Simple Home Improvements to Make This Summer

Summer is the perfect time for fixing up the old homestead. The weather cooperates for tasks like painting and laying epoxy, and it feels good to bask in the sun’s warm rays while you work. Plus, you can celebrate the fruits of your labour with a barbecue.

What should you do to improve your property’s value and curb appeal this season? Here are six simple home improvements to make this summer.

1. Pressure Wash

Your home’s exterior might look tidy enough once you pick up all the toys and other debris from your lawn. However, a thin grey film of filth likely coats every exterior surface like a dull, translucent blanket, rendering your facade as faded as an old photograph. Can you say dingier than 2-year-old gym socks?

Fortunately, there’s a solution that’s easy on your muscles and your wallet. You can rent pressure washers for less than $50 a day at many big-box home retailers. You don’t need massive muscles or extensive training to operate the equipment.

However, you can also turn this simple home improvement task into a side hustle. With the current cost of living spiralling out of control, many people are turning to side hustles as a way of earning extra income. You can invest in pressure washing equipment for a few hundred dollars, charging your neighbours a fair price to maintain their property. You can increase the curb appeal of your entire neighbourhood while earning extra cash. Then, expand operations, making back your initial investment and multiplying it severalfold.

2. Organise Your Garage

If you’re looking for a simple home improvement to make this summer that will significantly increase your return on investment, look no further than hanging some pegboard and adding some storage shelves and cabinetry to your garage. Homebuyers ranked garage storage space as one of the most desired characteristics they seek.

You can pick up sheets of pegboard for less than $50. Mount them on your wall and use them to organise your garden tools and other small hanging objects, like that spare keychain.

Little hands and even paws can get into hazardous chemicals like antifreeze, which can’t be a possibility if you allow them. Keep such substances under wraps with a locking storage cabinet. Another solution to consider is getting Overhead Garage Storage Racks fitted to make use of some of the vertical space in your garage. This will allow you to put things out of reach and also leave floor space clear for whatever you need it for.

While you’re at it, epoxy your garage floor. This process hides old stains and cracks while preventing new ones from forming; you’ll be amazed at the uplift.

Speaking of uplift, if you’re old garage walls are looking worse for wear, you can even install garage cladding on the outside at a fraction of the cost for a full garage renovation.

3. Paint

Painting is another simple home improvement that takes more patience than muscles. It also costs relatively little, with most cans coming in under $50. Brushes and trays aren’t much more expensive, and you can rent paint sprayers to eliminate brush drips and make the work fly by even more quickly.

Small details can make a striking difference if you don’t have the time or energy to tackle your entire exterior. For example, why not paint your front door, garage door, and shutters a vibrant hue? The contrast creates an interesting focal point – even a fresh coat of white looks dazzling in the sunlight. If you’re pressed for time or prefer a professional touch, searching for a “handyman near me in Chrisney” (or another local area) can make the process easier and ensure a flawless finish. This way, you can enjoy the results without the stress and effort of a large project.

4. Build or Improve Your Deck or Patio

Outdoor living was hip before the pandemic and stormed into vogue when alfresco social gatherings became the new way to stay safer. It’s also the perfect way to boost your health by soaking up more natural vitamin D, but who wants to sit on a concrete slab?

Instead, enhance your deck or patio. If all you have is the aforementioned slab, consider adding a decorative railing. If drilling into concrete seems above your pay grade, then a few striking planters add elegant appeal while requiring minimal effort. You can also build a deck over your slab, disguising ugly concrete under fresh cedar planks.

If you have a deck, why not consider enclosing it to keep bugs at bay when you dine alfresco? You can also create plexiglass inserts to use during the winter months, transforming the space into a small greenhouse that lets you enjoy outdoor living longer and start your seedlings for spring.

5. Get More Sustainable

Sustainability requires everyone’s cooperation. Fortunately, nearly everyone can play a role in going greener by making small changes. Simply replacing your old light bulbs with energy-efficient LEDs as they blow out saves you money each month while protecting the planet. Plus, you can transform your home’s look with coloured versions — perhaps add a relaxing lavender tint to your bedroom?

You still have time to take advantage of solar tax credits, but time is running out. They will expire in 2024 unless Congress renews them, so act now if you’ve been on the fence — who knows what will happen in today’s political climate?

Adding a compost bin is another way to reduce costs at the nursery while reducing waste from food scraps. You can construct a simple model using the repurposed wooden pallets many hardware stores give away for free.

6. Refresh Your Landscaping

Finally, summer outdoor living is much more enjoyable when you have a splendid view. Take the time to refresh your landscaping.

Instead of planting grass over dead areas, why not embrace xeriscaping principles, perhaps installing a small raised garden full of native plants where you typically experience bald patches? This landscaping style uses local vegetation that requires minimal water and maintenance. You can gradually reclaim your Saturday from your mower — or do it all in one fell swoop if you don’t mind ripping up sod.

Some fresh flowers give nearly any home an instant facelift. Even urban dwellers can enhance their property’s look by adding a few window boxes overflowing with festive blooms.