Many people press pause as the year ends with the only plan “cast in concrete” being to do a small home clean-up to get ready for a new year. If you are on such a spruce-up spree, know that a small-scale remodelling project or series of DIY fixes, can unlock new value for home and property owners.
From reworking a living room wall into a feature wall with clean-cut cement shelving to refreshing showers or water features with new fittings, there is fresh face value and actual property value in making minimalistic renovation moves. Here are six handy home upkeep ideas from the Sephaku Cement team to tide you over this Festive Season of happy tidings.
1. Get fixed on alternate fixtures From bath showerheads to new basin plugs and cupboard or door handles – even quirky front door knockers – there are wonderful ideas that fit into small renovation budgets. Fixtures are all about the finer details in your home décor and by giving a few of these a facelift has the power to add a touch of care and character to the house.
2. Step up for floor fixesFloors take our heavy-duty foot fall daily and occasionally, need some TLC, which could take the form of filling in floorboards that have lifted at high traffic doors, or pressure cleaning tiles to restore them to their out-the-box newness. There may also be a broken or chipped tile or two that can be replaced from your extra tiles in storage.
3. Open floor space with open shelving Don’t underrate the importance of floor space in the value of a home. While a tidy room with uncluttered room to move around in is important for family sanity, an open and clear floor does wonders to make anyone feel more tranquil. Sometimes opening up closed in cupboards makes small rooms, such as kitchens or bathrooms, feel more spacious. Open shelving with a single flower vase or a simple incense burner or favourite book (even a few best books from each of your family) on it adds your very own personality to your personal space.
4. Get lit with new light When you work with natural light, you are working with a first prize option to brighten and lighten a living space. Sometimes something as basic as removing block out curtains to replace them with light streaming voile makes miraculous new light flow into a room. Other times, adding a standing light can raise the feeling of warmth in a room that always feels cold. For load shedding times, there are elegant candles to keep things bright despite the darkness.
5. Relook spaces with mirrors whether reframed or repainted frames, a renovated mirror shares immense value in a home or within a garden space. Mirrors make a space appear bigger than it is and if you get the angle just right, reflect your favourite tree or painting or staircase curve. As a rule, bathroom mirrors show wear and tear around the edges after some time, making them an ideal makeover candidate. Chalk paint can overhaul a mirror frame fantastically. Overall, do not underestimate the value of a new coat of paint on that “sad” wall in your house as there are often many new paints, colours, textures and methods to try out.
6. Reopen a closed over fireplace If you are lucky enough to have an original fireplace hidden behind a wall or a bare wall with a hole in it, you could reintroduce or introduce a new fireplace to the room. Even if it is summer, family time around a crackling fireplace on a rainy season evening is sure to be a special time. There are cast-iron models and beautiful grates available at building or decor shops for rather reasonable prices. There are many more small-big ideas available online or in building and garden shops. Ideas that are not only fun for you to try alone but for the whole family to get involved in, with the outcome being the creation of living spaces that express who you are as a family – and the love you share for your home. In the Sephaku Cement family, what we share is a love for the ever handy, ever- present way in which our diverse ranges of cement types can ground or shape any of your renovation or remodelling projects.