Home Upgrade
Home Upgrade

 Homeownership isn’t easy, nor is it cheap. Add to that the neverending list of repairs and upgrades, and it can seem like nothing more than a huge money sink.

However, there are a variety of home upgrades you can make that are cost effective and add value to your home. We share our favourite six here. 

Get Laminate Flooring

Flooring is often one of the first things that need an upgrade in the home. Whether due to old carpet or dingy, scratched wood flooring, putting some time and effort into your floors can pay you back in big dividends.

Consider adding laminate flooring if you’re trying to save some money. Laminate flooring is really easy to clean and vacuum and looks elegant and refined. It pales in comparison to the cost of hardwood flooring, and yet is far more durable than its expensive counterpart.

New flooring will add a lot of value to your home. And while other options like tile or hardwood bring a huge expense, laminate flooring is a cost-effective way to upgrade and add value without spending much. 

Replace Garage Door

Old garage doors are a drag on home values in several ways. For starters, older garage doors typically show their age, mainly from the continuous up and down movement, combined with getting a lot of exterior exposure. An older door won’t show well, both inside and out.

Upgrading your garage door is relatively inexpensive, especially when you compare it to a lot of the other things you could do to raise your home value. And, you get a few bangs for your buck. The upgrade will bring you a fully operational garage door with increased functionality and a quieter motor.
And, you’ll get to make an exterior upgrade as well. Doors come with panelling, windows, and all sorts of options to upgrade your exterior.

Paint Touchups

Painting is simple, quick, and doesn’t really require any prior experience. A can of paint and paintbrush is basically all that you need, and yet a fresh coat of paint will do wonders for any part of your home.
  • You don’t even need to do a full coat of paint. Instead, if you’re short on time, just focus on touchups. This will cover the worst areas that need the most attention.
  • You can also use the opportunity to add a stylish bright colour to an accent wall or piece of wood furniture.


Front Yard Rework

The old adage that speaks to curb appeal has a lot of truth to it. People judge a book by its cover, and your front yard is the first thing they’ll see as they come. As such, your front yard affects home value, and it's easy to upgrade.

The best part is that reworking your front yard is not difficult, or expensive. We’re not talking about a complete redesign. A rework is simple, and ups the curb appeal significantly.


Here are some cheap and quick yard improvement ideas:


  • Plant some colourful flowers along the walkway
  • Pull any and all weeks, and put wood chips in areas that don’t have grass
  • Add some shrubs that don’t require much water or maintenance
When it comes to your yard, clean and simple is the way to go. Ornate, over the top landscaping, is hard to maintain and typically expensive to install. Non-native plants typically suck up a lot of water, as they don’t naturally grow in the region.

Instead, do a little research at your local landscaping shop. Learn what grows natively, and try to focus on low maintenance plants. Not only will this save you money when you purchase them, but it will save you over the course of time.


Add Smart Technology

Smart home technology is all the rage right now, and for good reason. Everyone is very well connected these days, typically sporting more than one smart device such as smart trash can, robot vacuum and smart lock throughout the day. Additionally, the technology you can add and pair to your home makes life convenient and easy.
There are so many different ways to incorporate smart technology, and it's important to be in control of what you choose to implement. Otherwise, you might get shiny object syndrome, where you buy anything that looks good to you at the moment.

Instead, one great way to cost-effectively add smart technology to your home is to start by researching and picking a brand that you prefer to go with. Picking a brand will allow you to harness the savings and efficiencies that come from pairing multiple different features.


Here is a brief overview of some of the popular brands:

Nest: This brand has branched out beyond its popular and synonymous thermostat. The brand is known for making stylish, user friend smart tech. 

  • Phillips: Taking your lighting to the next level, their Hue line connects to a lot of popular apps like IFTTT.
  • Belkin: Specializing in smart plugs, they’ve gone further to integrate those plugs into light switches.
Keep in mind that a lot of these brands their products incorporate with popular smart hubs like Google Home and Amazon Echo. Research how hubs incorporate with the other devices and make a decision based on how all of it together will save you money and make your life easier.

If you live in a sunny location, perhaps the most effective thing you could do is to add solar to your home. This act alone can save you hundreds each month, as you generate your own electricity instead of paying for it.


Make Small Kitchen Upgrades

Kitchen upgrades are typically the most expensive home improvements you can make, but also have the highest value. If you’re focused on cost-effective upgrades and improvements, then you don’t want to break the bank on anything in the kitchen. But, you should focus some of your time in this room of the house, because it has a big impact.
  • Focus on small things with big impact. Replace the kitchen faucet with a stylish model. Remove old cabinet handles and upgrade to bright stainless steel. Lighting fixtures can also get a refresh, along with scrubbing floor tiles and grout. 
  • If you have old wood cabinets, consider taking them off the hinges and painting them. While this project is a little larger, it will have a big impact and won’t cost you much at all.
  • No matter which homes upgrade you to choose, all of these options will be cost-effective ways to add value to the house.