Home improvement ideas may come to you in a flash of inspiration. If not, take some steps to turn on the flow of ideas. You may want to add those final touches that will keep you happy for years to come, or you may be looking for ways to improve your home before you put it on the market. Whatever your situation, here are some ways you can brainstorm for home improvement repair tips and ideas to enhance your home’s comfort, make additions, do repairs, and improve energy efficiency and safety.

Home Improvement Brainstorming Strategy

Ideas are fueled by visualization and inspiration. Your creative mind works best when it has a free flow of images to play with. Try some of these strategies:

1. Physically walk through your yard from one end to the other and your home from top to bottom. Try viewing your home from different angles: how does it look from the neighbor’s upstairs window? Anything seem lacking or in disrepair?  Take photos from all angles.
2. Visualizing yourself walking through your home as if you had never seen it before…would you want to see more of this home, or does it need a pick-me-up?You may want to try some online home design software to help you dream up some new projects you wouldn’t have known of on your own. There is no shortage of home improvement books, magazines, and TV shows. For the really brave, you could ask friends and family for input (I personally wouldn’t).
3. As you review each room, write down what you like and don’t like. Include everything you see and feel: colors, fabrics, furniture and window placements, tiles, floors, room size, the home’s lightness or darkness, temperature…this is brainstorming so go for it.
4. Go back over your notes and write down ideas for improvements in any of these major home improvement areas:
• Comfort
• Aesthetics
• Additions
• Maintenance and repair
• Energy efficiency
• Safety
• (See the rest of the article below for more details about each of these areas).

What Your Contractor Can’t Tell You: The Essential Guide to Building and Renovating

1. After you’ve written down ideas for improvements, go back over your ideas and depending on your ambition circle from three to ten you like best.
2. Look over the ones you identified as your favorites. Avoid house remodel mistakes: put a star next to the ones that seem most realistic in terms of practicality, labor, time, and cost.

To help you with Step #3 above, here is a more detailed discussion about each of the major areas listed above. Use this as a checklist you can review for each room of your home and each area of your yard to inspire you with ideas.

Home Comfort Improvements

First, look at how the home is presently and the changes that would appeal to you:

• Heating, ventilation, and air conditioning.
• Lighting.
• Painting.
• Soundproofing improvements.
• Electrical capacity upgrades to use more appliances.
• Plumbing updates for more water.
• Basement waterproofing. Depending on the extent and purpose, this can also fall into the maintenance and repair category. (The categories here are for brainstorming and mental organization, but are not mutually exclusive.)

Go through the rooms of your home and identify where you could make improvements.

Home Addition Improvements

A bigger possibility is adding additional space for living or storage. Typical home addition improvement projects include:

• Turning basement areas into livable spaces like recreational rooms, home theaters, or home offices.
• Converting attic space into bedrooms or offices.
• Extending or adding a porch or deck.
• Enlarging or building a garage.
• A larger or extra bath.
• Extending a kitchen.
• Adding a sunroom.
• Landscape design.

Among these categories, basements, attics, porches, decks, and garages are usually easiest and least expensive to renovate.

Home Maintenance and Repair

These should be checked at least yearly for signs of wear and damage:

• Roof tear off or overlay
• Concrete masonry repairs to foundations or chimneys
• Plumbing – check for leaky faucets, fixtures, etc.
• Electrical
• Damaged flooring
• Wall cracks, stains and holes
• Ceiling problems
• Doors and windows – drafts, weather damage
• Kitchen cabinetry and counters
• Deck condition

Home Energy Efficiency

Besides cutting energy costs, you may save on tax bills with energy-saving products. Consider these options:

• Thermal insulation
• Windows replaced with thermally efficient windows
• Programmable thermostats
• Energy-efficient lighting
• Solar panels
• Geothermal heat pump

Home Safety Improvements

Not least in importance is home security, depending on your needs:

• Updating the fire alarm and fire sprinkler system.
• Security of doors, windows, and shutters.
• Burglar alarm system.
• Underground area for protection from tornadoes and hurricanes.
• Backup generator for power outage emergencies.

These home improvement categories are not mutually exclusive, and can be combined with each other in practice. The main point here is to use these checklists as a way to stimulate ideas when thinking about how to renovate your home.

On the lighter side: Home Improvement Tool Time Clips

Worthy Home Improvement Resource

Energy Tax Credits for Home Improvement

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