Eight Little-Known Home Upgrades You Didn’t Know About
When it comes to home upgrades, there are always a lot of obvious goals—whether you’re looking for affordable changes with a big impact, DIY renovations that don’t require extensive building experience, or energy-efficient changes that will save you. money (and perhaps the world). But there are some home improvements that aren’t usually thought of but can still have a huge impact on your enjoyment of your property.
Doorless toilets
Your standard toilet, no matter how fancy it may be, most likely uses a flapper-style mechanism . If you look inside the tank, you will see a chain running from the handle to a rubber or plastic disc-shaped flapper that closes the release valve. When you press the handle, the chain lifts the flapper and water rushes into the bowl, triggering the flush. The flapper is one of the most common problems in a toilet: it becomes old, cracked or warped and your toilet begins to leak and run constantly.
A flapperless toilet is exactly what it sounds like: it does not use a flapper. Instead, the tank contains a container filled with water. When you press the handle, the container tips over and begins the rinsing process and then refills. It’s quieter here. uses less water and eliminates the failure-prone damper from your life.
Tandem shower heads
Whether you’re a couple who always thinks showering together is much more romantic and convenient in their minds than it is in reality, or you just want the luxury of multiple shower heads without a major plumbing project, a tandem shower head will instantly transform your shower. bla in the spa You can find them in different configurations and different styles to suit your design preferences, but the end result is a shower you’ll want to live in.
Night lights under the bed
Nightlights are nothing new, and these days you can get some fancy (and cheap!) motion-activated ones that will make stubbed toes and that weird feeling of being followed to the bathroom a thing of the past. But here’s what you’re missing: a motion-activated under-bed night light. Not only will this mark the end of barking shins when you crawl into bed hours after your partner, but it also means that if you wake up in the middle of the night to go to the toilet or drink a glass of water, you won’t have to fumble around in the dark until you get to first night light. And once again: monsters. Why not make sure no one is there without even looking? It’s just common sense.
TV backlight
If you’ve never installed a backlight behind your TV or computer monitor, your life is about to change. The backlighting of the screen reduces eye strain and improves image quality – and it just looks cool. They’re also fairly cheap and easy to install, although you can get creative and choose a system that truly syncs the colors with what’s currently displayed on your screen for a truly impressive effect. As more and more of us choose to watch movies at home rather than in noisy and uncomfortable theaters surrounded by sociopaths and influencers, this subtle update is paying off in a big way.
Soft close toilet seats
Of course, everyone loves soft close cabinets—it’s easy, cheap, and takes the noise out of your life. But why stop there? There’s another room where every interaction is accompanied by a loud, startling, heartbreaking crash: the bathroom. At least that was the case in my house, because my wife slammed that seat with a vengeance every time she walked in there.
This is why soft close toilet seats are so comfortable. It does the exact same job, is just as easy to install and looks just like any other toilet seat – it’s just quieter, providing a quieter home life.
Hidden storm door closer
If you have a storm door in your home (and you should ), you know how much of a pain pneumatic door closers can be. Calibrating these things is difficult, and you’ll spend weeks or months getting smacked by a storm door as the closer seems to randomly decide when to go from slow, graceful closing to SUDDEN AND ALARMING speed.
The worst part is how ugly they are. This is where the hidden closer comes to the rescue. You can buy a storm door model with a built-in closer ( like the one from Larson), or you can add one that sits above the door (and thus can be added to most existing doors), like this one . Either way, you’ve just made your life a little more enjoyable.
Dishwasher with two drawers
At first glance, having two dishwashers or a dishwasher like this with two drawers may seem unnecessary. But the improvement here is efficiency because you can load one drawer as you use dishes at any time, and then remove clean dishes from another as needed. And if you often have small loads because you live alone or just don’t use a lot of dishes, you can use just one drawer without feeling like a monster.
Hidden stool in the kitchen
Steps are often necessary in your kitchen because, for some reason, wall cabinets are often completely inaccessible for normal-sized people. If that’s you, and you have room in your closet for a pull-out spice rack (like this one ), then you also have room for a hidden trivet rack like this or this one . Now you can reach everything above without having to find a place to put a clunky stepladder. plus, it’s like a magic trick when you pull it out in front of guests.