With winter
already rearing its snowy head, one’s mind naturally turns to cold-weather pursuits.Cocoa by the fireside.
Building snowmen. Ice skating. And, of course, household projects.With people likely to spend less time
indoors as the snow flies and the wind whips around, wintertime can prove a valuable opportunity for
homeowners to undertake projects that can add value to their residences.The projects can be anything from
improving the look of your home to cutting down on utility bills."They update some of their painting
and that’s when they clean their cabinets," and make other plans, said Carol Tolles, manager of Ace
Hardware in Bowling Green.Kim Beach, an interior designer with Homeworks Decorating Center, also noted that
interior painting can be done in the winter, including "just getting things up to date and refresh some
things.""And it seems a lot of people are doing window treatments," like adding blinds, said
Beach, "and that can add value as well as they can help the current homeowner" with heating
costs."They offer really good insulating value."Flooring projects are also possibilities.One
popular option: "A lot of people are doing engineered woods as well as a product called LVT, it’s
luxury vinyl tile."The tile, she said, can be especially valuable in the winter months because it
acclimates to the temperature of the room "so when you step on it, you don’t freeze your
toes."Julie Iler of Newlove Realty suggested giving some attention to two critical rooms in the
house."One of the things I would suggest first off is … go in your bathroom and your kitchen because
those are two main rooms in your house that people put an emphasis on" when they consider purchasing
it.Consider changing out faucets for more modern fixtures, updating cabinets and counter tops, and other
details."Really, counter tops are not that expensive to freshen up a kitchen," she said.Bob Allen
of A.A. Green Realty also suggested work in kitchens and bathrooms, and suggested possibilities for
repainting."If you are, say, thinking about selling in the near future, say you have colors that might
not appeal to everyone. You might what to do some neutral colors for the home. It gives people a better
feeling of what they can do to the home.”Scott Staunton, flooring supervisor at Home Depot in Bowling Green,
suggested a variety of winterization and energy efficiency efforts in the home, including hot water blankets
to better insulate water heaters, insulating film for windows, and insulating tape for pipes.Additionally,
adding decorative elements can be an option.Staunton said that one such option is a mosaic backsplash for
counter tops.“That’s kind of a big thing into the home improvement shows right now,” he said.“It’s not that
expensive and just a little bit of elbow grease and you really have a nice project with a backsplash.”