Big and Small Home Renovation Ideas

Home renovation is a large, lumbering term that can encompass many different kinds of home improvement projects. While home renovation and home remodeling are similar terms and overlap in any number of different areas, there also conceptual differences. Home renovation involves repairing and/or upgrading your home to increase its amenities, functionality and energy-efficiency. Home remodeling is often more about upgrading décor, style, space and fixtures.

In the bathroom, for example, replacing your old laminate countertop with a new granite counter is home remodeling. Installing a bathroom ventilation fan is a home renovation. Major home remodeling projects often involve elements of home renovation, but neither kind of project necessarily means you have to spend a fortune. Both projects will add value to your home.

Home renovations come in many different shapes and sizes. Here's a brief list of home renovation ideas for small and major investments in your home.

Doors and Windows
One of the most popular home renovation ideas is replacement doors and windows. Relatively cheap -- replacing a door can cost around $800 -- upgrading these small areas of your home can increase your home's efficiency and décor. These projects almost always pay for themselves in a short amount of time and help the environment and your home. An incredible high percentage of heat loss occurs through window openings. Installing double- or triple-paned windows will increase your windows U-Factor several times over. Heat gain, air leakage and condensation resistance can also be improved.

Over time, wood doors can shrink, swell or bow. This can cause your entry door to stick, make it difficult to open and close or create an uncomfortable draft coming from under the door. Doors can be sanded down or extended to fix these problems, but it may simply be time for a new door. Wood is the traditional, timeless option, but fiberglass or steel may offer better performance and durability.

Insulate and Ventilate
Roof insulation is one of the most overlooked and vital parts of insulating your home. Heat rises and much of it works its way up and out through the roof. Roof insulation will help keep this heat inside your home, directly affecting the overall insulation performance of most homes more than any other insulation project. The key is to make sure you install proper ventilation with your roof insulation to prevent wood rot and ice dams.

Basement insulation is another great home renovation idea. The best plan is usually to install basement insulation along your basement walls. Many homeowners install basement insulation in their basement ceiling to prevent cold floors upstairs. This type of insulation can work, but it also means cutting the basement off from the rest of the home, resulting in an ultra cold, damp basement. Basement wall insulation can help keep your upstairs floors warm and may reclaim your basement as a livable space at the same time.

Add Storage Cabinets and Reorganize
Few people like the idea of spring cleaning, regardless of the season or the need. If your home is being overrun by simple clutter, the sheer psychological weight of trying to clean the house can be overwhelming. Worse, you may not know where exactly your clutter can be stowed, forcing you to spend countless hours, trying to reorganize everything, knowing that in just a few weeks everything is going to have once again run amok. Installing extra storage cabinets and hiring an interior designer to come in and reorganize your home will give you a plan to stow your common household items in a way that will allow you to maintain a clean house. Custom-built storage cabinets will help motivate you to clean house and cut down and the time-consuming and psychological baggage of clutter removal.