Are you happy with your home? Or are there aspects you wish you could change to make it better? The most essential quality of any home is that it should be where you feel safe and comfortable, so if you choose to decorate it in rainbow colours or fill it with books, that’s entirely your prerogative – although you’ll probably find it will need changing should you decide to sell! If you’re cold, damp, miserable, or feel down about how your home looks, that’s when you need to take action to change whatever’s letting your home down.
1. Heating and hot water
Being warm in the winter is an important consideration, and after experiencing the coldest winter for decades last year, you wouldn’t want to risk being vulnerable to another Beast from the East. If you want to improve the warmth of your home, the first stage is insulation. Older homes, in particular, may not have insulated attics or walls, and much of the heat you generate will be passing out of the house to be wasted. Loft insulation is essential, but you should take professional advice on whether your home is suitable for cavity wall insulation as some homes can become damp after installation, so they’re better off with other solutions. Boilers that are getting on in years, especially if they aren’t condensing types, will be costing you money because they use more energy than modern condensing units. Likewise, older radiators, particularly those with no thermostatic control, are likely to be considerably less efficient than modern systems.
2. Doors and windows
If you don’t have double glazing units in your home, your windows are likely to be leaking heat and costing you money. Even period homes can be fitted with new wooden sash windows like those available from timberwindows-direct.co.uk. These are particularly good if you can’t or don’t want to have UPVC double glazing in your home. Modern windows have far more security features than older ones, meaning burglars are less likely to break in as they’ll have a much harder job. Secure doors with up-to-date multipoint locking mechanisms are also safer, and you can now get keyless entry systems if that suits you better.
3. Flooring
Floors can make or break a room, as a dirty carpet or muddy tiles will attract far more attention than dusty shelves or piles of magazines. If your carpet is in good condition, a deep clean should freshen it up, but if it’s too stained or starting to wear thin and fray, you should get rid of it. Wooden floors and tiling are far easier to keep clean and hygienic than carpet, but if you prefer the extra warmth and comfort carpeting provides, choose new ones in colours that add style to the room, and buy the types with inbuilt stain-resistant coatings.
The best part of the day is coming home to a warm, safe, comfortable home where you can relax and unwind for a few hours after a long day, so make sure your home is as warm and comfortable as it can be for the winter ahead.