Your house is your castle. It should feel comfortable, relaxing, and peaceful. If you aren’t experiencing these feelings in your own home, it’s probably a sign that there’s room for improvement.
How to Make Your House More Comfortable
Comfort is in the eye of the beholder. (Or, in this case, the homeowner.) What makes other homeowners comfortable isn’t always going to make you comfortable, and vice versa.
That being said, there are several ways you can make your house feel more like your home. Here are a few recommended upgrades:
1. Add Some Rugs
If you’re like most people, you spend most of your time inside walking around with bare feet or socks. This means your flooring choices – whether it’s carpet, hardwoods, tile, etc. – have a big impact on the feel of your home. One easy way to make a space feel more relaxing and homey is by adding area rugs.
Rugs can be integrated into any space, including carpeted rooms. The goal is to provide some extra cushion while also adding more texture and dimensionality.
2. Upgrade Your Lighting
Nobody likes harsh, white lighting. Light that’s too white makes your house look more like a doctor’s office than a home. Thankfully, this is an easy fix.
Upgrading your lighting doesn’t usually require that you replace the light fixtures. Instead, simply swap out the bulbs. The warmest light tends to fall in the 2700K – 3000K range. (Most bulbs advertise the color temperature directly on the package. Look for it when buying.)
3. Upgrade to Heated Bathroom Floors
We all start and end the day in our bathroom. It’s where you get ready in the morning, and where you start your nightly bedtime routine. If you want to make your bathroom feel more comfortable and luxurious, we recommend considering heated floors.
Heated bathroom flooring systems warm the tile via heating cables, strips, or membranes that are installed beneath the flooring. The temperature can be controlled via a simple switch or knob on the wall. The average price for a basic system is $5 to $12 per square foot, while more advanced systems cost somewhere between $15 to $20 per square foot.
4. Install Bidet Seats
Speaking of comfortable bathrooms, have you ever considered upgrading your toilet seat?
Don’t worry, we’re not talking about rewinding to the late 1980s and installing a cushioned toilet seat. We’re talking about getting a bidet seat!
Bidet seats are simple bidets that attach directly to your existing toilet seat and provide a bidet wash after using the restroom. These attachments are available for as little as $40. This makes it one of the most cost-effective upgrades you can invest in.
5. Build a Screened Porch
Outdoor living is something almost every homeowner (and home-buyer) is looking for these days. But not just any outdoor living will do. If it’s a hot deck that bakes in the summer sun, it won’t get much use. Or if it’s a cold patio that’s tucked away on the side of your house without sunlight, you’re probably not going to hang out there during the winter months. Comfort is the key to outdoor living.
Screened porches are probably the most comfortable type of outdoor living. They include a roof to protect from the elements and screens to keep bugs out. At the same time, they allow slight breezes to blow in and don’t obstruct your view into the outdoors. A screened porch can also be equipped with fans for the summer time and heaters/fireplaces for the winter months.
If you have an existing deck or patio, you may be able to take that footprint and turn it into a screened porch for a fraction of the cost of building a new one from scratch. Consult with a contractor to see if this works.
Putting it All together
If you’re uncertain of where to start, think about where you spend most of your time. If all of your time is spent in your bedroom and kitchen, focus on these rooms. Or if you work from home and spend 10 to 12 hours per day in a home office, it would make sense to prioritize this room. Use the tips mentioned above as inspiration for getting started, but make sure you tailor your approach to your lifestyle and expectations.
