Page 96 - South Mississippi Living - March, 2021

HOME & GARDEN
THE HOME YOU’RE IN
Sooner or later most of
us do it. We need more space, or we need our spaces to work di erently, or we are just tired of our house looking tired. We bite the bullet and decide it’s time to renovate.
It doesn’t matter if you need extensive construction or just a modernizing makeover, renovating a home requires a lot of thoughtful planning, wise nancial decision making, and a high tolerance for dust and disruption. Our home is the biggest asset most of us have. We buy a home and hope that over the years it will not only grow in market value but that it will support the lifestyle we want for our family. We think about the spaces our children will need to thrive, we dream about making memories around family events, and we consider how we will spend our days once the birds have left the nest. And as much as we plan, we can’t always see what’s coming down
the road. Our homes need to change as our needs change. Even if we were lucky enough to have purchased the perfect home way back when, it needs to be maintained and updated.
Time and again we see people deciding to renovate their home right before they sell it. They know they need to update and take care of neglected maintenance but spending money on their home for themselves seems out of the question. But if you have great neighbors and your
home has great bones, why not spend
the money while you live there and you can enjoy it? We can’t tell you how many times we have heard, “I wish I had done this years ago.” Don’t overlook the value of living in a home you love. Create a place you enjoy so much you’d spend your vacation money on it because relaxing
at home feels like you are already on vacation.
Renovations of any size cost money, but there are ways to save and still achieve your goals. There is work you can do yourself, you can complete a renovation in phases, or you can choose less expensive options that will have the impact you are looking for.
Let’s talk about the bones rst. Changing the paint colors on your home’s exterior is super easy. Everyone seems to be painting their brick nowadays and if you feel left out, go ahead. It’s a classic Southern look. Replacing old windows and exterior doors with more energy e cient ones pays o in a short period of time. Adding high performance insulation can also create savings each month and will add long term value to your home.
Inside, non-load bearing walls are fairly