye out for any serious issues that might indicate you have major plumbing problems. That includes a skyrocketing water bill, water that has an unusual taste, unpleasant smells around your sinks, and any signs of mold around your faucets or spigots.

Septic Tank

If you have a septic tank on your property, then septic tank maintenance will need to be a priority as well. Modern septic tanks are incredibly durable, but they still must be regularly emptied, cleaned, and inspected. When a homeowner first moves into a home with a septic tank, they should immediately call an experienced septic tank contractor so that they can set up a maintenance schedule that will keep their sewage system running smoothly for years.

These few steps are a great start, but every home is slightly different. That is why all homeowners should create personalized maintenance checklists that ensure they cover all of their bases before any major catastrophes occur.

4 Parts of Your Old Home to Inspect to Make Sure It's Safe and Stable

The old saying goes that the three most important aspects of a home are location, location, and location. But when it comes to safety and stability, there are four key parts you need to inspect before buying or leasing your next abode.

These four crucial components will tell you how soundly built your new house is (and whether it'll be safe for both you and any pets), as well as how long ago those foundations were set down. That's why this article is going to cover these four areas in detail: footings, foundation walls, structural beams in the basement below grade level, and crawl spaces or lofts above grade level.

Footings

When you look at your potential home's exterior (the foundation wall), you need to see what's called footings. Footings are the four or more stones that form a rectangle on top of which your home was set down. These rectangles should enclose an area large enough so that all walls extend below grade level by at least 6 inches.

Foundation Walls

When you look at your foundation walls (the rest of the exterior), make sure that they're upright or straight up and down. You can do this by looking carefully at the mortar joints, which should be even all along each face. If the mortar is tumbling out from between the stones, the wall is probably settling. A plumb foundation wall is crucial because it will transfer weight from your home to the ground without sagging, and if you see that occurring, run for the hills before they collapse in on you. Check whether the foundation wall has signs of wall cracking, broken or missing mortar, and settling cracks near the corners of the home; all are signs that your house's foundation is unstable. A settlement crack (in which a wall has settled unevenly) can be spotted by looking at the trim around windows and doors – if it's no longer even with the rest of the border, there's a problem.

Beams

While inspecting basement structural beams, don't just look at them—feel them. You want to make sure the beam is sturdy by tapping it with your knuckles and listening for hollow sounds. If you hear a hollow sound, there's an empty space between the joists or rafters.

If you see this issue, start walking away immediately—the structure of your home could start to collapse as soon as someone walks on that floor. You also want to make sure the beams are anchored into the foundation walls and that they fit together tightly with no gaps in spacing while remaining level with each other.

Crawl Spaces or Lofts

If you're planning on living above grade level (above ground), watching out for a crawl space or loft is crucial to home stability and safety. If your crawl space or loft is above the ground, make sure it has walls, floors, a working door, and a solid roof before moving in. The ceiling of the loft should be at least 30 inches high under any vents.

When you check out any home for purchase, check out these four areas to make sure your new house isn't going to fall down around you. Be wary of houses with issues in these areas and walk away if they turn up. If the seller refuses to repair or address them, even after being asked nicely, try reporting it as a problem to your local code authority and see if you can get them to force it.