5 Easy Home Improvement Ideas For The Winter Season

Owning a home has traditionally been one of the best investments that you can make, and there’s a long-held belief that homeownership has a strong correlation with overall economic success.

However, owning a home does come with a bit more work and maintenance than other forms of lodging. If you’re renting your home or apartment and something goes wrong, it can often get resolved with a simple call to your landlord or handyman.

But when you are the homeowner, life can get more complicated if something like your sewage drain backs up into your basement or your kitchen faucet leaks. Continue reading for some easy home improvement projects you can do as a homeowner this winter.

So, How Can I Fix My House On A Small Budget?

When you own a home, your list of potential do it yourself (DIY) home improvement ideas is infinite. It seems like there’s always something that you can do to fix things in your house.

Depending on your financial situation, and home renovations list, you may want to consider a personal loan for home improvement projects—especially if you think that the savings or increased value will offset the loan interest rate.

Proper homeowner maintenance and regularly taking the time to do home improvement projects to upgrade your home is a great way to keep yourself on solid footing. Regular home renovations are also a great way to add value to your home.

And while it’s true (depending on where you live) that you may need to limit many home improvement projects to the warmer months when you can get outside, improvements can still be made. Here’s our list of five easy home improvement ideas that you can make in the winter, no matter where you live or how cold it gets outside!

1. Declutter The House

The cold winter months are a perfect time to look around the house and take stock of what’s in your house vs. what you truly need. You’re already spending plenty of time indoors, so you might as well make sure that it’s a pleasant and organized experience.

One of our home improvement ideas for winter that many parents do around the holidays is to help their kids cycle out their old toys by getting rid of one (or more) items for every holiday gift they receive. This helps to stop the seemingly inevitable growth of toys while also providing a way to give back if you’re able to donate items that are still in good condition.

Start small if the thought of parting with some of the things in your house is overwhelming. Focus on one room at a time and come up with a plan that allows you to make regular progress without feeling overwhelmed.

2. Change Out Your Cabinet Hardware

A full kitchen remodel is probably a lot to ask for in a winter project. After all, if your kitchen is in shambles, you’d have to get your meals elsewhere and that’s slightly more challenging in the colder season. So, if you’re looking to completely gut and remodel your kitchen, you’ll probably want to wait until spring or summer.

However, you can still spruce up your kitchen at a fraction of the cost by changing out kitchen cabinet hardware instead of a complete kitchen remodel. If you have an older home with cabinets that have "good bones" yet look dated or have peeling paint, consider a minor upgrade.

Simply replacing your hardware with a more modern look can make a huge difference. And it’s not just the kitchen where this tip comes in handy. This is a great idea for your bathroom, laundry room or other places in your home with cabinetry as well.

3. Touch Up Or Repaint The Inside Of Your Home

You don’t want to paint outside in the winter – the cold weather temperatures keep the paint from sealing and adhering as well as it does when it’s warmer out.

But painting the interior of your house doesn't take a lot of time and is an easy home improvement idea you can tackle during the winter months. And if you’re looking to sell your house in the near future, you’ll definitely want to go through your home and make sure that your paint job is appealing to prospective buyers.

If you have younger kids or others who are likely to make a mess or generally be harder on paint jobs and other winter home improvement projects, you might want to hold off on painting until closer to a time when you’re looking to sell. Otherwise, you may find yourself redoing the paint job anyways.

Prioritize and focus on the high-traffic areas to get the most bang for your buck.

4. Add Insulation As Needed

The wintertime is historically the time of year with the highest energy costs for gas and electric. As it gets into colder months, the furnaces kick on and the gas or electricity starts flowing!

But if you don’t have sufficient insulation in your home, you’ll lose a lot of that heat out into the air. This leads to another one of our home improvement ideas for winter – adding insulation to keep that heat inside. Homeowners will especially want to check and make sure that they have sufficient insulation in the attic, eaves, foundation and other areas that are prone to heat loss.

5. Upgrade To LED Lighting

Another one of our winter DIY home projects where you might be able to save on your ongoing energy bills is to upgrade your light fixture bulbs to LED lighting. While LED lightbulbs do have a higher upfront cost (around $8 compared to $1 or less for incandescent bulbs), they have a lower energy requirement for the same brightness. 

A 60-watt equivalent LED bulb might only draw 10 watts of energy for the same brightness, meaning that you’re paying ⅙ of the energy cost for the same amount of brightness. When you also factor in that LED bulbs can last 10 to 20 times longer than incandescent bulbs, you can see why this is an attractive and eco-friendly home improvement idea for winter.

Final Thoughts

Winter is the perfect time to visualize, declutter and add value to your space with the list home improvement projects above and more. By taking on these steps, you can feel completely energized cozying up in cold weather and adding value to your home.