10 home hacks to get your house ready for summer
With summer fast approaching (hooray!) it's the best time of year to ensure your house is in it’s best living condition. Whether it’s home improvements, extensions or large-scale updates that need doing, you don’t want to be spending the whole summer season tied down with manual jobs.
Summer is all about enjoying your home in every way possible. From sitting outside admiring your tidy garden, to embracing the natural sunlight blasting in through the windows and warming up your home, there’s just something so calming about your home during summer.
As the winter starts to fade away and spring arrives, look at working on a few simple adjustments and updates. It’s so important to enjoy the space you spend your time in, so it’s worth the extra TLC. Why not check out these top summer home trends to help give your home a stylish and contemporary new look?
Apologies to your credit card in advance!
Fresh Bathroom Tiles
The difference to your bathroom by simply updating the tiles is incredible - new tiles completely change up the entire look of the bathroom space. You don’t have to completely rip out your bathroom and update the features, but by adding tiles to one of the walls - or even all 4 - can totally modernise the appearance.
White tiles with black/grey grouting are one of this year's most stylish looks. They are sometimes referred to as ‘subway style’ tiles. This minimalistic black and white tiling solution add a classic utilitarian feel to any area. They’re also very easy to do yourself if you’re into DIY.
All you need is dark grey grout and some fresh white gloss tiles (and a de-grouter of course) and you can get started. However, for a more professional finish, look at local tiling companies who will guarantee the finished effect is neat and to perfection.
White tiles with dark grey grouting will instantly give your bathroom that simple, clean aesthetic look which will look so beautiful this summer. Light, airy and bright…
Invest In New Shutters
Nothing looks more stylish these days that simply opening up smart wooden blinds to let the sun shine through into your home. A huge trend this year is the use of plantation shutters, blinds made out of wood that neatly cover your windows, with the flexibility to let in as much (or as little) light as possible.
Plantation shutters are a healthier alternative to curtains and other plastic blinds that used to be more of ‘the norm’. They may retail a little more pricier with them being made from wood, but they are extremely durable and have that neat professional finish.
Not only are plantation shutters a good long-term investment, but they also increase the beauty of your home décor.
Re-Paint Select Parts of the Home
Take a look around your home and alert yourself to the main rooms which need a re-paint more than others. Don’t forget about the outside of your home, too. It’s amazing how many of us forget to touch up fences, gates and garages, and it could well be that they are in need of a more crucial touch up than those walls inside.
According to many experts, the spring season is the best time to repaint your home. Summer can get too hot and autumn can get too moist, but spring is just perfect. By repainting a few walls in the home, you instantly clean and brighten up a space, giving the room a new lease of life. By giving the walls a newer shade can also prompt you to update your wall art too.
Foliage Fun
Experts say being closer to nature makes you instantly feel happier, but it’s not always practical to be outside all the time during summer. With this in mind, bring the outdoors in and fill your rooms with garden greenery and floral fun. You could even switch up your indoor flower displays by updating your vases.
Some simple methods to bring a touch of greenery and freshness into your home is to use potted plants
where necessary. They always look practical placed in rows along a window ledge, and larger scale potted house plants look lovely in the dining room. If you have a courtyard, terrace or verandah near your living room, put small potted citrus trees as close as possible to the door – the perfume will waft in.
Another good idea is to line up pots of aromatic herbs or fresh mint along a window ledge for a similar effect.
Upgrade Your Front Door
When you think about it, your front door is one of the first things visitors are going to pay attention to as they walk up your front path and up to your house. You should make sure that the door leaves the right kind of impression on them, and even more so if you have plans to sell any time soon. Replacing the front door to an entirely new one is an option for sure, but you might not need to go that far.
Firstly, assess the door’s condition by checking for stiff or rusty hinges, or surface cracks or splits. You should also test the door’s knob or handle to see if it is loose. Then there are other little options to consider, such as adding a brass house number or ornamental door knocker.
However, if the door looks extensively damaged, you might want to entirely replace it with a new door in a resilient material like uPVC.
Remember, once you start assessing your home for updates, you tend to end up with a list longer than your arm. Keep it to a maximum of 5-6 updates, and a combination of large and small scale to keep costs down.
