It doesn’t take a genius to know people are spending a ton of money on their homes. The quest to bring a mid-century home or a 30-year split-level home into the 21st-century is a noble endeavor. The TV shows that show people how to do that are the new reality rock stars. It’s true. Carpenters, plumbers, and home-décor experts are rock stars in the home improvement industry, and people can’t get enough of them. The show “Fixer Upper” made a couple in Waco, Texas instant home improvement heroes, and the “Texas Move and Flip” show is giving people hope that their two or three-bedroom cookie-cutter home can be showplace if they follow the advice of these modern-day entrepreneurs.
The home improvement industry is big. The total expenditures for improvements and maintenance in 2011 was $275 billion. But in 2016, the home improvement market hit an all-time-high of more than $300 billion. So, what is fueling this desire to turn a home into a dream castle? What is fueling this urge to take out a second mortgage and finish a basement, or drain a savings account to convert an attic into a bedroom and bathroom hideaway? The main reason is the rapid appreciation in property prices. Plus, there is a greater interest in moving thanks to high-paying tech and service jobs. The supplies and materials people need to remodel a kitchen or a bathroom are front and center in stores like Home Depot and Lowes. And the house flipping craze is making people think twice about putting their money in a low-interest bank savings account. This is the age to take risks and to turn homes into private sanctuaries that protect, serve, and satisfy owners and investors.
And it’s not just floors, doors, and ceilings that are in remodel mode. New window treatments are a good way to add a touch of newness to an aging home. But not all window treatments are 21st century worthy. The flippers and the real estate investors know window shutters add more to a home than the old vinyl blinds of yesteryear. Wood and vinyl window shutters keep homes cool in the summer and warm in the winter, but they also do more than that. Window shutters give aging homes an inexpensive modern facelift. People who want to keep the world out and style in, choose wood or vinyl shutters that complement their new decorating ideas. All the home improvements experts do is click to find out more about the versatility and the ambiance that shutters bestow on a home. The first click usually takes homeowners to theshutterstore.com.
The home improvement market is on fire, and according to Harvard University’s leading remodeling indicator, the home improvement market is going to stay hot through 2017. Lowes and Home Depot are turning in record profits thanks to the people who want to change a floor plan to an open concept look or turn a garage into a man cave. There is nothing more satisfying that doing remodeling work without a contractor, but not everyone is that daring when it comes to knocking down walls and doing electrical work.