There’s nothing quite like being able to get down and dirty with your house.
While there’s never any shame in calling up a plumber or repairman for help (you can’t fix damaged pipes all by yourself), being able to pick up a few do-it-yourself skills is a fantastic way of bolstering your self-esteem and keeping you flexible. This can mean looking up drawer slides to replace that frustrating hinge in your master bedroom or becoming fluent in the art of accent lighting to transform your home. Everyone wants to be a do-it-yourself homeowner nowadays, so take your creaky bookshelf or loose doorknob as a sign it’s your turn.
Here are some tips to get you feeling comfortable around furniture knobs and pulls.
When you have an entire house to renovate, asking yourself a few questions can narrow down your search and nudge you toward that first do-it-yourself project. Which areas of the home do you frequent the most? Are you more interested in repairing damage or adding a new addition to improve your ROI? Out of the top 20 American metro areas, homeowners in San Francisco have been found to spend the most money on kitchen remodels, thanks to a recent study. This can be as much as $70,000 for a large kitchen alone.
The American kitchen cabinet industry is doing pretty well as a result. It’s projected to grow past $17 billion by the time 2021 arrives. An additional study found homeowners remodel more than 10 million kitchens, and nearly 15 million bathrooms, every single year. Cabinets alone account for anywhere from 40% to 50% of kitchen remodel costs. Even if you have big plans for the rest of your home, choosing the kitchen as your starting point can do wonders to teach you about the ins and outs of furniture knobs and pulls.
Let’s take a look at your bathroom. This remains the most common area of the home to get the renovation treatment, partially because of how often the bathroom is used and partially because of the increasing amount of people who want to age in place. According to a recent Houzz survey master bathroom remodels can cost an average of $11,000, ranging from installing a new cabinet to creating a new backsplash tile pattern for your shower. Should you look into bath hardware or try out some adjustable wood shelf brackets to store your towels? The sky’s the limit!
Cabinets are always a great place to start for their form and function. They can help free up the rest of your home for organization, they offer plenty of customization options and, most importantly, are very do-it-yourself friendly. One study found nearly 50% of Millennials being likely to choose white kitchen cabinets, compared to just 40% of Baby Boomers. Neutral colors like white, brown and gray are able to easily fit into any color scheme, though you can always buy yourself a few coats of paint alongside your furniture knobs and pulls if you’re feeling bold.
It’s time to choose your first do-it-yourself project. You’ve already walked through your home and figured out which area you’ve been aching to alter. You’ve read up on your industry statistics and found out which projects are the most popular among different demographics. It’s time to invest in some furniture knobs and pulls and get yourself an addition that’ll keep paying for itself. Cabinet runners and cabinet latches are easy to come across and even easier to install, giving you the flexibility you need to see your idea reach fruition. Who knows? You might even fall in love with the hobby.
Ready to renovate? There’s a cabinet drawer slide with your name on it!
