The first impression of a home is like the first impression of a person – what you initially see and feel will dictate your reaction. If the front yard is cluttered with toys and the grass looks like a jungle, it doesn’t give off a good impression. However, if you walk up to a house that has a well-kept lawn and nothing that you have to step over, you’ll have a better feeling.

The same goes for the inside of your home too. If you want your home to stand out amongst the rest, there are small changes, or more drastic ones if you prefer, that can make a significant difference.

Here are four ways that you can make your home stand out in your neighbourhood.

Add Lots of Windows

Windows add a whole new element to a home, no matter what size it is. Inside, windows allow the natural sunlight to illuminate the entire house. On the outside, it adds a unique feature, especially if you use different windows that other people use.

Skylights are another way to make your house pop. Although you don’t always see them from the road, when you’re inside, though, they add a unique feature to the room.

Paint Your Front Door

If you drove down a street that had the exact same house side-by-side, but one had a door painted a vibrant colour compared to the other, chances are your eyes would go towards the house with the vibrant door. Giving your front door a pop of colour can really draw in people.

Have fun with colour options for the front door. However, stay within the same colour pallet of your home. You want your home to stand out in a good way.

Hang Decorative Art

Not only does art give you and your guests something to talk about, but it can also add a new feeling to the room. Think of a time that you went to someone’s house, whether it be a friend or when you were house-hunting, and you saw artwork that grabbed your attention. If you really like it, you likely think about it often.

An easy way to make your home memorable and stand out is to add decorative art. It could be paintings on the wall, sculptures, or even accent pillows on the couch.

Plant Trees

Another way to make your house pop is to plant trees in the front and backyard. Trees serve a real-life purpose, but they also can make your home stand out compared to the ones beside it.

To step it up a notch, add trees that have a pop of colour, especially when the leaves turn in fall. Take a drive around town to see the yards with trees and how they stand out amongst everything else.

Whether you’re looking to sell your home or redecorate, use the list above to help you add elements that will make your house stand out in your neighbourhood.

Buying a house is an investment that typically increases in value over time. In some circumstances, there isn’t much more you can do to the property to add more value. However, in many situations, even the simplest improvement can drastically change the value of your property.

If you’re planning to sell your home or are looking to spruce things up at the moment, we have five renovations that you can do to increase the value of your home.

Replace and Update the Windows

If you want to add a bit of value to your home, replacing your windows is a sure way to do it. You don’t want just any windows, however. Energy-efficient windows are the way to go. People are always looking for ways to save on their utility bills, and energy-efficient windows allow you to keep the warm air in during winter, and the cold air in during summer.

If you don’t have one already, consider installing a skylight as well. Skylights add a different source of natural light and are another way to allow the fresh air inside.

Update Your Kitchen

For most families, the kitchen is the heart of their home. It’s where everyone congregates after a long day, where you entertain the majority of your guests, and the most obvious reason, where you cook and sometimes eat your meals.

Updating the kitchen can go two ways – either it can significantly increase the value of your home, in which you recoup most of your costs, or you could invest too much that doesn’t match the rest of your home and never get that money back. As you remodel your kitchen, keep in mind the style of the rest of your home.

Change a Room

It’s easy to think that you have to spend tens of thousands of dollars, expanding the square footage of your home to increase the value. However, simply converting an existing room into something different can help. If you haven’t finished your basement, complete that task and turn it into a second living room or a recreational room for kids. You could even turn the attic into a craft room or a new office space.

Before doing any drastic changes to your home, consider reinventing certain rooms that don’t get used very often. You’d be surprised the ideas you can come up with, and how much it affects the value of your home.

Finish Simple Upgrades

Although you may not want to do them and can easily say that the new owners can take care of them, but if you want to recoup as much of your investment as possible, finish any simple upgrades around the house. Adding things like a fresh coat of paint, replacing broken tiles or splinted trim, or even fixing plumbing problems, are upgrades that can help you out with the value of your home.

Upgrades to Avoid

Not all updates will add value to your home, no matter how much you enjoy them. Adding in pools, installing crazy expensive appliances and turning your kitchen into a gourmet restaurant, won’t help you in the long run.

If you want to add more value to your house, think of practical improvements that will help the house.

At one point or another, homeowners will encounter an issue with their roof. Just as with every other part of the home, your roof will wear down over time, especially if you’ve have nasty storms roll through.

