Home Improvement: More Than Mere 'House' Improvement

by Daniel P. Taverne

It’s Saturday morning, the sun is shining through your kitchen window and painting itself on the floor.. You pour yourself a steaming cup of coffee and step outside on your new brick patio. As you look down at the basket weave pattern , you remember back when just a few short weeks ago this space was a jumble of rocks and weeds. In other words, the space was ugly. While deeply inhaling the crisp morning air, you sit down at your new patio table and watch Cardinals and Chick-a-Dee’s playing tag with the feeder you hung from the roofs edge about 20 feet away. Finally, as you take a sip you think to yourself, “Almost paradise.”

Although this is quite a fantasy, it is not a description of impossibilities. As a matter of fact, this scenario could become a familiar one if you have the imagination, money and desire.

When considering what modifications to make to your home, keep in mind that what you are doing is called ‘home improvement’, not ‘house improvement’. Thinking about how you are going to change your home, improve your home in such a way as to promote happiness and contentment to all your homes members will help you decide what you want to do.

As in the above scenario, a patio is a great way to improve the home for all of its members. Years of cook-outs with friends and family are certainly made for, with and by all. Maybe you’ll decide to enlarge your home by adding a room. This benefits everyone by creating more space. Adding a family ‘game room’ is a popular improvement choice especially with kids. Speaking from experience, kids look forward to many hours of play not only with siblings and friends, but with parents as well. This kind of room when utilized to spend meaningful time with your kids is worth its weight in gold because spending time with your kid’s influences who they are and who they become. Also you’ll get a chance to know your kids when parents of other kids are still struggling, wishing they knew theirs as well as you know yours.

Home improvement could even be a garden where all members of the home get a say in what is planted and everyone participates in tending to it. Then, after much attention and nurturing everyone who participated in the gardens growth gets to benefit from it by enjoying its beauty or eating the vegetables that grow from it.

Fortunately, the amount of money you spend on your home improvement project is not a reflection of how well your home has been improved. In fact, I know a family who lives in a mobile home, and the dad built an 8’X10’ front porch for less than $150.00 . Since built I’ve observed his family sitting out there (on many occasions) laughing, playing cards, talking and eating. I think they got a lot of 'home' improvement for very little money.

Choosing home improvements not only improve your immediate home, by virtue of time spent and lessons learned, they improve the future homes of your children. Your children learn the value of spending time with their kids, they learn patients, how to plan projects and they learn that home improvement is much better than mere house improvement.