It might seem odd to think of home improvements that will save you money, as most are more likely to involve a cash investment. However, in the shorter and longer term, home improvements can be made to the property or real estate that will reduce running costs and increase value in terms of future investment potential. This article, therefore, will seek to discover how we may improve our home in a way that will represent more of an investment than an expense. For example, solar panels can reduce electricity bills and make your house more desirable to future buyers.
Solar Panels
Data collected has suggested that home improvements that are considered energy-saving, such as adding solar panels to a property’s roof, can dramatically increase the value of the real estate. A government-produced report highlighted that solar PV, on average, boosted home values by 14 percent, which rose to 38 percent in certain parts of England. So, as renewable energies become more popular, we must now consider that this percentage has increased in the US, too, and worldwide.
Double Glazing
As pleasant as windows are to look through, although perhaps not to clean, a lot of heat can be lost through them. The solution is to have a thicker glass or more layers of it. You purchase an insulating gas between the two by having two layers. This trapped gas acts as a shield that combats cold weather. As a result, you end up using less heating, so over time, it will reduce your energy bills and help the environment. The use of double glazing in windows is known to reduce carbon emissions by at least 680 kgs per annum.
Garden Design
Many people only consider the house when thinking of ways to make money, as heating is a major cost. In addition, though, there are things that you can do with a garden that will not only add value to a property in the long term but also provide an income, or the equivalent of an income, in the short term.
For instance, apart from redesigning your garden to look aesthetically pleasing to yourself and visitors, you can grow your own vegetables and fruit if you have some ground. This can then feed your family more cost-effectively and nutritionally than perhaps spending money on processed produce from a food store. Moreover, your home-grown produce can be sold at farmers’ markets to raise extra cash for a family holiday. The possibilities are almost endless for what you can grow. You could even buy a flower press and make your future greeting cards out of home-grown and dried flowers.
Regarding foodstuffs, some of the easiest vegetables are salad leaves, potatoes, peas, beans, radishes, and spring onions. It is just a matter of preparing the soil correctly first. An ideal pH for growing vegetables is 6.0 to 7.0, although if the soil is between 5.5 and 7.5, it will not hinder their growth by much. Crop rotation could also be considered where there is plenty of land to play with. The four soil classifications are sand, silt, clay, or loam. Sandy soil will be good for growing Russian Sage, cosmos, salvia, and lavender.
Trees that desire moisture, such as birch, cypress, dogwood, and willow, grow well in silt soil. Clay soil is ideal for iris, heuchera, miscanthus, and aster. Silt loam is excellent for farming because the combination of sand, silt, and clay provide the ideal characteristics. The variety of different-sized particles will leave spaces within the soil, allowing for it to be aerated. That is, for the air and water to flow through the soil and penetrate the plant’s roots. The roots feed on the minerals that are suspended in the water.
So, this article has made you an expert gardener too! For some further tips on saving money by growing your own produce, check out this article on Forbes.
In conclusion, there are numerous ways to save money outside and inside your home. From fitting solar panels to the roof to generate energy efficiently, cost-effectively, and environmentally friendly, to windows that send heat back into the property, to a garden that provides for the whole family, and more.