The start of a new year creates the perfect opportunity to rethink and optimize your living environment. Undoubtedly, if you are looking to upgrade your home, purchasing a custom home is a fantastic investment. However, if you don’t have the budget to invest in a new property or can’t afford major renovations, don’t worry. There are some strategies that can help you transform your current home into a more livable, sustainable, and healthy space for you and your whole family. In this quick-start guide, we’ll look at a few strategies that can help you get started. Let’s dive in!
Choose Renewable Energy Sources
One of the best ways to increase the sustainability and energy efficiency of your home is to switch to renewable energy sources, such as custom solar energy systems. These are designed around your unique needs to integrate seamlessly with your lifestyle. For instance, working with a specialist, you may select the best size and output, or choose between battery storage for off-grid living, or a grid-tied system that allows you to sell unused energy back to your utility company.
While solar systems may represent an initial investment, they can offer significant long-term benefits, including:
- Reducing utility bills
- Lowering carbon emissions
- Increasing energy independence, especially if you are located off grid or in a remote area
- Adding value to your home
- Can make you eligible for tax incentives and rebates, creating additional income streams.
In any case, you should always partner with an expert to understand the best strategy for your needs.
Maximize Natural Lighting
Next up, let’s talk about the importance of natural light in your home. Natural light can create a healthier living environment and reduce the risk of respiratory and skin diseases. It can also boost Vitamin D levels, keep at bay the risk of seasonal depression, improve sleep, and may even help you fight off eye strain and daytime fatigue.
However, not all homes are blessed with large windows or the perfect southern exposure. That’s where you may use a few strategies to increase natural light in your home. Some options include:
- Installing larger or additional windows
- Using light paint on walls to make spaces appear larger and airier
- Add skylights or roof windows
- Arrange mirrors to reflect sunlight
- Swap heavy curtains for lighter ones
Invest In Better Insulation
Improving your home energy efficiency is essential, but with poor insulation, you’ll find that you are wasting a lot of the energy used to heat up or cool down your space. Here’s where upgrading your insulation system can make your entire property more efficient – and even lower your energy bills! Get started by sealing cracks and gaps to reduce drafts, and consult a specialist to insulate key areas such as the roof or your basement. If your windows or doors are old or outdated, upgrading them can make a significant difference in the level of comfort of your home!
Design Your Garden For Privacy And Soundproofing
If you have a garden or outdoor space, be it in an urban setting or in the countryside, the right landscaping choices can help you boost your home’s privacy, insulation, and soundproofing. In fact, planting the right trees, shrubs, and plants strategically can help you shield your home from strong winds, noise pollution, or extreme heat. Some options for screening your home include:
- Planting dense evergreen hedges, such as laurel
- Installing tall wooden fences
- Adding water features like fountains to mask noise
- Use trellises with climbing plants, such as ivy.
- Position garden structures, like pergolas, strategically for screening
- Incorporate raised beds along property lines
Declutter
Decluttering may not seem like a renovation project, but it can truly transform your space. In fact, clutter can make our homes more difficult to clean and keep clean, increasing the risk of respiratory and skin problems. Clutter also makes our brain work harder to cut out distractions and focus on the task at hand, which can increase eye strain and fatigue.
To declutter, start by making a selection of items and choose what to give away, sell, or donate. This project may seem overwhelming at first, but you can involve your entire family and set clear, progressive milestones. Over time, a more minimalist design approach that focuses on quality over quantity can pay off in helping you create a healthier home. Plus, you’ll gain more living space!
Optimize Your Livable Square Footage
No matter how big or small your home may be, optimizing its interior design and flow can help you gain livable space and create a more suitable home for your lifestyle. For instance, after decluttering, you may find extra room that can be repurposed as an at-home gym, yoga space, or office. Your garage can become a smarter storage area and a workshop, allowing you to better develop your hobbies and interests.
These are just examples, as every space is unique. Because of this, working with an expert can help you better understand how to optimize your space with a minimum budget and for maximum results.
Implement Smart Home Technology
Smart home technology can play a key role in helping you reduce energy waste and create a more livable and secure space for your family. For instance, you may invest in a smart thermostat to control indoor temperature at different times of the day. Additionally, security features can help you keep an eye on your property even when you are away, while smart lighting systems automatically adjust brightness based on occupancy or natural light levels. These technologies can simplify your daily routine and boost the comfort and safety of your home.
Improve Indoor Air Quality
Last but not least, don’t overlook the importance of monitoring and improving your indoor air quality. This is essential to prevent issues such as skin rashes, allergies, and inflammatory conditions, create a space that can be enjoyed by your entire family for everything from indoor sports to entertaining and socializing. Some key tips to improve indoor air quality include opening the windows at regular intervals, investing in air purification devices, upgrading or cleaning your HVAC system, and choosing houseplants that naturally filter toxins from the air.
Ultimately, every home is unique. So, start looking at your space critically to find ways to improve it and partner with an expert to understand how to implement the right upgrades.
