If your home looks run down, or if fixtures and features are starting to fall apart, home maintenance will quickly become a priority. Maintenance can bring functionality and order back to your home, making it feel more comfortable and relaxing.

Maintenance can sometimes feel like just another expense to add to the list, but it’s actually an opportunity. Rather than just patch the pieces of your home that are falling apart, you could go all in with some much-needed renovations that will make your home look and feel better than ever before.

There’s are countless ways that you can perform home renovation, even if you’re on a strict budget. Best of all, a whole home renovation could increase the resale value of your home. Even if you aren’t planning on selling, high quality renovations will keep the marketable value of your home high, which will be helpful if your situation changes.

We recently offered suggestions for renovations that would improve any room. In this feature, we’ll explore situations where unexpected maintenance could inspire your next home renovation.

Do You Need Kitchen Remodeling?

You may have considered kitchen remodeling or renovation in the past. Many homeowners go through stages where the home stops feeling comfortable. You should have pride in your home, and the kitchen is always one of the most important focal points.

Regardless of how your kitchen looks, if it’s simply not functional, you won’t get any joy out of it. When considering how much time you spend in your kitchen every day, it only makes sense that this should be one of the first areas you consider for maintenance or renovation.

You’ll know when you want to remodel your kitchen, but how can you identify when you actually need a makeover? The following tips will give you answers.

If your cabinets are falling apart, your maintenance schedule is well overdue. Unfortunately, there’s not a lot that you can do for damaged or deteriorated cabinets in terms of general maintenance. You could tighten hinges and possibly replace them, but this is only going to solve the problem in the short term. If your cabinets are in bad enough shape that they’re literally hanging on by a thread, then you will either need to have them refaced or completely replaced.

Leaks are another sure sign that it’s time for maintenance. Leaking faucets or pipes are more than just an annoyance. They can damage your cabinets and counters, causing staining, rot, or even toxic mold. Over time, even minor leaks will contribute to your utility bill.

Minor leaks could be fixed with some maintenance like tightening pipes and fittings or replacing damaged components. However, if the leak has been active for long enough, then there will probably already be damage caused to your cabinets and floor. At this point you’ll have to make a decision. You could perform the necessary maintenance (or call a Des Moines handyman to help) and deal with any of the damage that has been caused. Or, you could push ahead with a complete renovation or kitchen remodeling project.

Consider the benefits you will get from improving your kitchen rather than just maintaining it:

• You could add storage that you are currently lacking.
• Appliance upgrades could be made with new plumbing lines in place.
• Cabinets could be replaced or refaced, giving your kitchen an entirely new aesthetic.
• With kitchen remodeling you could change the layout of your kitchen, making your home feel more modern and functional.
• New materials will be easier to clean, so you’ll spend less time wiping down and scrubbing surfaces.
• During a kitchen remodeling or renovation project, the contractors can replace elements of your kitchen that are close to failing. Essentially, you’ll have a brand-new space that won’t need any major maintenance for years to come.

Ultimately, it’s your decision whether you repair or renovate. While a renovation or remodel will cost more, the value and practicality returned will be worth it in every case.

Is Your Bathroom in Need of an Upgrade?

The bathroom is another area of your home where deterioration can become a major problem.

Water and moisture from humidity can cause corrosion on metals, damage to paint, and bloating or warping on cabinets and vanities. Plumbing can start to deteriorate over time, causing leaks or drainage problems. If your bathroom is tiled, the grout can start to break down, and any water that makes it through could damage the subfloor underneath.

Your bathroom is also a place where mold and mildew can grow. This can cause health problems and damage to walls, floors, and ceilings.

Take a look at your bathroom today. Are there signs of obvious damage? Cracks in tiles, broken pipes, loose fixtures, stained hardware… all these problems can suggest that you need maintenance. But, just like in the kitchen, maintenance is only going to address individual problems. It won’t make your bathroom beautiful again.

If you want your bathroom to feel like the room of solitude and relaxation that it should, you will need to plan a renovation or whole bathroom remodel.

You’ll enjoy significant benefits when you turn a maintenance emergency into an opportunity for a renovation:

• You could finally install some of those comfort features that your bathroom has been lacking. Automatic ventilation and underfloor heating are two great examples.
• You could modernize the look and feel of your bathroom, creating a comfortable space that feels like a luxury resort in your own home.
• Choosing to renovate or remodel could allow you to invest in better materials that will last longer. This will reduce future maintenance needs and ensure that you get a great return on your investment.
• Like the kitchen, a beautiful and clean bathroom can add value to your home.

