5 Upgrades That Will Change Your Life

Aug 12, 2014 | Renovations

Beyond remodels, there are certain items that can be made as upgrades to a home that will significantly increase efficiency, space and convenience. These upgrades can help to organize and de-clutter kitchen and attics, and incur significant savings and control of the interior climate of the home and its associated energy costs. Thoughtful upgrades like these will guarantee a happy homeowner by providing things that are necessary, but are not often considered, and are upgrades that may change your life.

Corner Lazy Susan

Lazy Susan’s are commonly devices contained in empty corners of cabinets to store items in kitchens that are small and cluttered. They spin on an axis and they not only store, but provide more efficient access and organization. Currently, Lazy Susan’s are being custom built to provide access in areas other than underneath the cabinets. They can be on top of the top of the cabinet or countertop, as well as in whole pantries and built in cabinets. Home cooks can organize and store anything from pots and pans to spices and condiments.

A Master Control for Energy Consumption

Complete Home Control systems like Control4 can completely automate every feature of the establishment or confine its surveillance to particular rooms. Mornings can be automated with automatic thermostat and dimmer control, and with the goodbye feature, the system will automatically set the security alarms, lock the doors and adjust the thermostat to the appropriate settings. Control4 has an away setting that can reset alarms for children returning home and even has a water leak detection feature. These features are available on a single touchscreen remote. The remote also can be programmed to engage the entertainment system, dim the lights and pull the shades before starting a movie.

A Central Vacuum System

With vacuum baseboards, you won’t ever have to sweep dust under the rug again. Once installed, a central vacuuming system not only provides for easy cleanup, but helps purify your air as well!

Transform your attic

Attics offer the premium opportunity to expand home space without expanding the footprint of the home. This means that basically outfitting the attic will be a design job much more than a construction one. They can be the home office or the game room that is sorely needed or wanted. Although they may need climate control, they do not often possess the humidity and water table issues that basements have. Because structure is already present, finishing the attic may only require basic sheetrock and paint applications. The attic is also versatile in that simply changing the furniture can change the purpose of the finished room. It can go from an office to a bedroom with the simple addition of a bed and the associated accessories and accent pieces.

Strategically Placed Outlets

Outlets seem to be completely underrated. But increasing the number of outlets you place around your home can significantly make life easier. The kitchen is a great place to start. Try hiding outlets under fake drawers or under your cabinets.

Author: Tim Smith from Modernize