Luxury Home Tips That Everyone Can Heed

The summer home is an interesting and a fascinating accessory to the wealth and assets of families everywhere. Don’t be ashamed to admit that you’ve done pretty well for yourself if you’ve got a summer home, because this means that you own multiple properties when most people only have one.

But just because you have more than one property doesn’t mean that they’re all in livable condition or the way you want them. You may read articles that talk about “luxury home tips” and ways to spruce up your other property, but they fail to motivate you or seem unrealistic. Almost as if your situation is beyond repair, reproach or within reach of the dreams you had for your summer home. Don’t worry, because it can be difficult, time-consuming, and downright tedious to have to deal with all the headaches and frustrations that come with owning and managing property even if it’s only for your recreational use and relaxation.

A summer home for many people is supposed to be a luxurious experience, but unless the house is bought that way it can be an uphill battle trying to create that experience. Many consumers will wonder “why should I remodel or upgrade anything?” after they have paid a large sum of money for a house, but it can be well worth the effort. It is extremely interesting to note that even a minor kitchen remodel usually has large returns on investment, upwards of 82%. Even something as simple as investing in garage door spring repair can make a world of a difference.

While most people are not usually thinking of quantifying the tile in their kitchens or wood for making their cabinets, as a project comes together into a kitchen, spare bedroom, or whatever your head has dreamed up you too can realize that a luxury home may be just a couple steps away.

In this article, we’re going to touch on luxury home tips that anyone can heed if they’ve got a good head on their shoulders and a little bit of patience.

Nothing Better Than a Roof Over Your Head

It’s hard to beat having a quality roof over your head, especially when the summer rain turns to thunderstorms or worse. Most luxury home tips that you find in various media will focus on the inside of the house and how to make it comfortable without giving much thought to the outside structure, specifically a prominent feature like the roof. It’s understandable, because if you don’t construct a house then you’re not usually around to see roof installation and become aware of what a substantial part of the structure it is. Once you appreciate that, it will make more sense that how you treat your roof can affect how you live and even change it for a better through residential roof restoration or building it again from scratch. Worst comes to worst, you will inspect the part of your house that keeps you safe from most elements and have some perspective.

Roofs can be made of anything durable, but most modern roofs are made of wood shingles or plastic of some sort. In rural areas and photographs, you might see a metal roof every so often that brings up nostalgia and can actually have surprising mental health benefits. The sound of rain on a metal roof is thought of as soothing by many people, and entire chapters in novels have been written about the pitter patter of a summer’s downpour.

In the summer time metal roofs conduct heat, but modern insulation can guard against this entering your home too much and save you from the horrors of sweating on your beloved couch. You may also want to consider something like adobe tiles, popular in the Southwest for repelling heat and insulating a cool structure while not breaking the bank. In fact, if you tend to look around the world you’ll see a whole host of interesting materials used as roofs to interesting degrees of success.

Cleaning Up (New and Old Messes)

If you’re not the original owner of a house, sometimes the residence has been neglected in specific areas for quite some time. While you were hopefully briefed on this by the real estate agent or former resident, laws vary by area and it may not be illegal to disclose certain things related to home maintenance because the buyer is supposed to discover them for themselves or ask. While it can be tempting to want to seek legal counsel during the inspection and buying process, it can also become expensive. Most real estate agents and home buying guides will have basic checklist of things you should look at and inspect before you buy or make an offer on a home. You should familiarize yourself with these in order of what matters to you most (some people would rather have hot water than air conditioning) and act accordingly.

It is always wise, when in the process of buying a home, to have an appraiser or other property value expert inspect the building to prepare a full and genuine report of the positive and negatives associated with the structure. However, if this moment has passed then you will simply need to take the initiative yourself to learn everything you can about what your home needs to run efficiently and comfortably, such as air conditioner installation or how to turn off the water heater when things get too wet.

These mechanical features of a home are not too difficult to learn, and there are many books as well as informational videos available for you to browse at your leisurely learning pace. There is no need to feel intimidated, because everyone was once a beginner in home ownership journey.

Sooner or later, you will need to replace something because it is broken (the opposite of luxurious). Most major jobs, such as plumbing and electrical wiring, are almost always better left to the professionals, but this doesn’t mean that they have to do a “sterile” job. There are master electricians available that can help you string up chandeliers or fake electrical candles, and plumbers that will help connect the pipes to make your dream bathroom and spa areas come true. These craftspeople, the architects of your comfortable dreams, will be able to offer practical and sensible luxury home tips while still pursuing the beauty that you desire in the final outcome.

Improvements, Novelties and More

“Improving” your home can mean many things, but most people tend to agree that upgrading the property (by objective or subjective standards) is at the heart of making improvements. One man’s art is another man’s folly, but there have certainly been whimsical looking houses that increased in value as long as they were functional or better.

