As we spend more time at home waiting out the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s a great time to make home improvements. Sprucing up your home can make your family more comfortable and add to your home’s resale value. Here are some home improvements you may want to consider making.

Add a deck

Adding a deck to your home gives you more outdoor living space to enjoy with your family. Add a patio set and you’ve got a great place to dine al fresco once the weather warms up. You can set up a screen and projector to bring movie nights outdoors. If you do it safely, you can even add a small firepit to your outdoor setup to extend the time you can spend outdoors into fall and winter months. If you do add a fire pit, be sure to invest in a spark screen and protective fire pit pad. Be sure to place the pit at least 10 feet from your home.

Replace your roof

Replacing your roof may not seem like the most fun home improvement, but it adds value to your property. According to HomeAdvisor, adding a new roof to your home can increase the resale value by as much as $12,000.

“The value isn’t so much in a new roof as it is in a roof that lasts,” says Ray Milano, founder and owner of 9Hammers LLC. “I’m a certified roof inspector and master certified installer. Having an intimate understanding of roof systems and what happens over time, the best value you can add to a home is peace of mind. You’ll find that in a manufacture’s workmanship warranty, offered by a master certified company, 100 percent of these warranties may be transferred to the next owner. This saves homeowners the expense of fixing issues that arise over time.”

Paint the interior

A simple and inexpensive way to spruce up your home is with a fresh coat of paint. If you’re getting tired of the same old scenery, switch up the colors when you paint your home. Let your kids makeover their bedrooms with a fun color, a bright accent wall, a mural or even a chalkboard wall. If you plan to stay in your home for a while, you can play more with color and repaint once you plan to sell. If you plan to sell in the near future, you’ll want to keep your color palette more neutral.

Add a playroom or sunroom

Adding a playroom or sunroom to your home can give your family more room to spread out. If you feel like toys are taking over your home, having a dedicated space for your kids to play can help. Adding space can give you extra room, which can help if you have multiple family members working or attending virtual school from home.

Upgrade your kitchen

Remodeling your kitchen can give you a comfortable place to prepare food and eat with your family. It can also increase the value of your home. Adding newer, more energy-efficient appliances can help make your cooking more efficient, save you money on energy bills and decrease your carbon footprint.

“You’ve often heard that the kitchen is the heart of the home,” says Wendy Shiflett, owner of Kitchen Krafters, “That is so true because it’s a gathering place for most families. Upgrading a kitchen will add value to your home in more ways than just an increased selling price. When a kitchen is designed in a way that fits your personality, the homeowner enjoys that space much more, so there is just an overall sense of happiness while being in it.”

And Shiflett has some added advice when it comes to kid-friendly kitchen upgrades.

“Regarding children in the kitchen, countertops with rounded edges are safest for them,” she adds. “Also, upgrading to a quartz countertop gives parents a sense of relief when drinks are spilled...because quartz is virtually indestructible. Another idea in the kitchen for small children is having a cabinet of their very own at their eye level. It gives them the ability to reach their snacks or crafts, and they love it!”