If you want a cosy home for the colder months, these five jobs will help get your home ready for winter.
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We all want a cosy home, but dialling up the thermostat also means turning up your heating bills. Doing some home renovations could even help to make your home more energy efficient, which could help to keep your energy bills down over winter. And we all know how much of a hot topic that is right now!
Planning ahead is the best way to get your home for winter. Winter might be the last thing on your mind in the summer months, especially if the sun is shining and the temperatures are soaring. You probably would prefer to spend time relaxing in your garden than doing DIY inside the house.
But summer is a really good time to get some of those major jobs out of the way, so that your home will be looking good and feeling warm for winter.
So here are five home renovation jobs that you might want to schedule for this summer, to get your home ready for the next winter.
Upgrade your boiler and radiators
It’s easy to forget how old your central heating system is, as long as it’s still keeping your home warm. Of course, you should be having your boiler serviced and checked annually to make sure that it’s in safe working order but it could be time to consider upgrading your central heating system.
New gas-fired condensing boilers and heat pump systems are far more efficient than older boilers, so this upgrade could actually help you to save money on your energy bill. Replacing radiators with modern models will also help to spread the heat more evenly and efficiently throughout your home, making it extra cosy in winter.
Of course, you’ll need to switch off your central heating while the central heating engineer is replacing your boiler and radiators. So it’s definitely better to schedule this job for the summer months. That way you don’t get caught out with no central heating in the middle of winter. Yes, I speak from painful, personal experience on that!
After any installation or upgrade, make sure you get your cp12 certificate to confirm your boiler is safe and compliant.
Replace windows
If your home still has wooden-framed windows, the frames will start to look worn after a while even if you look after them regularly. Even double glazed UPVC windows have a limited lifespan, as the seal around the glass can fail over time.
Condensation, leaks and draughts are all signs that your double-glazed windows are not working properly. That could be costing you money as the heat from your central heating system can escape through the tiny gaps in the window frame.
Obviously your house will be cold without your old windows, so replacing your windows in the summer months is often preferable. However, window companies tend to be less busy in the winter, especially in the weeks before Christmas.
So, if you’re willing to put up with a chilly day or two, you might be able negotiate a discount on their prices.
Update your flooring
If your flooring is looking worn and tired, replacing it is a great way to change the look of the room. There are a lot of options to consider including carpets, laminate flooring, LVT tiles and solid hardwood flooring.
Each of these has its own benefits and drawbacks so you need to consider things like comfort, looks and how easy they are to keep clean. If you have pets, you will also need to bear in mind the wear and tear that they can cause on hard flooring. If you decide to go for hardwood floors, you will probably need to hire an expert to install the flooring for you, but laminate floors are fairly simple to install yourself.
This job can be completed at any time of year, but in summer, you can move furniture outdoors while you take up the old flooring and install the new flooring.
Revamp your kitchen
The kitchen is the heart of the home, and it’s often one of the rooms that people spend most time and money on. So, if you’ve just moved into a new home, you may want to revamp your kitchen to suit your taste. It’s also a good idea to get your kitchen looking it’s best if you’re planning to sell your home.
Fully replacing a kitchen is a major job that often requires you to turn your water and power off for long periods of time. You’ll need to set up a makeshift kitchen for preparing meals or rely on cold food and takeaways. For this reason, you might prefer to plan this work during the warmer months.
Of course, you don’t need to completely replace your kitchen to get it looking great. A partial makeover could just involve replacing the worksurfaces, cupboard doors or tiles. This is less work but still causes some disruption.
Give your bathroom a makeover
The other room that may need a major makeover is your bathroom, and this is another room which can make a big difference to the value of a home.
If your bathroom suite still looks good, you might just need to redecorate the walls and put down new flooring. With some stylish accessories added as a finishing touch, your bathroom will soon be looking as good as new.
But if your bathroom looks dated or you just don’t like your bathroom suite, then it will need to be replaced. You might want to install a roll top bath or rainfall shower as part of a full bathroom makeover. This is a fairly major job and you’ll need to have your power and water switched off while the work is in progress, which makes the summer months the ideal time to schedule this job.
All of these jobs could be scheduled at any time of year, but carrying out major tasks like these in summer is the ideal way to get your home ready for winter.