9 Renovation Trends We’re Expecting to See in 2023

Perhaps the new year inspired you to make some necessary upgrades to your home to improve your mental outlook and overall quality of life. Maybe fears of a volatile housing market make you want to primp your house for sale before a possible recession brings price drops. Either way, you’re seeking ways to renovate your property. What are the emerging trends?

Home-building trends tend to follow lifestyles. With the looming specter of climate change already causing severe weather events, many homeowners likewise want to do their part to protect the planet. The recent pandemic led many people to spend more time at home, leading to changes in layouts.

If you want to get the most bang for your remodeling buck, it pays to investigate what’s in fashion. Here are nine renovation trends we’re expecting to see in 2023.

1. Energy-Efficient Upgrades

Doing your part to preserve the planet doesn’t necessarily mean switching to solar. Although Congress recently extended the tax credits until 2032, soaring inflation might make you think twice about parting with the money before you need a total roof replacement.

However, you should take swift action if you catch a draft sitting by your bay window. Old models often develop cracks near the edges that create costly leaks, spiking your utility bill and increasing your use of heating oil. Furthermore, some older homes still have single-pane models, whereas today’s modern dual-pane versions offer far superior insulating power.

What other energy-efficient upgrades might you consider? Here’s a short list of ways to make your home more sustainable and save money:

• Upgrade your lighting: LEDs use much less energy than incandescent bulbs.
• Embrace passive solar: Take down curtains that block the sun, especially in winter. Consider a one-way film that maximizes natural light and heat while protecting your furnishings from UV rays.
• Insulate: It’s not a glamorous DIY upgrade, but redoing your attic can save you a small fortune in heating and cooling. Insulating your garage prevents cold air from entering when you pull in and makes any rooms above the space cozier in winter.

2. Spa Bathrooms

The COVID-19 pandemic closed more than gyms and restaurants — many day spas found themselves hurting as in-person pampering wasn’t worth the risk. Therefore, many folks choose to DIY at home and it’s far more luxurious to do so in a spa bathroom.

Are you replacing your tub? Look for a jetted model. You might even qualify for a discount if you are an older adult with the right insurance coverage — why not take advantage?

Another surprisingly pleasant amenity is a bidet. They’re eco-friendly, as they reduce your reliance on toilet paper, which explains their surge in popularity during the recent pandemic. If you’re on a budget, you can find seats that attach to your existing throne or invest in a luxury model with features like heat and LED night lights if you have more cash.

3. Home Office Retreats

The pandemic also ushered in the era of working from home and while some bosses want their workforces back in the office, many employees are resisting such orders in droves. The age of the downtown highrise might be changing from a strictly business location to one that includes lodging.

However, people who work from home want the amenities and conveniences of the office. They also need a space where they can close the door and get away, especially if their partner telecommutes and their children homeschool.

Enter the home office retreat. These spacious areas have room for a desk and filing cabinet with plenty of room for an ergonomic chair. They also have space for a cozy couch, perhaps a TV or even a miniature indoor putting green. The rooms are a combination of study and office, creating a private place for labor — and taking the occasional break.

4. Outdoor Living Upgrades

The pandemic also ushered in the era of outdoor living. It’s easy to shelter in place when your backyard resembles a resort. Here are some upgrades you might consider for your backyard:

• Decks and patios: Improve or add to that concrete slab.
• Outdoor kitchens: These can be welcome holiday areas if someone in your family has an immune disorder and still prefers socializing al fresco.
• Pools and spas: These are practically musts in hot climates like Phoenix, Arizona, but they make welcome additions anywhere.
• Kid and pet play areas: Xeriscaping is the way to go for overall landscaping eco-friendliness and maintenance ease. However, a small patch of grass makes the perfect spot for Fido to go potty or install a swingset for your toddlers.

5. Smart Home Upgrades

The era of “The Jetsons” might not quite be here, but it’s close. Smart upgrades offer convenience for many reasons. They’re inclusive, allowing folks with disabilities that limit their mobility to turn off the lights or television from across the room. They’re also the next best thing to keeping a paid assistant at home. Did you forget to lock the door? You can do so from your smartphone.

6. Reclaimed Materials

You help the planet by making something old new again with a bit of DIY know-how and elbow grease. Fortunately, it’s a snap even for novices to refinish old furnishings with paint or stain. However, the fun doesn’t stop with end tables — you can also find reclaimed accents like vintage kitchen tiles at places like the Habitat for Humanity ReStore.

7. Creative Kitchen Islands

A butcher-block kitchen island is convenient, but today’s models are bigger and better than ever. Some have built-in storage beneath — finally, a place to build that slide-out recycling bin you’ve wanted to install forever. Others conceal small appliances like wine chillers.

