As remodeling season kicks into high gear, we asked Laura Orfield-Skrivseth, co-owner of Orfield Design & Construction, Inc., to give us her list of small projects that create a big difference in a home. While she recommends many of these projects to home owners who are looking to resell their home, Orfield-Skrivseth encourages her clients to do remodeling projects sooner than later, so they can get enjoyment out of the work without the additional stress of worrying about the housing market.
“The one thing I have heard over and over from clients who do these projects to sell their homes is ‘why didn’t we ever do this when we lived here?’ Don’t wait for resell if there’s no reason for it- do it now, make it tangible and then it will automatically be ready to go when the time for resell does come,” she says.
Her list of small projects for big impact includes:
- Adding cabinets and upgrading appliances
- Removing outdated wallpaper, trim and window treatments
- Adding a front door awning, shutters and window box
- Changing closet doors and painting outdated trim and woodwork
- Refinishing old stairs
- Adding an egress window
- Removing partial walls, changing flooring and opening a stair wall
- Changing light fixtures and rearranging furniture