6 home improvement tasks to carry out in summers.
Photo by Craig Adderley
A changing season can be a source of happiness if we welcome it with preparedness. Changing times and seasons require little twists and tweaks in our homes and lifestyles to adjust without much disturbance. Otherwise, life becomes passive and boring. Season-specific decor, renovation, repair, remodeling, or cleaning projects not only change the outlook of our homes, but color, brighten, and dust off our life’s monotony. Most importantly, some improvement tasks are in demand during a specific season.
For instance, seasons with extreme weather conditions can be challenging without a functional ventilation system. So, dust your windows, exhaust fans, ducts, and air filters for a better exchange of fresh air. Inspect alternative energy sources and battery backups for repairs or maintenance to ensure a round-the-clock electricity supply in summer. Run a quick renovation and repainting overhaul if your indoor or outdoor needs a little touch-up to withstand extreme weather. Consider a thorough repair if you observe cracks in the floors, ceilings, or walls. Since we use more water for cleaning, bathing, laundry, and other routine activities, water can seep through cracks and damage your house’s foundation. Water seepage can also damage ceilings if you have a multistory building. Other repair and maintenance tasks depend on your house’s condition and usage in summer.
So, without much delay, let’s start with some inevitable, doable, and less costly home decor and improvement projects.
Basement cleaning and remodeling
If you have a long-awaited basement renovation and remodeling project, why not finish it in the summer? Summers are hotter but perfect to kick start renovation, remodeling, or deep cleaning of your homes.
Longer days and summer holidays spare enough time to tend to a pending to-do list. And once you’re done with basement finishing and cleaning, your house will have more room. But ensure to approach the right professionals to carry out this task.
Extra space in the basement is always a plus for many uses. You can use the basement as a utility space or storage for DIY equipment. It can be a pantry space to store canned foods or ferment drinks. And if you can invest some amount for basement decoration and furnishing, you can use it for multiple purposes. Indoor gaming, summer parties, family gatherings, a home bar, or a basement library are all alternative uses of this space.
Repair and clean air conditioning systems
Summer is easier to get by with a cooling system. So, check your air conditioners for maintenance or repairs. Since air conditioners, cooling fans, or air coolers do not have a function until summer, vents, ducts, and filters can clog with debris, dust, spider web, or pest infection. For this purpose, a pressure blow is necessary to unclog any blockage in air conditioner ducts and filters.
Installing new filters is better, as older ones may have residue particles or pathogens. Likewise, detach the evaporator coils of the interior unit and clean them properly. You can use foaming liquids for better cleaning. But regardless, once-a-year maintenance is recommended by manufacturers for the smooth functioning of your air conditioners, even if you do not see dust and blockage.
Place more greens in the house
Since trees and plants help cool the environment, you can lessen soaring temperatures in summer with more greenery in your home. Buy some plant pots and hanging baskets and scatter them in suitable nooks and corners in your home. You can use vertical space of walls, fences, and doors and plant clematis, Virginia creeper, ferns, ivy, and other crawling plants.
And if you already have a home garden, focus on its maintenance. For instance, trim the overgrown grass and give a clean look to your garden. Overgrown bushes and grass can attract insects, mosquitoes, flies, and reptiles, especially during hot weather. So, grab your garden pruners, loppers, scissors, or whatever fits the task, and get started. Pruning and trimming in early summer allow your garden to flourish and regrow more healthily. Most horticulture experts claim that May to early June is the best time to tend to overgrow bushes, shrubs, or hedges in your garden.
Redo indoor paints
Redo your walls, ceilings, doors, and windows with eye-soothing paints. Interior colors can have a significant impact on the indoor temperature and humidity. Darker colors absorb more heat and moisture and keep your indoor environment warmer for a long, whereas lighter colors reflect light and can help minimize overheating of your home.
So, brush off warn-out paints, search for summer-friendly, fresh, and lighter colors, and repaint yours indoors. If you can afford an overhaul of decor, hire professional painters. They will redo your entire home within hours while following safety precautions. Professional assistance is worth the cost. You can bypass the headache and risk of exposure to paint chemicals and enjoy a cleaner outlook in no time.
Declutter indoors and outdoors
Soaring temperatures in summer are already exhausting. But overstuffed home can increase feelings of exhaustion. Unnecessary items, decor, furniture, and stuffed closets capture and retain ambient heat and increase the indoor temperature. As a result, an overcrowded home takes longer to cool down even when your cooling system works optimally. You can manage an overstuffed home in winter but not in summer. Thus, it is the best time to declutter indoors and opt for less heavy indoor decor.
Throw away old clothes and space out your closet for summer varieties. Declutter and clean your backyard, lawn area, and rooftop to enjoy outdoor activities and engagements in the summer. Throw away unnecessary garbage from your garage to create more space, and park your vehicle in the shed.
Build an outdoor shed
Summers are perfect for outdoor activities. One can enjoy tea time with family and friends on a lawn and backyard or arrange a swimming pool party with kids. Summers also spare enough time for outdoor games with friends and kids. But doing anything outdoors without protection from the scorching sunlight and heat can be regretful and unhealthy. So, build an outdoor shed over your lawn and swimming pool to enjoy such activities around the clock.
You can search countless do-it-yourself outdoor shed ideas and kick-start without expert assistance. For instance, plastic PVC sheets are easy to install and less expensive. Wooden or a metal framework is another option. And both are more durable and weather resistant.
Conclusion
The summer may have already started in your region, but you still have time to finish some much-needed improvement and decor tasks. Do not put off with uncomfortable circumstances of the extreme weather when you still have time. A few days of physical endeavor and some investment will spare your life from seasons’ extremities. And most importantly, small changes do not cost much but can renovate your home and enliven your life.