8. Increased Living Area Storage

First-time homebuyers often include plenty of storage space on their wishlists and the fun doesn’t stop in the garage. The pandemic led people to cook at home and needed a spot for their ingredients. The result was the return of the butler-style walk-in pantry, with plenty of room to stock up for your next holiday soiree.

What if you have a tiny kitchen? Consider adding a door and building a wall to create your pantry if there’s an adjacent room. You can also integrate this space into new designs, such as transforming a basement into a living area.

9. Accessory Dwelling Units

The pandemic also brought some less pleasant changes — like soaring housing costs that have more families than ever investigating multigenerational living. Adding an accessory dwelling unit to your property is a hot renovation trend. It provides adult children with a private space while they save for a home they could otherwise never afford with today’s rent prices and lets you keep aging family members close to home where you can help if need be.

Here, too, you have several options. Do you have an unfinished basement? Completing it could be a powerful selling point, as fewer than a quarter of today’s properties feature such an amenity. You can also build an addition, construct a separate unit in your backyard or buy prefabricated models on Amazon and assemble them yourself or pay for professional help.

Stay On Top of Renovation Trends in 2023

Are you looking to sell before the market changes and want to make a hot renovation that will increase your property value? Maybe you just want a fresh look on the old homestead. It helps to know what’s in style.

We expect to see the nine renovation trends above in 2023. Modernizing your property with one of these ideas can increase your enjoyment of your home and net you a higher purchase price.

The future of home living is here, and it’s full of exciting possibilities. Technology advancements have made it easier than ever to make your home smarter and more efficient, with new in-home technologies making their way into the market every day. From smart thermostats to automated lighting systems, today’s in-home tech can give homeowners more convenience and control over their living spaces than ever before.

In this article, we’ll explore some of the most popular in-home technologies available to homeowners today and how each technology can help make life simpler and easier. If you want a smarter home, are looking for projects to reduce energy costs, or simply seeking to improve your quality of life, read on to find out what new home tech you should consider adding to your home!

Sustainable Technology: Solar Panels & Geothermal Heat Pumps

For those looking to invest in green energy solutions, solar panels and geothermal heat pumps are two of the most popular options. Solar panels are a great way to reduce or even eliminate your home’s carbon footprint, as they allow you to generate electricity from the sun and store it for later use.

Geothermal heat pumps, on the other hand, use the natural heat of the earth to provide renewable heating and cooling solutions. Temperatures underground remain far more constant than those above, and drawing your home’s heating and cooling from the earth rather than an HVAC unit is cheaper and more environmentally friendly. Furthermore, a geothermal heating and cooling system typically lasts considerably longer than a traditional HVAC unit.

Smart Security

If you’re interested in improving your home’s security while remaining on the cutting edge, you’re in luck. Smart security systems are a must-have for homeowners looking to stay safe and secure. These systems can be integrated with other technologies like cameras and motion sensors that can alert you of any suspicious activity or unwelcome visitors. 

Smart security systems also allow for remote access, so you can monitor your home from anywhere in the world. For example, handling vacation home monitoring and maintenance from afar can be priceless.

Besides the convenience and automation of these systems, one of their biggest advantages is the ease with which they can be installed. Smart home security systems are typically DIY-friendly and require little or no drilling, cutting, or tearing up.

Smart Thermostats

Smart thermostats are an ideal way to maximize energy efficiency and save money on your monthly heating and cooling bills. These advanced systems can learn from your daily routine, settings, and preferences to automatically adjust the temperature in your home for maximum comfort. Smart thermostats also allow you to remotely control them through a smartphone or tablet app, so you can make adjustments anywhere.

Air Quality Tech

Indoor air quality is important in health and comfort, so having the right air quality tech in your home can make a big difference. Air purifiers are great for removing pollutants from the air, while humidifiers can add moisture back into the air to prevent dryness or irritation.

While air purifiers and humidifiers have been around for decades, technological advancements have made them far more effective and intelligent. Some are equipped with sensors that enable autonomous operation, and their efficiency has skyrocketed.

Smart Plugs & Automated Lighting

Smart plugs and automated lighting systems can help you save energy and take control of your home’s lighting. Smart plugs allow you to turn on or off appliances remotely, while automated lighting systems use sensors to detect when a room is occupied and adjust the lights accordingly. Both options are great for conserving energy and giving you more control over your lighting system.

Smarten Up Your Home

In-home technology can provide homeowners with convenience and control over their living spaces, as well as the opportunity to make their homes more sustainable. From smart thermostats to automated lighting systems, today’s in-home tech can help you save money and energy while also making life easier. Investing in the right home technologies can greatly improve your quality of life and secure your home.

