The professionals at Houselift share tips for elevating your living space, like adding hard wood floors

Spruce Up Your House With These 3 Renovation Ideas

Spring is coming, and what better time than now to spruce up your abode? Taking the opportunity to renovate and reinvent comes with a host of benefits, like giving your home a fresh, new look with aesthetic appeal, and even increasing the value of your property.  However, not every house renovation is created equal, and some can be more impactful than others. For inspiration, here are three renovation ideas that are functional and reflect your personal style and taste. Update Your Kitchen The kitchen is often referred to as the heart of the home, and for good reason, where people gather to cook, eat, socialize and make lasting memories. Kitchen updates can make a big difference in the overall look and feel of your home. Consider replacing your old appliances with new stainless steel models, and add a fresh coat of paint to the cabinets to give them a new look. You can also update the cabinetry and countertops with granite or quartz, and add new tile or hardwood flooring. For the kitchen, the amount of renovation ideas is endless. Add a Bathroom Refreshing a master or guest bathroom is a go-to option if you must pick one room in...
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From Idea to Breaking Ground – Steps to Remodeling Your Home

Remodeling is a great way to invest in your home. Remodeling projects not only add property value, they can help you find greater enjoyment and better use of your space. The popularity of home improvement programming shows that many people daydream about how they’d upgrade their houses, and the renovation and remodeling industry continues to grow. When homeowners get inspired to change things up in their home, they can quickly become overwhelmed by the logistics of the project. With the right planning, pacing and professional support, remodeling can be much easier to navigate than one would expect. House Lift has provided remodeling and renovation services for more than 30 years. Keep reading to learn about the steps you can take for a smooth remodeling project, from idea to breaking ground.  1. Organize Your Inspiration Before you start sizing up your space, vetting contractors or pricing materials, it’s important to know what you want. Assess which rooms and areas of your home you’re interested in remodeling. Start by listing what you love about each existing space and what you’d like to change. This will help you prioritize your goals for your home renovation. Next, find style inspiration to inform your remodeling...
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Steps to (Finally) Finishing Your Basement

Homeowners are attracted to finishing a basement for a number of reasons. A finished basement adds usable living space to a home for recreation, exercise facilities, home bar and entertainment areas, and comfortable, private guest accommodations. Finished basements can also help homes stand out in the housing market, attracting higher offers. Finishing the basement also provides homeowners with an opportunity to check in on structural needs and important maintenance to keep the whole house in healthy shape. If finishing the basement has been on your list of things to do for a while, the remodeling and renovation professionals at House Lift have some helpful steps you can take to finally get your project moving along.  Step 1: Identify Your Goals The general idea of finishing a basement can float around for a while, but identifying the specific goals you’d like to achieve is the best way to jumpstart your project. Maybe you’re looking to add space for a growing family, have a more pleasant environment for laundry and recreation, or you’d like to create a home theatre experience. Perhaps you simply want to add resale value to your home. Whatever your needs may be, identifying your goals for your finished...
A couch with a throw blanket and text Hygge Home Ideas to Warm You Through Spring

Hygge Home Ideas to Warm You Through Spring

“Hygge” is a Danish and Norwegian word that defines the feeling of a warm, cozy, welcoming environment that inspires a sense of wellness, comfort, and conviviality. Hygge is a year-round value in Denmark and Norway, but as they enter their long dark winters, hygge goes into high gear. While Minnesota winters aren’t as intense as these northern neighbors’, we could learn a thing or two from them about how to prioritize the sense of hygge in our homes during the cold seasons. The House Lift team loves inspiring a sense of comfort in homes, and we’d love to share some hygge inspiration to make this season bright.  1. Embrace Warm Lighting Lighting has a transformative effect. Candles are considered hygge because of the gentle, warm light they provide. Proven to inspire relaxation, comfort, and light-heartedness, bringing out the candles in winter can ease the stress of cold commutes, uncooperative appliances and vehicles, and winter storms. In addition to candles, utilizing your fireplace and setting up twinkle lights are great ways to create hygge lighting and add a spirit of warmth and magic to your winter home.  2. Get Snuggly The comfort provided by blankets is so profound that’s been the...
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Boost Your Kids’ Grades with a DIY “Homework Haven.”

After school, kids need a break from work to relax, play, and eat a nutritious (or not-so-nutritious) snack. Eventually, though, it’s time for homework. With some American students being sent home with upwards of 18 hours of homework each week, it’s easy to understand why some kids struggle to complete their assignments. Studies show that students, from kindergarten through college, benefit tremendously from having a designated homework space. By turning a nook, corner, or room in your home into a dedicated schoolwork zone, you give your students a leg up in their education. Keep reading for tips on how to create a perfect “homework haven.”  1. Create a Space That Fits Your Child Just like adults, kids stay more alert and focused when working at a desk. Working at a desk that isn’t a comfortable fit, though, can be just as detrimental as working in bed or on the couch. When creating your homework haven, make sure to outfit it with a comfortable desk and chair that works ergonomically for your child’s size. Because kids grow so much each year, consider an adjustable desk that can grow with them.  2. Shine a Light on the Subject When it comes to...
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Home Improvement Projects You Can Do in a Weekend