The roof is not something you want to mess around with or taking your time addressing. A simple leak can quickly turn into a disaster if left alone. Roof problems don’t go away; they get worse.

Keep tabs on the look of the roof and anything happening inside. If you notice one of the following six common roof issues, it may be time to hire a professional.

Leaks

Most likely, the most common issue you’ll come across as a homeowner is a leak in the roof. A leak can stem from many different sources, including a broken shingle, broken weatherstripping, and broken seal around skylights. It doesn’t take long for a simple leak to turn into something bigger, or to cause serious damage to the inside of your home.

Broken Shingles

The shingles on your roof have a lifespan. For basic asphalt shingles, you can get away with having shingles last between 15 and 18 years; other types can last up to 30 years. After that, it’s time to inspect them to see what needs replacing.

Broken shingles can come from several issues, including:

• Heavy sun exposure
• Large temperature variations
• Harsh storms
• Trees and other debris
• Poor installation
• Material quality

Clogged Gutters

Gutters serve a significant purpose in protecting the foundation of your home. After a heavy rainstorm, if there are no gutters, the water would simply pour off your roof and fall anywhere it wanted. The gutters collect the water and guide it to an area away from the foundation of your home.

If the gutters are clogged, it prevents the water from flowing down and away from your house. The water can pool on the roof, which can lead to serious damage.

Tree Damage

Something you don’t want happening to your roof – a falling tree. As much as we love having trees in our yards for various reasons, if the branches come into contact with the roof, and can cause damage to the shingles and wear down the surface of the roof. Keeping your trees trimmed will help prevent any contact between the roof and the trees.

Ice Buildup

Not very often will you hear someone say that ice is a good thing, unless it’s in a cube for your drink. Otherwise, ice in other places like the ground and on the roof will only lead to trouble.

Ice buildup can damage the shingles on the roof. Not only that, once it melts, it turns into water that can seep underneath the shingles and damage not just the shingles, but the structure underneath it.

Poor Installation

Poorly installed roofs are never a good idea. Same with using low-quality materials. For the roof of your house, it’s a project you want to invest in and spend the money on the best materials. Otherwise, you’re left with a roof that won’t do its job (protect the house below), and will only have you spending more money to fix it down the road.

If you come across a roof issue, for your own safety, it’s best to call a professional to do the job for you. Fixing a roof can be dangerous, but it is a necessary task to do. Pay attention to the common issues listed above and fix them as quickly as possible.

If you Googled the term skylight, you’ll like come across roof light and roof window as well. Are they all the same thing? Not necessarily. Although similar, there are some differences worth noting between the terms.

Let’s take a look at what a skylight, roof light and roof window are and how they differ from each other. Once you know what they mean, you can then decide which is best suited for your home.

 

Skylight and Roof Light

First, let’s start with the skylight. A skylight is a window that is installed into the roof of your home. It can be any shape and size, as long as it set into the ceiling (or roof) at the same angle.

The purpose behind the skylight is to allow more natural light into the home. Skylights work best in small rooms, bathrooms, closets, or any other room that requires more light. They also add a unique element to the design of the room by adding a feature to the ceiling.

A roof light, on the other hand, is almost the same thing as a skylight. A roof light is an opening in the roof of your home that is covered by a translucent or transparent material. It serves the same purpose as a skylight – to allow more natural light into the area.

Is there a difference between the two? Not overly, besides the name of them. They both are meant for the same thing and can be made out of the same materials. Basically, you can use skylight and roof light interchangeably and still be talking about the same thing.

Roof Window

What you shouldn’t do, though, is say that a skylight and roof light is the same as a roof window. A roof window has special standards that they must adhere to, like being installed in the same orientation with the surrounding roof. They also need to be weatherproofed through a skirt or flashing.

Unlike skylights and roof lights that can come in different shapes and sizes, roof windows come in standardized shapes and sizes. They also tend to be smaller than skylights and roof lights.

For a roof window to be sold, it must have undergone tests to see how the window withstands to the outdoor elements. It should say how it holds up under heavy rainfall, increased air pressure, and if it can stop against leaks and a draft coming into the home.

Which is Better?

Now that we know that skylights and roof lights are relatively the same, but it is roof windows that differ, which one is better? That answer comes down to what you want the window for and what your house is like.

For pitched roof houses, a roof window works best. If you have a flat roof though, a skylight or window light may be the better option.

Let us help you decide which is the better option for your home, and to ensure you get the best product for you and your family.