Now that you know more about the latest in-home technologies, it’s time to start exploring what new tech you can add to your home!

10 Places in Your Home That You Should Renovate for Winter

The winter season is a great time to cozy up by the fireplace, watch holiday movies, and sip on hot chocolate. However, the interior and exterior of your home both take a bit of a beating due to undesirable weather conditions like snow, hail, and freezing rain and temperatures.

You might not think the winter season is an ideal time to renovate your home, but these months typically require you to stay inside more often. As a result, you can get more projects done inside and outside of your home, weather permitting. It’s crucial to make certain renovations before the snow starts to fall.

Here are some critical areas of your home to renovate in preparation for the winter season.

1. Roof

Your home’s roof is subject to all winter weather conditions. The last thing you want is your roof to cave in during a winter blizzard. You might not need to completely replace your roof, but there are some important maintenance tips to follow.

Examples include repairing broken shingles, adding new caulking, and trimming nearby trees to prevent damage. Making these small improvements will have your home’s roof ready in no time.

2. Gutters

During the fall season, gutters become filled with leaves, branches, dirt, and other debris from outside. Large amounts of buildup stop the stream of water and do not allow gutters to drain properly.

In the winter, ice dams can appear on gutters after snow and ice accumulate. This adds more weight to the gutters, which can lead to exterior damage. Clean the gutters in your home and make sure they’re well-secured to your home.

3. Pipes

Due to declining temperatures, frozen pipes are a serious problem for many homeowners. Water expands as it freezes, adding pressure to the pipes and eventually causing them to break.

Before it dips into the single-digit degrees and snow and ice arrive, protect your pipes from freezing by following these steps:

• Drain water from swimming pools and sprinkler lines.
• Avoid using antifreeze products.
• Remove, drain, and store outdoor hoses and close inside valves to water lines.
• Consider relocating exposed pipes to increase protection from freezing.

If you plan on leaving home, be sure to leave your heat on, but make sure the thermostat is set higher than 55 degrees.

4. Siding

If the siding of your home has peeling paint, moisture can infiltrate and cause the wood in your walls to rot. The siding on your home is the structure’s first line of defense during poor weather conditions. Thankfully, repairing or replacing siding is one of the easier DIY home improvement projects.

There are different ways to repair siding, such as using caulk, applying patches, or replacing small sections of damaged siding. If you need to update your siding or make large repairs, you might want to get all of your home’s siding replaced by a professional.

5. Deck or Porch

Another area of your home you can consider renovating is your deck or porch. Heavy snow and rain can sit on your front porch or back deck for months, which damages the wood and whatever furniture you have outside.

An effective way to protect your deck is to pre-treat the wood by filling cracks and holes in the paint. If the wood on your deck or porch begins to rot, it can make the deck unstable, which would require a more expensive replacement.

6. Basement

The basement is one area of your home to consider renovating for the winter. You can make various improvements such as changing the light fixtures, repairing any cracks in the concrete, or upgrading your insulation.

If your basement is unfinished, you can make more significant renovations during the winter. Since basements are underground, the project won’t be subjected to the elements. Get creative and turn your basement into a functional space.

7. Flooring

Over the years, a home’s flooring starts to deteriorate due to all the wear and tear it goes through every day. For example, many homeowners install hardwood floors because they pair well with most home interiors.

While hardwood floors have a long life span, you can only refinish them around 10 times before you’ll need a full replacement. You should consider refinishing or replacing your hardwood flooring and updating or deep-cleaning your carpeting if your budget allows for it.

8. Fireplace

In the cold winter months, nothing can beat sitting on the couch with your fireplace roaring! Fireplaces are aesthetically pleasing and functional, so why not add one to your home?

You can enhance your home’s interior and existing fireplace by adding a wood mantel using millwork. Mantels help draw attention to your fireplace and give homes an elegant look. Place small trinkets and decorations on your mantel – it’s a great way to add personal flair to your fireplace.

9.  Laundry Room

If you have kids, you know how quickly laundry piles up throughout the week. Busy schedules make it challenging to do laundry during the week or straighten up the laundry room. In the winter months, we wear multiple layers of clothing to keep us warm, so the amount of laundry we do increases.

Now is a good time to prepare your laundry room for more clothes. You might want to upgrade your machines, buy space-saving furniture, or fix your broken drying rack. Try to renovate your laundry room before the weather gets even colder.

10. Safety Features

December, January, and February are the peak months for house fires due to the increased use of heating systems, fireplaces, and space heaters. You should consider testing and upgrading your smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors to be safe.

Keep an eye out for your detectors’ expiration dates, as they should be replaced every five to seven years. Test your detectors monthly to ensure you and your family members are safe.

