Life is full of win-win opportunities. These are great because they propel you forward so much faster. But you need to believe that they exist, actively look for them and take full advantage of each one.
One example is pushing yourself to learn new skills. It is beneficial on many levels. It helps to keep you mentally and physically active and, of course, you can use what you have learned to earn money. The best type of new skill acquisition is the kind that enables you to fix things at the same time. Home improvement projects certainly tick that box. Here are a few that can provide you with skills that are very much in demand.
Installing skirting boards
A lot of people would like to install brand new skirting boards in their homes, but don´t because they think it is a job that only a carpenter can do. In the past, that assumption would have probably been a valid one. Old-fashioned wooden skirting can be difficult to work with. It was knotty, had a strong grain and could easily warp. So, it tended to come away from the wall and need re-seating.
Modern MDF skirting has none of those problems. It is super easy to cut and much lighter. Most people find that they can fit it themselves provided they have a good instructional video to follow. Once you have done it yourself you will find that there are plenty of people that are happy to pay you a good rate to do it for them as well.
Learn to paint your home quickly
One of the worst things about having a room painted is the upheaval that it causes. If you do it the traditional way the whole area can be out of action for a couple of days.
Clearing the room, rubbing down and masking up can easily swallow up the first day. Painting can take a morning and putting everything back the whole afternoon. Unfortunately, there is no easy way to get some of those tasks done.
Rubbing down is always going to be time-consuming. But there are ways to shave hours off the whole process. This article shows you how painting contractors do it. They have come up with approaches that mean you do not need to use masking tape and can potentially paint the walls in less than an hour. If you can get your times down to the point where the room is ready to use for when everyone returns from work, people will pay well for that service.
Do your own gardening
Not everyone likes gardening. But again, doing it is very good for you. Numerous studies show that this is the case. You can read about the many benefits here.
The more you do the better you get at it and the more in-demand your skills will become. In a world with an aging population, people who are not afraid of manual work are going to be very much in demand. Over recent years, in countries like the UK, many jobbing gardeners have been able to double their hourly rate and are still swamped with work. People´s grass needs to be cut regardless of whether they are fit enough to do it themselves. So, in many areas, the demand is strong, and you can now command a fair price for your labor.