Looking for a house to call home often leaves many people stressed out, confused and fed up. It is such a difficult puzzle to work out. When you are purchasing a home you are buying so much more than four walls; you are buying your future happiness. If the space does not make you happy pass right on by. Because your home will take up so much of your time and money, the way you feel in it will affect how you feel outside of it. Also consider this if you spend any amount of time working from home. This could affect your work performance as well. When you find a home that speaks to you make the purchase. Every improvement in making the home yours will in turn boost your happiness.
Making your home comfortable is the first part in home improvement when you purchase a home. The first rule to remember is that home imperfections are part of home ownership. The goal is to minimize those imperfections in each f your home improvement projects to in turn maximize the enjoyment you get out of your space. Of course imperfections that surround the structure or could lead to larger issues should be the first home improvement projects that are considered.
When looking at homes it was easy to envision a home on the water. Looking for solitude in a world full of neighborhoods and busy roads limits your choices of homes. So when we found one that was in the perfect location it was easy to decide that we could make any home comfortable however the location was not something we could improve upon. Immediately comfort was felt when we stepped into the home, imperfection, flaws and alls.
The first thing to improve the comfort of our home was to make sure the home was sound structurally. This started for us with the quest for a new roof. The roof on our new river home was old, covered in mildew and ready for an update. My first thought went to cedar shakes for roofing materials. However that was not the maintenance free roof my husband had envisioned. Instead of settling for asphalt shingles and blending into society I decided I would go for a metal roof to appease my husband’s need for maintenance free and by need for something different that feels like a cottage on the water.
Now that the structure was taken care of and the home was sound the next step was flooring and paint. These two things, floor coverings and color can transform any environment. Comfort to me is maximized when I think and feel a beach space. I decided to include this in my home to get this feeling all the time. I didn’t want to go to the point where the house was filled with shells and fishing nets but I wanted the feel and comfort I find on the water.
The color choices were easy. I adore beige, greens, blues, yellows and maroons. The choice was a no brainer for me, the walls were going to be the color of sand and I would accentuate the home with the other colors. It was starting to feel more comfortable immediately with the walls transformed into a sandy beach, next is the flooring. I love dark wood and I love frieze carpet. I decided to combine the two so that I could enjoy the best of all worlds. The flooring in the kitchen was transformed by adding a nature colored hardwood floor with rustic planks in various sizes. The goal was to take away the monotony that a perfect wood floor brings. It was amazing!
Next was the addition of extra plush, high grade frieze carpet. This added a feeling of warmth to the space that words cannot even begin to describe. It was as if I was walking on sand. The colors in the carpet were all the colors that made me feel comfort. The base was a light sand color followed with traces of green, blue, yellow and hints of maroon. When the carpet was installed and our belongings in place I knew there were upgrades to still make but overall I knew this space would provide me with a peace and clam that would forever bring the best out in me. The home was not perfect to begin with, that is true. However, given the setting and some minor upgrades to establish comfort our house was quickly a home.