What is Home Improvement?
Home improvement refers to the process of renovation of the home or making some addition to the home. Home improvement can be done for both the interior and exterior. The process of home improvement includes the following:
- The upgrade of the interior such as electrical works, kitchen remodelling, plumbing works etc.
- The upgrade of the exterior of the home such as repairing the exterior walls, painting the exterior, masonry, concrete, roof works etc.
- Other improvement works may include garden works, garage works etc.
What is Kitchen Benchtops?
A kitchen benchtop is basically the horizontal work surface in the kitchen. In simple terms, the area in the kitchen where the food is prepared. Generally, these benchtops are installed upon and supported with the help of cabinets. These kitchen benchtops are positioned at such a height so as to bring complete efficiency and comfort to the working environment. They are made of various materials with different attributes of functionality, durability, and aesthetics.
The kitchen is considered to be the heart of the house and is generally the most usable part of the house. It has to undergo the most stress than any other part of the house and hence renovation or remodelling of the kitchen is required more often as compared to the other parts or rooms of the house. The kitchen benchtop is an integral part of the kitchen which needs a lot of attention to maintain properly.
Different Goals of Home Improvement
Home improvement projects are undertaken for the achievement of various goals. The different goals are described below.
1. Firstly, home improvement renders people to live and work in their comfort zone. Â This includes the following:
1. Optimizing the heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems with the latest features.
2. Bringing luxury to the rooms such as adding costly and elegant kitchen benchtops in the kitchen; adding a hot tub spa in the barroom etc.
3. To increase the capacity of electrical and plumbing systems.
4. Adding soundproofing features to the bedrooms.
5. Adding waterproofing features to the basements.
2. Next are the repair and maintenance works which include the following:
2. Different types of repair work of concrete and masonry to the foundation and the chimney of the house.
3. Repainting the full house that is the walls, rooms, and fences.
4. All the plumbing and electrical repair work.
5. Replacing or repairing the kitchen benchtops as per the requirements.
 3. Creating some additional space is another goal of remodelling the home which includes the following:
1. Transform the marginal spaces available in the house into usable spaces such as turning the basements into additional rooms, home offices etc.
2. The addition of new rooms to the house or an extremely new unit of construction to carry out other important activities.
4. Saving energy is one of the important goals to reduce the utility cost of the house to some extent. It includes the following:
1. The installation of energy-efficient systems of lighting, thermal insulation etc.
2. Using devices of solar power, wind turbines and other energy-saving devices to cut down the cost of utility bills.
5. Emergency and safety is another motive of home improvement which includes the following:
1. The introduction of fire alarms and burglar alarms into the home.
2. The addition of the fire sprinkler systems to protect the home from any fire hazards.
3. Installation of special security doors, windows, and shutters for the enhanced safety of the house and its members.
4. The addition of storm cellars to protect the house during a tornado, hurricane or thunderstorm.
5. The installation of the back – up generators in the home in case of emergency during a massive power failure.
Conclusion
Thus, it is clear that home improvement is done for a number of purposes. The kitchen being the heart of the home requires more attention and greater improvement such as replacing the kitchen benchtops, cleaning, replacing the chimney etc.
