With the weather warming up and spring upon us, you may feel the urge of the “nesting instinct.” Somehow, the warm sun of spring has awakened in you the need to tackle some summer home improvement projects, but you are unsure where to start. What should your home improvement project be? Do you have the necessary resources to hire professionals to do the work, or do you want to tackle everything yourself?
Successful home improvement projects cannot do without a good plan and a budget. Without a plan and a budget to match, you may find that you will start a project only to find halfway, that you don’t have the necessary skills to do it well, or that you have run out of money to buy supplies, or that the project does not add any value to your property. So, how can you budget for summer home improvement projects?
Plan First
When drawing up a plan, consider what part of the house you need to improve and how much money you must spend on renovations. A renovation can cost as little or as much as you want. Bear in mind that the amount in your budget will affect the extent of the upgrades you can make.
Once you walked around your home and jotted down all things that need fixing or upgrading, you need to prioritize what is the most important project that will add the most value to your home and increase your enjoyment of living in it.
When you decide on your summer home improvement projects, you need to consider what it will cost and whether you have the money. To price a project as accurately as possible, you will need to consider what materials you will need and their cost, how long the renovation will take, and whether you can do the work yourself or if will you need the help of contractors.
Once you have done your planning, you can jump in to start your summer home improvement projects. Here are some examples of projects you can do in summer.
Clean Up Your Yard
Cleaning up the yard after the ravages of the long winter months is a must in the spring, and sprucing up your yard can become one of your summer home improvement projects. Getting the yard in good shape will increase the curb appeal of your property and give you a welcoming place to hang out with your family on those hot summer days and evenings. The budget cost will depend on what you want to accomplish with the makeover.
Make sure your grass has survived the winter and will grow nice, green, and lush once the snow melts and the days warm. Nothing beats sunbathing on a beautifully kept lawn in summer. Check for any developing brown or bald patches where the grass has died during winter. These unsightly brown stains will spoil the look and feel of your yard.
Contact your local lawn care company if you are unsure whether all your grass has survived and is about to start growing, transforming your brown, muddy lawn area into a luxurious, green patch. They will be able to advise you on where the grass is in good shape and where it has died and will need to be replanted.
To patch up any areas as needed, you can order ready-grown grass that you place on the ground and let the grass grow and mingle with your original grass to form a uniform carpet. If you are looking for a less expensive option to patch up your grass, you may want to buy grass seed and plant it yourself. It may take a bit longer to see the results, but the cost saving may be worth waiting for new grass to grow from seed. A luscious lawn will be a great asset for your home in summer, and your family will enjoy having picnics and playing outdoor games.
Your yard summer project may also include any bushes or trees that need to be trimmed or removed from your property. Trees and foliage in the garden are usually welcome because they offer many benefits. They provide shade to cool you down on those hot summer days. Trees also provide privacy and are beautiful to look at, but you need to keep their growth in check. Otherwise, they may start to take over your garden, making it look unkempt. If you have a large tree growing too close to the house or one that has died and needs to be removed, it is best to call a tree service company. Tree felling is best left to professionals. It may be tempting to remove the offending tree yourself, but you may find yourself in a situation where the tree falls not where you expected it to fall, and cause more damage to your home and property than you would have paid for a good tree service.
One other thing you can do for your garden as part of your summer home improvement projects is to hire a hardscaper and replace some of your grassy lawns with pavers, stone, or brick pathways. Covering parts of the grassy areas saves you from lawn mowing right through summer and brings more interest into your yard area. You should consult a landscaper to make sure you choose a great design for placing pavers and stone ground covers. Together, you can design an interesting layout that will be pleasing to the eye and functional to add value to your home.
Check and Fix Your Roof
Checking or replacing your roof covering is an expensive project. You must make sure that you have sufficient funds before getting started. If, during the previous winter, you found that your roof was leaking or your roof is getting old, then the project is an emergency, and you may not have a choice but spend the necessary money to have your roof repaired or replaced.