Preparing Your Home for the Cold Winter Months

Even if the weather outside is cold and wet, that doesn’t mean you have to put off all your DIY home improvements. You can complete several interior projects and make small repairs or replacements outside at the start of the winter season. Consider assessing the spaces in your home that are susceptible to winter weather and make any necessary repairs and renovations.

Winter Maintenance Checklist for Your Home

Oh, how easy it is to ignore the importance of preparing our homes for the upcoming winter days. That is understandable. We all want to bundle up next to our fireplace (or radiator) and not even think about those chores that force us to get the tools out and freeze outside. However, checking off a winter maintenance checklist is more important than you think. It will save you from unpleasant and cold surprises and expensive repairs later on.

Thus, while it’s still not too late, start preparing your home for the winter. If you don’t know where to start, don’t worry. You can follow our winter maintenance checklist for your home. By doing the following things, you will improve the efficiency of your home and make it warm and comfy.

Inspect Your Heating Systems

The most important thing on this winter maintenance checklist for your home is inspecting your heating systems. It would be good to have them professionally checked if you use a fireplace or a furnace for heating. But, if you want to do this all by yourself, we suggest first cleaning them thoroughly (together with chimneys) and then changing the filters (change the furnace filter every three months). Moreover, do the same if you use HVAC systems around your home.

If you notice something is off with your heating systems, repair it as soon as possible. That is one of those home maintenance things to do before the winter if you don’t want to live in a frosty house while waiting for a heating expert to free up some of his time and come to your home to give you a hand.

Caption: Don’t wait for the snow to fall to start checking your heating systems.

Check Your Roof for Damage

Suppose your roof is damaged, and the winter hits. In that case, you have two options. Pray that some roofing specialist is willing to come and fix the problem (which is not likely to happen as all of them are booked months in advance, or they don’t want to risk their lives on slippery roofs). Or follow the advice of experts at teddymoving.com and hire movers to help you relocate somewhere quickly until spring. Living in a house with a damaged roof is impossible during winter. It is possible only if you don’t mind frostbite and huge bills.

Thus, put roof inspection on your winter home maintenance checklist! You can inspect it on your own first. Climb out there and look for any signs of damage. Check for missing shingles, dampness, and even for the draft. If you notice something strange, call an expert immediately!

Fill Gaps around Doors and Windows

No, the roof is not the only place you can have a draft. Drafts also appear around doors and windows. And when they occur, they will leave you cold and with an enormous heating bill, as your heating system will work twice as hard to warm up all that cold air lingering inside your home. Don’t allow this to happen! Use caulk around your doors and windows or install weather-stripping around the edges.

Moreover, if drafts are typical in your home, you should consider installing new doors and windows. Yes, this will be an expensive renovation project. Still, it will also be a renovation project that will reduce costs around your home and, more importantly, keep your home warm during winter (and cold during summer).

Winter-proof doors and windows should be a priority on your winter maintenance checklist.

Clean Those Gutters

Now, let us move to the exterior of the house. Aside from storing your outdoor furniture and turning off the outside faucets, don’t forget that cleaning those gutters is also a must. These accumulate a lot of dirt during autumn, and if you don’t clean that dirt before the snow and the temperatures start falling, many things can go wrong. The leaves and other debris will clog your gutters and cause water damage and make your gutters loosen. That can lead to ice dams, which can be extremely dangerous for you and your house.

So, tackle this project when you have a day off (or during the weekend). Get stable ladders and gloves and remove all the leaves, branches, and debris. Moreover, pay attention to rodents and insects, that is, to their signs. If you see something strange, consult with an exterminator.

Take care of your gutters not only before winter but also during it.

Prepare Your Winter-Weather Supplies

Once you finish all the remodeling projects to protect your home against the elements, one of the things you should check off your winter maintenance checklist is preparing your winter-weather supplies. You need to prepare them for that first snow! Thus, go to your local hardware store and buy the following:

• Snow shovel
• Broom
• Ice melts and salt

Moreover, if you live somewhere where snow storms are usual, stock up on blankets, flashlights, first aid kits, flares, water bottles, and canned food. You already know that snowstorms can last for days, and you will want to have everything necessary by your side when those days happen.

Final words

We mentioned some of the most important things you should put on your winter maintenance checklist, but the list can go on and on. Thus, once you do these things, be sure to do some more research and then winterize your home. For instance, some other things you can do to prepare your home for winter include testing the sump pump, draining your garden hoses, reversing the direction of ceiling fans, inspecting pipes that run on exterior walls, etc. And remember, if you notice something suspicious, call a handyman immediately.

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Photos Used:

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