Best Home Improvement Projects to Do in the Winter

With winter at the door, leaving the house will most likely be less appealing for many of us who prefer the warmer months. If you’re expecting to spend a fair share of the weekends at home, you may be thinking of ways to fill the time. While outdoor projects are probably out of the question, you can still make yourself busy with a variety of indoor home improvement gigs. Besides winter inspections such as checking for frozen pipes, these projects mainly involve aesthetic, practical, as well as emotional benefits. From simple ones like adorning a room with string lights to more time-consuming bathroom remodel, the results will have you thanking the rainy weather for providing the opportunity to get the job done — otherwise, would you honestly take the time to sort out your garage when you could go hiking? 

Switch Out Your Wallpaper for a New One

If you’re looking for a project that will keep you busy for a few hours while offering a new aesthetic, consider changing that wallpaper that’s been around for a few years — or adding one where there isn’t. While there isn’t a specific season to carry out this job, you could make it as part of a house remodeling for the winter. A fresh layer of wallpaper will not only bring new life into your interior design but will also give you a sense of vibrancy during a rather gloomy time of year. Also, applying wallpaper to a bare wall can be rather beneficial for its durability and longevity. You don’t even have to break the bank to get this project on its feet. The average price you might pay for a roll of wallpaper is $35. With a handful of basic tools and a day to spare, you’ll have a new wallpaper to enjoy for quite some time.

Home Improvement Projects You Can Do With Your Kids

Freshen Up Your Garage

Since the weather won’t allow for family picnics or backyard barbecues, you can finally use the extra time to sort out your garage. Start out by getting rid of all the extra clutter to open that much-needed space. Overhead racks and Slatwall are brilliant ways to organize miscellaneous paraphernalia. Once you’ve tamed your garage, you can even add a feature such as a workbench for other home projects. Further ways you can enhance your indoor parking space include changing the garage door and applying a new floor coating. A revamped garage can be a treat for the eyes as well as the mind. Moreover, new features such as a DIY workbench and an upgraded garage door are guaranteed returns on investment. You can expect to pay $8 per square foot for polyaspartic floor coating and anywhere from $500 to $1500 to upgrade your garage door. As for the decluttering part, all you need is time and patience.

Benefits of Giving Your Garage a Makeover

Remodel Your Bathroom

There’s no better time to remodel your most visited room than the winter. Not only are contractors available more often, but prices are also relatively lower than those during the peak times of summer. Since bathrooms can sometimes be rather cold and unwelcoming, renovating them will provide that much-needed aesthetic to lift the place up. You don’t even have to go above and beyond with your budget; as little as $3500 can be enough to bring life to your restroom — even less if you prefer making it a DIY renovation.

Winter Transition Ideas for Your Bathroom

Convert Your Basement

If you have a basement that you’re not using, consider giving it a purpose by converting it into a living space. And there’s no better time to carry out this home remodel project than towards the beginning of the rainy season. You could turn that idle area into a cozy family room to snuggle up in during those cold winter evenings. Plus, it can be the perfect opportunity to finally apply that interior design style you’ve been eyeing for a while.

Besides the aesthetic and practical benefits of refurbishing your basement, it’s an ideal home improvement project to increase the value of your home. Essentially, you’d have an extra living space to promote should you be putting your house up for sale in the future. The amount of money, as well as the time and materials you need for this project, depends on the scope of work involved. In any case, you can account for the cost of furniture, decor, and other installations that you’ll be adding. However, any amount you end up spending on converting your basement can have a return on investment of up to 80%.

Interior Design Ideas To Bring Your Basement to Life

Consider a Paint Job

Another weekend home improvement project for the frosty season can involve painting a room or two. While it may seem counterintuitive to carry out a paint job in the winter, you’ll find out that the paint would dry faster than in the heat and humidity of the summer. You may want to carry out this task on a non-rainy day so that you can open a couple of windows for the paint to dry; that being said, a slightly breezy day would be ideal.

Since the bulk of the budget normally consists of labor costs, you could trim those numbers down considerably by handling the project yourself. Besides the undeniable wonders a freshly painted room does to your interior and your morale, the process itself can be fun for the whole family. Moreover, it will be a good opportunity to apply non-VOC paint. Volatile organic compounds are harmful gases in consumer products that are gradually emitted over time.

Indoor Projects to Do on a Winter Weekend

Upgrade Your Lighting

A rather easy home improvement project you should definitely consider is upgrading your lighting. This simple upgrade not only boosts your home’s value, but it also reduces energy costs by a chunk of a margin. Moreover, most eco-friendly lights are easier on the eye and tend to lift up the mood — especially during the winter months when days are shorter and the sunlight is scarce. Although energy-saving lights such as LEDs aren’t as cheap upfront as CFLs and fluorescent lights, they last much longer and consume much less power.

Simple Retrofitting Measures for an Eco-Friendly Lifestyle

Declutter Your Closet 

Is it raining cats and dogs outside and you’re not sure what to do for the rest of your Sunday afternoon? Perhaps it's time to finally get to that task you’ve been postponing for a while — decluttering your closet. Besides ending up with a much more pleasant-looking wardrobe, you’d probably have a box full of clothes and other items to either sell or donate. Moreover, decluttering is proven to reduce stress and provide a sense of fulfillment.

Productive Ways to Spend a Weekend Afternoon

Upcycle An Old Piece of Furniture 

If you’re especially handy with tools, then you don’t have to worry about getting bored on rainy weekends. A brilliant DIY home project that may tickle your fancy — and your creativity — is flipping furniture. This basically involves taking an old piece of furniture that has lost most of its value and upcycling it. Normally, people would sell the upcycled item for a profit. However, if it provides aesthetic value to your interior — or if you’re too proud of your work — you can always choose to keep it. In most cases, flipping furniture requires basic tools and maybe a few hours of your time. Who knows? You may even end up doing this as a hobby.

Creative Home Projects to Do When You’re Snowed in for the Weekend

Set the Mood with String Lights

Nothing adds charm to a room more than a set of string lights. Their versatility means that you can install them practically anywhere. If you have a canopy bed with curtains and a ceiling, you could create an enchanting effect by laying the lights around the outside. Alternatively, consider crafting your own Boho chandelier by loosely wrapping a set of string lights around a branch suspended from a ceiling beam. Besides the charming effect, they add to an interior, string lights also provide a sense of warmth — especially in a time when temperatures are low. String lights are available for as low as $15 a set, making this winter DIY project a fairly inexpensive one.

Fun Design Ideas That Spruce Up Any Interior

Go for a Room Addition

If you have a spare room that you tend to forget about, now can be a perfect time to give it a purpose. Consider turning that deserted room into a recreation area by bringing in a billiard table (used ones go for $300 to $600). This brilliant addition can essentially provide you and your family endless hours of entertainment during those days when the weather would make you unwilling to go out. Another good idea involves turning your idle room into an office space for when the new variant of Covid19 brings forth another lockdown. You can expect to pay up to $1200 for the desk and $8000 for the whole room. Besides providing purpose, a room addition is yet another way to boost your home value while boosting your morale.

Interior Design Ideas That Add to a Room’s Purpose