Purchasing a new home can be an exhilarating (though sometimes tiring) experience, especially for first-time homeowners. Still, there’s always something to be done, even in brand-new homes – if not repairs, at least small tasks to make the house your own home. But when you start getting into repairs and renovations, the investment in both time and money can easily spiral out of control. With that in mind, here are 5 quick fixes for your new Middletown, Dayton, or Cincinnati home.
1. Brighten and Enlarge With Paint
Most likely, your new home isn’t new construction, so the first of our quick fixes for your new Middletown, Dayton, or Cincinnati home involves applying some paint to the walls. If the seller didn’t paint, then, of course, you will need to. But besides covering stains and spots and faded areas, new paint can also alter the perception of reality.
What we mean by this is that painting walls in the right tones can make rooms seem not only brighter but also bigger. Light neutral tones are best for this, and you can do it yourself fairly inexpensively. When you get rid of those dark-colored walls in, say, the living room, you will be surprised at how much more spacious it seems.
2. Install Some Crown Molding
Easy and inexpensive, installing crown molding in rooms that don’t already have it is one of our top quick fixes for your new Middletown, Dayton, or Cincinnati home. Crown molding is the trim the runs along the top of walls in the angle where they meet the ceiling. Crown molding can add charm and elegance and even resale value, plus installing it isn’t as difficult as some people think.
3. Brighten Kitchen Cabinets
Painted kitchen cabinets get a lot of abuse – everyday wear and tear, water and cooking stains, assorted nicks and scratches. So repainting kitchen cabinets is definitely a worthwhile quick fix.
Kitchens, remember, generally have fewer windows than other rooms and so can be pretty dark. You should, then, paint the kitchen cabinets in brighter, lighter colors to get rid of that cave-like feel in the kitchen. And all it takes is cleaner, sandpaper, paintbrush and paint, and a little elbow grease.
4. Caulk the Bathroom
Of all the quick fixes for your new Middletown, Dayton, or Cincinnati home, this is one you shouldn’t neglect. For most bathrooms are usually in need of some recaulking, especially around the tub. You’ve probably noticed it already: brown and yellowed, cracking, peeling at the edges, maybe with sections missing. That kind of old caulking is nothing more than an invitation for mold and mildew where water gets behind the caulking and into the drywall.
The good news is that caulk is cheap, and almost anyone can apply it. You just need a tool to scrape out the old caulk, a caulking gun, and some new tube-and-tile caulk.
5. Mount Ceiling Fans
Not only do ceiling fans look good – adding a dash of color and breaking up the dreary bareness of a large ceiling area – but they can also help you save significantly on energy costs. During the heat of summer, a ceiling fan can assist the air conditioner by creating cooling breezes and distributing the cooled air. And in the winter, a ceiling fan will keep all the heated air (which you have to pay for) from collecting near the ceiling. If you can use a screwdriver and wire strippers, you can install a ceiling fan yourself.
These quick fixes for your new Middletown, Dayton, or Cincinnati home should get you started on having that new home exactly the way you want it. But you can always take it a step further and get into the bigger projects if you want.