When thinking about adding novelties to a house it can be helpful to think of the long term value and desirability that should result, but ultimately if you want to paint your house vibrant pink with flamingos there is little to stop you. Unless you live in an area that forbids property redesign (such as HOA or covenant neighborhoods), you’re free to modify until your heart is content and soothed with satisfaction. The benefits of having a unique summer home that might be considered “eccentric” or “odd” may also be quite freeing, depending on your personality. Not many luxury home tips get so radical with pursuing your own creativity as it relates to property management, but stranger things have been said and written.

Novelties can also be practicalities, if applied correctly. For instance, if you hired a solar contractor to install solar panels on every square inch of your roof that would certainly be a novelty in this day and age. But it would also be a practicality because it has the potential to save you enormous amounts on your electricity bill, something that’s not usually listed in articles about luxury home tips and tricks.

While they do have an initial up front cost, you may actually be able to generate so much “free” electricity from the sun that formerly silly things (such as garden fountains, nightlights or thermal tiles become easily practical with your newfound electrical freedom. The summer months may even become a breeze as it costs nothing but regular A/C maintenance to keep your house cool and dandy enough for an ice pop.

Sometimes we come upon a situation that just can’t be improved. The carpeting or wood panel in your summer residence may be past its prime and need to be discarded, but may create much more waste than you’d be able to cart away in a couple of trash bags.

In these special cases, dumpster rentals are your friend and moving services along with general contractors are your acquaintances. If you’d like to hire someone professionally to do the job there are plenty to choose from, but sometimes it can be downright interesting to tear up carpet or chip away at paint yourself with the right tools. When you only pay for a large dumpster to be delivered and hauled away, you give yourself the opportunity to learn DIY home improvement lessons while having the convenience of the mess disappearing.

But How Do You Afford It?

You’re probably reading these luxury home tips right now and thinking to yourself “well, that’s great for all the rich folk out there, but some of us are on a budget.” And while you may have had enough money to purchase a summer home, it is perfectly reasonable to assume that your budget may end there in terms of disposable income.

It’s always unfortunate when you can’t have the things you want in life immediately, but with a little planning and some know-how even the most budget conscious individuals can write their own luxury home tips without writing a major check or consulting legal counsel. Keep it simple, keep it smart, and never doubt your abilities to learn new things and apply new concepts with quality information. There are a number of banking and financial services that can help you out, along with common consumer tips to maximize dollars.

Saving the money for improving your home is always the best option, but you can also finance responsibly as well. If you belong to a credit union, you can find great interest rates and special loan packages in order to finance your luxury home repairs in a way that absolutely fits your budget. Another way is by using your lowest interest credit card to make revolving payments on your own schedule, or have parts of a job done month by month until it is completed. Of course, you can also ask people for money online or provide a good/service to obtain more money and repeat any of the steps above.

When reading about luxury home tips, one rarely ever encounters the stunning realization that luxury does not have to equal “brand new” or “brand name.” In fact, secondhand materials can be both luxurious and elegant even if they aren’t rare. These can be found from old junkyards to online secondhand shops such as eBay and Craigslist. A vintage sign hanging up in your living room may convey both style and substance without commanding the price tag associated with each. In fact, some of the most luxurious houses in the world are filled with rare items (such as an artist’s paintings) that are sought after but never priced, personal affects of the truly blessed and lively.

The Most Luxurious Thing You Can Do is Enjoy Your Home

At the end of the day, after many months (and possibly years) of remodeling, talking to experts and trying to turn your quaint residence into the castle you and your guests have always wanted…you may be thinking “what now?” The hustle and bustle of cleaning, replacing missing shingles, picking out paint colors and furniture is finally over. The last bill from the electrician and plumbers have been signed and paid off. A gentle hum that originates from the central A/C unit lets you know that your dwelling is adequately ventilated and the paint colors you’ve dutifully picked out relax you just so. Every is just so because you have made it so, but are you enjoying it? That is the real question any satisfied dreamer (yes, your remodel and improvements were once dreams) should ask themselves.

As you stand on your property and gaze at your completed castle just for you, anyone would hope that a sigh of relief and relaxation would come over you. After all, don’t you deserve it for the mental and physical effort that went into crafting this unique residence that even royalty would be fit to exist in? Something that is constantly missing from luxury home tips and other residential property advice is that you’ve got to enjoy the actual property itself. What good is it putting marble kitchen countertops into the chef’s space if you always order takeout and watch Netflix when you’re there on vacation? This should be your space to thrive, jive and live life to the fullest whether it’s by yourself or with loved ones. Sometimes, the most luxurious thing you can do is enjoy your home.