It seems there are always improvements to be made to our homes. You might be focused on the big picture, aiming for basement renovations, new windows, or a complete home remodel. Don’t forget though that you can make big changes in just one weekend. Here are some ideas.  1. Change your backsplash.  If you’re thinking that changing the backsplash of your kitchen is a project only fit for a home remodel, there’s good news. It can be done in a weekend, without tearing out your existing backsplash. You can easily change its look by adding a fresh coat of paint. If you like a more modern look, mirrored tiles often come in adhesive sheets that can be easily applied. You can even add wood or tin.  2. Install some interior wall paneling.  Similarly to the back splash project, this is actually easier than you think. Sometimes changing the color of a room doesn’t do the trick. Instead add texture by installing paneling. Often it’s as simple as nailing it to your wall. The hardest part might be choosing the right texture and cutting out space for outlets, etc.  3. Change the entrance of your home. Add window boxes, paint your...
A House Lift Inc. features an image of a modern kitchen with text: "Tips for Spring Cleaning Your Appliances"

Tips for Spring Cleaning Your Appliances

Spring cleaning – it’s that gritty process you’re thankful only occurs once a year. But giving your house a facelift is a great way to start off the fair-weather season the right way, even if it takes some effort and a few rolls of paper towels. However, when we freshen up our homes in the springtime, we normally neglect our appliances. In fact, there may be a couple that you only clean in the case of a spill, or have never cleaned at all. But how exactly do you go about cleaning your appliances? Is it possible to do it yourself? In short, there are some easy steps you can take to spruce up the cleanliness of your kitchen appliances without hiring a professional cleaner or shelling out for expensive chemicals. Keep reading to see our top tips for cleaning out each appliance this spring: Microwave Place a microwaveable container filled with water and a few lemon wedges in the mic, and nuke it for 3 minutes. The vapor and lemon will loosen any stains and smells living in your microwave. Let it cool down, and give it a wipe. Easy peasy! Oven Similar to your new microwave strategy, place...
A House Lift Inc. blog banner features a Christmas tree with text "Ways to Prep Your Home for The Holidays"

Ways to Prep Your Home for the Holidays

The holidays are upon us here in the Twin Cities and whether you are able to celebrate with family and friends this year or your holiday plans have been postponed, what better way to add some cheer to the season with some easy home upgrades and festive decor!  Here are 3 ways to prep your home for the holidays: Winter Cleaning Giving your home a deep clean prior to the arrival of guests goes a long way. Of course cleaning the main rooms of the house where guests will congregate first will allow you to feel more prepared, but doing a deep clean on corners and closets and other out-of-sight locations will help relax your mind so you can focus on spending quality time with your family, rather than worrying about what the guests think of your home. A clean home promotes a sense of well-being that will carry over into your holiday. Consider it your early spring cleaning.  Stock Up On Supplies To avoid the unwanted stress of holiday shopping, try stocking up on necessary items well in advance. Items ranging from food, to household supplies, to holiday gifts can be purchased before the holiday season so that when...
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How To Organize Your Closet

As we transition into the fall and back-to-school, it’s important to keep a tidy closet space to stay organized. Here’s some tips from House Lift to organize your closet: Design Your closet space should work for you and your family’s lifestyle. Consider if you want a walk-in, California, or hidden closet, ask yourself the following questions to see what kind of closet you need: What are your style needs? How do you plan to use your closet? How will your family use the closet? Is your family messy or organized? Do you value function or style more? Organize If you create places for all of the things in your closet it makes it easier to clean and creates a more tidy look. Try shelf dividers to keep your folded shirts, organize jewelry on a jewelry tree, install a pegboard on the wall for backpacks or raincoats, find a shoe rack to lift shoes off the floor, or buy matching storage boxes to hide sweatshirts, scarves, or sunglasses. Simplify The easiest way to streamline your closet is to invest in hangers that match. Matching hangers not only tie your closet together, but also highlight your wardrobe. If you or your kids...
A House Lift Inc. of the Twin Cities features an image of a large Spanish styled home with adobe roof and text "4 Summer Home Improvement Projects"

4 Summer Home Improvement Projects

The first day of summer is this Saturday and it’s already warm and sunny in Minnesota. If you’ve been thinking about tackling a few home improvement projects this summer, now’s the time to do it! Here are four summer home improvement projects to think about: 1. Powerwash Your Home’s Exterior Give your walkways and home exterior the high-power shower that they need, just make sure to follow the sprayer’s instructions to prevent any damage to your siding. The summer months are especially perfect for power washing your home as the sun rises earlier and goes down later. The extra hours in the day allows more time to get the job done, and this means more time to enjoy the outdoors. 2. Replace Your Windows Old windows cause major heat loss during the winter months, which results in higher heating bills and lower levels of comfort in the home. If your last summer’s caulking of the windows didn’t stop the chill in the winter, it may be time to call a professional to replace your windows this summer. 3. Re-side Your Home Nothing increases curb appeal quite like new siding. The right style transforms your house into the best looking house...