Summer is the best season to fix or replace your roof. With summer’s warm, dry weather, you can remove parts of the roof to be replaced with new materials without fear of rain or snow flooding all your belongings. A roof that is in good condition will improve the value of your home; it will also reduce the running costs of your home by making it more energy efficient and adding better quality of life for your family. If you feel that you will want to sell your house sometime in the future, having a roof in good condition will drive the price higher, and buyers will prefer to buy a house with a roof that is sound which they do not need to replace within a year or two of purchasing a house.
To find out the cost of this project, it is best to contact a residential roofing company in your area. They will be able to advise you about the cost of materials you will need and how best to tackle the roof repair so that you end up with a roof in better condition than it was when you started.
Check Your Screens and Awnings
If your awnings have peeling paint, rusted brackets, or other unsightly bits, perhaps this summer is the time to replace or fix them. You will be amazed at how much better your house will look when all your awnings have a fresh coat of paint. It is a great project to do with your kids and should not take too much time.
Don’t forget to repair or replace all your patio screens. Screens are made of relatively fragile material that is exposed to the elements all year round. The cold winter months may have made the material brittle, and holes can form easily. With warm weather, you will want to keep your doors and windows open to let the sunshine and warmth into your home, but if your screen material has holes in it, the warm weather will also bring insects like flies and mosquitoes into your home.
To ensure that all unwelcome insects stay outside, a window or door screen is the most effective and least expensive way to keep them out. It is a fairly easy project to tackle, even on your own. Patio screens and awnings may be the last thing you will think of when deciding on your summer home improvement projects, but it is an easy and inexpensive project that adds a lot of value to your home and quality of life.
Pressure Wash Your Siding and Patio
If you don’t have the financial means to tackle any pricier summer home improvement projects, then at least pressure wash your siding and patio to clean it and remove all the grime accumulated during winter months.
Most siding finishes benefit from a yearly restoration by washing it with water at high pressure to remove all the contaminants and dirt stuck to it. The most important benefit of this project is that it will extend the life of the siding material. The same thing applies to your patio. By using a high-pressure wash on concrete, you can remove all the mildew, moss, and grime to make it look much better and extend the life of the material. If you are reluctant to tackle this yourself, you always have the option of calling a house cleaning service to assist you.
Keep Things Cool for Comfort
As the weather warms up, you find relief that you can turn down the aircon without freezing to death. But as with all good things, it will come to an end when the full force of summer arrives with the heat that can be very uncomfortable to bear. That’s why one of your summer home improvement projects could be an air conditioner installation.
If you don’t have an already installed residential HVAC system in your home, a separate air conditioner installation may make your home more comfortable in the summer heat. Installing a separate air conditioning unit will definitely be the cheaper option if installing the full residential HVAC system does not fit your budget.
Take Care of Your Outside Entertainment Area
Another part of your home to tackle for those summer home improvement projects is the outside entertainment area. During summer, you will want to spend more time outside, so having a nice, private area where you and your friends can meet will make your life more enjoyable.
You can start with constructing a privacy fence to ensure you have a safe, relaxing spot to catch those sun rays away from curious eyes. Having a secluded spot in your garden or on the patio will create a special heaven to recharge or enjoy that blissfully peaceful cup of coffee in the morning.
When you are thinking about revamping your outside entertainment area, you cannot overlook your deck. You can start with pressure washing the surface to remove all the mildew and grime accumulated over winter. If you have a wooden deck, remember to do all your necessary maintenance tasks as well as any additional improvements. Wooden decks need to be stained every three years to ensure the integrity of the wood. Also, check for any worn boards and replace them. If you notice that after rain, all the water soaks in instead of beading on the surface of your deck, it is a sure sign that the wood needs a fresh coat of stain to make it more water-resistant.
Depending on where you live and how much money you have available to spend on renovations and improving the space you live in, you can tackle any one or even all of the above-mentioned summer home improvement projects. If you do some of the work yourself, you will save money otherwise paid to contractors but don’t take on a complex project if you are just a beginner DIY enthusiast. Sometimes it pays to get someone to do things well the first time rather than spending extra money and time correcting the jobs that did not go as planned.
