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Home improvement is the process ofrenovating, making improvements or making additions to one's home.[1] Home improvement can consist ofprojects that upgrade an existing home interior (such as electrical and plumbing), exterior (masonry, concrete, siding, roofing) or other improvements to the property (i.e. garden work or garage maintenance/additions). Home improvement projects can be carried out for a number of different reasons; personal preference and comfort, maintenance or repair work, making a home bigger by adding rooms/spaces, as a means of saving energy, or to improve safety.[2]
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While "home improvement" often refers to building projects that alter the structure of an existing home, it can also include improvements to lawns, gardens, and outdoor structures, such as gazebos and garages. It also encompasses maintenance, repair, and general servicing tasks. Home improvement projects generally have one or more of the following goals:[citation needed]
Maintenance projects can include:
Additional living space may be added by:
Homeowners may reduceutility costs with:
The need to be safer or for betterprivacy oremergency management can be fulfilled with diversified measures which can be improved, maintained or added.Secret compartments andpassages can also be conceived forprivacy andsecurity.
Home orresidential renovation is an almost $300 billion industry in the United States,[5] and a $48 billion industry in Canada.[6][full citation needed] The average cost per project is $3,000 in the United States and $11,000–15,000 in Canada.
Professional home improvement is ancient and goes back to the beginning of recorded civilization. One example isSergius Orata, who in the 1st century B.C. is said by the writerVitruvius (in his famous bookDe architectura) to have invented thehypocaust. The hypocaust is an underfloor heating system that was used throughout theRoman Empire in villas of the wealthy. He is said to have become wealthy himself by buying villas at a low price, addingspas and his newly invented hypocaust, and reselling them at higher prices.[7]
Perhaps the most important or visible professionals in the renovation industry are renovation contractors or skilled trades. These are thebuilders that have specializedcredentials, licensing and experience to perform renovation services in specificmunicipalities.
While there is a fairly large "grey market" of unlicensed companies, there are those that have membership in a reputable association and/or are accredited by a professional organization. Homeowners are recommended to perform checks such as verifying license and insurance and checking business references prior to hiring a contractor to work on their house.
Lifestyle publications often provide guidance for homeowners on budget-conscious upgrades, emphasizing strategies to refresh living spaces quickly and affordably.[8]
Because interior renovation will touch the change of the internal structure of the house, ceiling construction, circuit configuration and partition walls, etc., such work related to the structure of the house, of course, also includes renovation of wallpaper posting, furniture settings, lighting, etc.
Aggregators are companies that bundle home improvement service offers and act as intermediary agency between service providers and customers.
Home improvement was popularized on television in 1979 with the premiere ofThis Old House starringBob Vila on PBS. American cable channelHGTV features many do-it-yourself shows, as does sister channelDIY Network.[9]Danny Lipford hosts and produces the nationally syndicatedToday's Homeowner with Danny Lipford.Tom Kraeutler andLeslie Segrete co-host the nationally syndicatedThe Money Pit Home Improvement Radio Show.
Movies that poked fun at the difficulties involved include:Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House (1948), starringCary Grant andMyrna Loy;George Washington Slept Here (1942), featuringJack Benny andAnn Sheridan; andThe Money Pit (1986), withTom Hanks andShelley Long. The sitcomHome Improvement used the home improvementtheme for comedic purposes.
Media related toHome improvement at Wikimedia Commons
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