Home & Garden
5 Home Improvement Projects To Tackle This Winter
From finishing the basement to insulating the attic, these are great renovation ideas for the cooler months of the year.
You might think spring is the time to fix things up around the house, but the winter months are also great for sprucing. From painting to building, here are five home upgrades you can do while it's cold outside.
Find Trusted Home Improvement Pros Near You
1. Paint the Interior of Your Home
You should wait for warmer weather to paint the outside of your home, but there's no time like the present to spruce up the interior. Winter tends to be the slow season for painting contractors, so you may be able to negotiate a better deal than you would during the busy summer months.
According to HomeAdvisor's True Cost Guide*, the cost to paint an average size room (10 feet by 12 feet) ranges from $200 to $800, not including ceilings, trim or cost of the paint.
Find Interior Painting Professionals in Your Area
2. Upgrade Your Windows
If your windows aren't energy-efficient or properly fitted, you're essentially throwing money out of them — especially during the winter. That's because when warm air escapes, your HVAC system has to work harder to maintain a comfortable room temperature, and you end up paying more to keep the house warm.
If you have older, single-pane windows, replacing them with double-pane, energy-efficient windows will lead to a significant decrease in your heating bills. You'll reap the benefits in the spring and summer as well. Double-pane, energy-efficient windows also do a better job of keeping cool air inside.
The cost to replace an average window is typically between $300 and $700. The type of window, whether it's going into an existing frame or it's new construction and the quality of the materials account for variations in cost.
Find Window Replacement Contractors in Your Area
3. Improve Your Home's Insulation
Warm interior air rises and escapes through the top of a home that's not properly insulated. When this occurs, your HVAC system has to work a lot harder to keep your house at a comfortable temperature, leading to an increase in your energy bills.
A good way to reduce this waste of money (and warm air) is to upgrade your home's insulation — beginning with the attic. Blown-in insulation is one of the most common ways to winter-proof an attic, crawl space or the walls of a home.
The average cost to insulate 1,000 square feet of attic space is in the range of $600 to $1,200. Adding this insulation will decrease your utility bills and make it a lot easier to keep your home warm all season long.
Find Local Insulation Installation Professionals
4. Build a Deck
People usually think about building a deck when it starts getting warm out, and that's when the demand for deck builders tends to be highest. The winter months are slow for deck designers, so there's a good chance your project will be one of the only jobs your deck builder is working on. You may even be able to negotiate a lower rate.
The average homeowner spends between $14,000 to build a 200- to 500-square-foot deck. The cost of your project will depend largely on the size of your deck and the building materials used.
Find Deck and Porch Builders in Your Area
5. Finish the Basement
Finishing your basement not only gives you more usable space, but it can also increase the resale value of your home. Basic costs include hanging drywall, painting, installing crown molding and flooring. The average cost to finish a basement is about $6,500 to $18,500.
Spring and summer tend to be the busiest times of year for remodeling and renovation contracts, so contractors may have greater availability during the winter months. In some cases, you may be able to negotiate a better rate.
Find Basement Finishing Contractors in Your Area
* — All pricing estimates in this article are based on HomeAdvisor's True Cost Guide, a searchable database that gives homeowners an idea how much they can expect to pay for home projects in their area.
More Home & Garden:
Home 101: Preparing Your Windows And Doors For Winter
How To Reduce Your Heating Bills (And Still Stay Warm)
The Winter Yard Work Checklist
Home 101: How To Never Lose Power
Sources:
How Much Does It Cost To Paint A Home Interior Or Room?
How Much Does It Cost To Replace Windows?
How Much Does Blown-in Insulation Cost To Install?
How Much Does It Cost To Build A Deck?
How Much Does It Cost To Finish A Basement?
