Being a homeowner can be overwhelming, but also exciting as you start to get the “home improvement itch.”

Whether you need to repair and fix areas of your home or are simply wanting to personalize it and make it your own, home improvement is the only way you’ll turn your house into a home.

Below you’ll find a list of 10 home improvement tips every homeowner needs to hear.

1. Take Care of the Basics

When you become a homeowner, you become responsible for a lot of little things you have to maintain in a home.

The first step to any task in home improvement is ensuring all the basics are taken care of. This means you are responsible for ensuring that all electrical, plumbing, heating/cooling, etc. are maintained, safe, and up-to-code.

You should regularly maintain outlets, water-heaters, vents and ducts, drains, wiring, air filters, and other parts of the house that are required to maintain its integrity.

2. Choose The Work Wisely (and Financially)

If you want to take on a big project, try to choose wisely.

You should choose projects that add the most value to your home and consider whether it will provide you with a decent return on investment should you choose to sell the house.

Certain improvements to your home will add more value than others, like refinishing floors, adding/remodelling bathrooms, and updating the kitchen.

Try to tackle the largest projects first, as your budget will need to be most-flexible with those particular improvements.

If you don’t have the money for that, consider cash-out refinance loans.

3. Create and Save Lists for Continuous Projects

Owning a home comes with a lot of regular responsibility and as stated in the home improvement tips above, you must tend to a lot of small tasks.

Home improvement involves repairing, fixing, changing, and updating anything in your home. Believe it or not, you do this every day.

Throughout the year, you’ll need to maintain your home and creating lists is the easiest way to ensure you remember.

For example, your home may need storm windows for the winter and new screens for the summer. You may need to clean gutters, schedule maintenance for your heating/cooling unit, etc. Trying creating (and storing away) lists for various parts of the year, to ensure your home gets the improvements it needs.

4. Find Your Inspiration

The wide world of the internet lets you find just about anything you need. Use this resource to find inspiration and more home improvement tips.

You may know which area of the home you want to work on. Or have general ideas of what you want, but you’d be surprised how minute details can be during home improvement.

Look at pictures, watch videos, read magazines, and look at paint-colors to create a complete “picture” of what you want your project to look-like.

This gives you focus and ambition; and let’s face it. It’s also really fun.

5. Do The Research and Get the Right Tools

No matter what kind of home improvement project you want to start tackling, you need to do some research beforehand. Follow these home improvement tips. But also read books, watch videos, and enlist the help of family and friends with the knowledge you need.

Create a detailed plan or instructions for the project and ensure you check multiple sources for verification. Especially when it comes to projects involving electrical, plumbing, or structural integrity.

Once you know what project you are starting, you’ll need the necessary tools.

When you research your project, make a list of the tools you need. Though homeowners should have a supply of standard tools for maintaining a home, you will probably need to purchase tools and supplies specific to your project.

6. Know Your Limits

You may think you can do every project in your home, but that may just not be possible. You need to know when to enlist help, whether it’s from your friends and family, or from professionals.

Plumbing, electrical, and structural projects should not be taken lightly. Do not feel ashamed when a project is too large for you to handle on your own.

7. Prioritize Your List

When it comes to home improvement, nothing can be done overnight. Make a list of everything you want to accomplish, no matter how big or small it is. Prioritize these tasks and start with the most necessary.

Try to accomplish smaller, less-necessary tasks in-between the large projects to help you cross items off your list quicker. Also, try to ensure you take care of tasks that need to be done first, over tasks you want to be done first.

8. Have a Plan A, B, and C

Nothing ever goes quite as planned and you’ll have to accept this as a homeowner. Whatever project you begin will probably change many times by the time you finish, and you should plan accordingly.

If you cannot get the supplies you plan for, what will you do? What if your budget does not allow for what you desire? Take all of these things into consideration, follow these home improvement tips and create more than one plan for a project.

9. Create Space for Relaxation

As a homeowner, of course, you’ve thought about everyone’s bedrooms, the kitchen, the living room, and all the other basics. But don’t forget to make relaxation and downtime a project-priority.

Many homeowners focus on projects that improve the appearance to guests and people that see their home. Do not forget that you and your family are the ones living in the home, so you need to be comfortable and relaxed living there.

Try making your own unique space for relaxing, whether it’s a reading nook, meditation area, or even just a corner for a massage chair. Never forget that your home is about you and your happiness.

10. Don’t Forget The Outside

You may spend so much time thinking of what you want to do to the inside, you may have completely forgotten that your house has an outside too.

Maintaining the exterior of your home and its landscaping is a homeowner’s responsibility and those projects should be a priority on your list. Whether your home needs an exterior touch-up or some new flowers, the outside of your home should look just as nice as the inside.

Home improvement projects can be daunting and tiresome, but also exciting and rewarding.

As a homeowner, you are afforded the responsibility and luxury of improving your home. Follow the home improvement tips and tricks you’ve seen here today and you’ll become a master at home improvement in no-time.