Affordable Ways to Make Your New House Feel Like Home

You know that moving into a new home can be one of life's biggest stressors - the packing, the paperwork, the unpacking, finding the nearest coffee shop ...  even though numbers are down, 35.2 million Americans changed residences in 2008, according to a report by the U.S. Census Bureau. Yet there are many ways to make your new house feel like home sooner than later.

One of the easier and inexpensive ways to create your own sense of space is to bring items from your previous residence to your new home, but adapt them for a different or a new use in the process. This has come to be known as “adaptive re-use."

This “adaptive re-use” can be something as simple as placing a coffee table or end table that previously was a part of your living room in the old location into the family room in your new dwelling.

On a slightly more involved level, you can use the fabric from a window treatment in your original home to upholster the dining room chairs in the new place.

Adaptive re-use also involves using items from local design consignment shops or thrift stores. Shops such as these often carry high-quality, gently-used items, available at a fraction of their original cost.  Not only are you finding affordable ways to claim your new space as your own, but you are doing so in a “green,” ecologically responsible way.

There’s a subtle “comfort level” that comes with bringing items from your previous residence; it helps ease the psychological stress you and your family may not even realize has begun affecting you as you settle into a new and unfamiliar place.

There’s an additional concept called “biophilic design,” which recognizes the inherent need of humans to interact and affiliate with nature.  This helps individuals to maintain optimum health and well-being.  Bring a bit of the outdoors inside; don’t neglect a good view you may have to the outdoors.  In fact, find a way to accentuate it, perhaps by placing a couch or chair near a window that affords a comforting look at your favorite section of yard or garden.

This may seem overwhelming, but making your house feel like a home sooner rather than later will help you enjoy time in your new home instead of worrying about it. Your local Handyman Matters can help you hang pictures, mirrors, paint or anything else to make your new house feel like a home. Contact Handyman Matters today to start enjoying your home, click here to find a location near you or call our local Office at 281-358-6666..

Courtesy of ARAcontent