Again, the decision here is entirely up to you. Maintenance will prevent further damage and keep your bathroom functional. Is that all that you want from your home? Beauty and comfort are also important. Bathroom remodeling and renovation will provide more benefits while also taking care of your maintenance issues.

Other Areas of Maintenance Better Addressed with Home Renovation

We’ve covered two of the most important rooms in your home. Of course, you will know that maintenance emergencies can occur in any room.

Take a look at this list of common home maintenance problems and see how you could turn them into renovation projects that improve your living spaces.

Frayed or Lifting Carpet

This is a frequent problem in older homes, and it can make any bedroom or living space feel run down. Unsightly lifting carpets and frayed edges can be fixed by flooring professionals, but your carpet will never look or feel brand new again.

Instead of carpet repairs, you could consider a home renovation with new flooring. You could even choose from more durable materials like engineered hardwood planks, vinyl planks, or ceramic tile. They require less care than carpet and will look better for longer.

Failing Lighting Fixtures

The lighting in your home sets the mood. Older lighting fixtures can make a home feel terribly dated, and they’re also prone to failure.

When a few fixtures start failing, you can bet that more will soon follow. Rather than delay the inevitable with repairs, you can install new lighting on a relatively small budget, modernizing and beautifying your home in the process.

Drywall Damage

Drywall can become scratched and dented over time. Spot repairs are possible, even for heavy damage and holes. However, your walls will never look like new again. Slight mismatching of paint will be obvious to you. Don’t just stop at repairs. You could take damage and turn it into an opportunity to refinish your walls and paint them in a new color that gives your home a fresh aesthetic.

Worn Baseboards and Ceiling Molding

Baseboard and molding repairs are inexpensive, and a Des Moines handyman could perform the work in less than a day. Slight movement in your home throughout the seasons will eventually loosen molding and baseboards as the wood expands and contracts.

Why not forego maintenance and instead perform some light home renovation with upgrades? Ceiling molding is available in a virtually limitless range of styles. Choosing ornate ceiling molding could turn an ordinary room into a space of refined beauty.

Water Damage in Your Basement

Any form of moisture damage in your basement needs to be addressed immediately. This is one of the most important home maintenance tasks, because moisture can lead to structural deterioration, which will eventually compromise your entire home.

Rather than just repair the damage and address the point of water entry, you could plan a complete basement finishing project. This would be a significant investment, but it would provide a high return with increased home value and more usable space. If your family is growing and your needs are changing, basement finishing could be the perfect solution to your space limitations.

Water Damage in Your Attic

Any water damage in your attic could also become a reason to plan a finishing project. Roofing repairs will take priority to prevent further damage. As a precaution, you should have your roof inspected and maintained at least every three years, or every five years if you have a tiled roof.

If you do plan to go ahead with finishing after the maintenance is performed, you will have complete freedom to be creative with the space. Attics are ideal for reading nooks, kid’s playrooms, creative studios, media rooms, and even home offices. What you do with the space is entirely up to you. You could increase the square footage of your home to raise its value. At the very least, an attic finishing project will make your home more attractive to buyers, so you could recoup some of your investment when you sell.

Attic finishing could also increase the energy efficiency of your home thanks to the additional insulation, flooring, and drywall that will go in during the project.

Damaged Window Frames

Cracked window caulking and soft wood could indicate rot in your window frames. Your first option would be to book frame replacement, but you could take it a step further with a home renovation project that will provide long term value.

In addition to repairing or replacing the framework, you could have new low-e glass windows installed. This investment would increase the energy efficiency of your home to decrease long-term costs.

Energy efficient glass reflects heat back to its source. In the summer, you’ll keep cool air inside and reduce the effects of sunlight and outdoor ambient temperatures. In the winter, heat will be contained within your home. Low-e glass reduces thermal loss, which will limit your HVAC costs. Energy savings over the lifetime of your home could offset the investment made in new windows.

Taking the Next Step with Des Moines Contractors

It can sometimes feel uncomfortable to make the leap from maintenance and repairs to complete home renovation projects. But when you think about the long-term benefits, you’ll find that there’s value to be gained from turning a maintenance emergency into an opportunity for home improvement.

Whether you want to plan a large project or some minor renovations, HomeWorx Iowa is here to help. We offer everything from Des Moines handyman services, right up to whole home renovation and remodeling. We will work with you to assess your needs and make recommendations based on your budget and expected outcome. We can even 3D model your major changes, giving you the opportunity to assess designs in the most accurate way possible.

Our talented designers and contractors can turn even the most run down spaces into rooms that you can be proud of.

Contact us today to get advice, explore your options, and discuss any project that you have in mind.