Three Summer DIY Projects to Refresh Your Home
Home projects and costly renovations can be a major disruptor for your family, but that doesn’t mean you can’t refresh your home and spaces! Here are three fun and economically rewarding projects you and your family can take on this summer.
1. Blackout the Heat
Beautiful sunny weather comes with a price. The sun rises early and sets late. One of the tips to having a good night's sleep all year around, especially during the summer months, are blackout curtains. These curtains can darken your sleeping space to really let you drift into your REM cycles. But a lot of people don’t realize that they also are great at blocking out the heat!
Blackout curtains are readily available in many shops and online in a variety of colours. The trick is to measure precisely your wall to ceiling height, and how low or high to hang your curtains, as it can negatively impact your space and your room if you don’t purchase the right size.
The general rule is that your curtain rod should be as high as your ceiling or as close to it as possible. Otherwise, your room can appear much smaller than it actually is. Same goes for your curtain length. Allow your curtain to just kiss the floor and never let your curtains hang midway of the windows as its appearance will decrease the size of your bedroom or living space.
On the contrary, having the length of the curtain cover 3-4 inches on the floors can have a beautiful grand effect on your living space if that is the look and style you prefer.
When installing curtains yourself, be sure to have all the essential tools ready such as a long ladder, an electric drill, the appropriate screwdrivers, and a cold drink!
2. Declutter Your Mind!
A summer home improvement project that can make a big difference in your living space is decluttering. It’s said that the average family in North America has approximately 300,000 items, which means there are a lot of things we no longer use or even knew we had! Air out and organize areas such as your closet, garage, garden, and your kitchen at least once a year. It costs nothing and you can even earn money if you sell high value items you no longer want such as electronics, collectibles, and even antique heirlooms and decor.
For those who have the space, you can also have a garage sale, which is a great family activity during the summer months. Marie Kondo, Lifestyle & Design Expert, said “we can spend more money by not decluttering our homes because we can easily lose track of what we already have while repurchasing the same item”.
Decluttering your home is not only good for your wallet but great for your mind too! For those who know, the power of a tidy and clean space can improve your quality of life. They are most likely already decluttering their home regularly.
3. Revive Those Walls
Lastly, let’s talk about our walls. Giving your walls some life and bringing colour to your living space is one of the most effective summer projects that’ll transform your home. We’ve talked about it before, but painting is a relatively simple home improvement that even the kids can enjoy! The warm weather allows paint to dry faster and set in longer. Colours and style are all cyclical which means they can change every few years. Adding a pop of colour in a room or toning down an existing wall with a neutral colour is a great way to create personality and keep your home looking current as well.
Another way to level up your walls is wallpaper; it’s totally come back in style as we’ve seen from the many open houses that we’ve hosted. It can add a ton of depth and character to your home. Pick a pattern that is neutral and avoid wallpaper with lots lines and geometrical shapes as those can look dizzying to some people. Much of the wallpaper on the market nowadays is stick & peel (no more glue!), very durable, and won’t damage your walls. The biggest tip to applying wallpaper is to be very patient. Be patient with yourself, or whoever is helping you put it up. It can be daunting as graphics and lines must be aligned, and for those who are particular, this may be a rather stressful process. Stay hopeful, and when it’s completed, it will be worth it!
Home improvement projects don’t have to be stressful and can be fun for the whole family! Give these DIYs a try, watch a bunch of YouTube videos, and let us know how you did by posting a comment below!
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