With the August bank holiday weekend coming up, some people will be taking this opportunity to get away for the last time before the ‘back to school’ season kicks in. Others, however, will be doing that other thing we Brits seem to love to tackle on bank holidays – a bit of DIY!
That often means decorating or carrying out refurbishments inside the home but have you thought about the exterior – the walls, doors, windows, lighting and roof? After all, it’s the state of these things that makes a first impression on anyone who visits your home and it’s also worth remembering that any wear and tear not only looks bad but can be costly, causing energy loss and perhaps more expensive repairs if left unresolved for too long.
In this week’s blog, we’ve got four things you could do to improve the exterior of your home.
1. Restore or replace the roof
As a roofing specialist, of course this is where we’d start!
Modern-day roofing systems are designed to last and perform well over a long time. However, factors like bad weather can cause damage and, because homeowners rarely take a good look at their roofs, sometimes this goes unnoticed and leads to longer-term problems.
So, even if the overall appearance of your roof looks fine, why not take a moment this coming weekend to check it over, looking out for signs of sagging, lost tiles, water ponding on flat-roofs, leaks, debris or mould. If such issues are caught early enough, in many cases they can be addressed with some simple tidying up or repair work. However, if it turns out your property does need a new roof, bring in the experts and you could consider going for a total refresh by installing something that’s perhaps a different style or colour to your current roof.
2. Renovate the front garden
Following the intense heat and lack of rain many parts of the UK have experienced this summer, it’s unsurprising that there are a lot of front and back gardens looking a bit tired and weary right now.
To renovate the front area, you could go down the route of installing plants, flower beds, shrubs, and hanging baskets but remember this approach will require significant upkeep. Be prepared to be filling up a lot of watering cans on a daily basis!
If you’d prefer to spend less time on upkeep, you could choose a renovation that incorporates more inorganic materials like Monoblock paving, wooden decking, or paving slabs. At Sheriff Construction, we frequently use resin bonding for external landscaping at housing developments. Aside from a clean-up now and then, this requires very little maintenance and looks stylish too.
3. Lighting
Lighting at the front of a home or in the front garden is something that’s becoming increasingly popular. We do it at Christmastime so why not have something that illuminates your home at other times of the year too?
You might choose solar lighting for parts of the garden and/or install LED wall lights or downlights at the front of your home which activate at dusk. This adds a layer of security to your home and makes it feel homely and welcoming, especially on those dark winter nights.
4. Update the front door or windows
If your current door is looking a bit sorry for itself, some paint and gloss could be enough to spruce it up. Or, perhaps you’re thinking about making a bigger change with a completely new door? If that’s the case, think about what you want to achieve with the new door before heading out to make a purchase. For instance, if you want to bring in natural light, make sure to choose something with panelled glass or if you want to be on-trend colour-wise, go for something in a muted shade like grey, black, white, or dark brown.
The same applied to windows. A simple spruce-up might only require some cleaning; you could go further by getting the paintwork redone; or you might go all-out and have a brand new set of windows installed. If choosing the latter, talk to the professionals first and remember to think about important factors like performance in terms of heat loss or sun-redirection.
Adding value to your home
Improving the exterior of your home doesn’t have to be an expensive, time-consuming job. As mentioned above, it might simply involve some cleaning, a bit of painting or a quick repair. More significant changes will, of course, cost more but the value they add to your home (in terms of both your enjoyment of it and its financial value) can make it well worth it.
If you’ve got DIY on the agenda this weekend, we hope it all goes to plan!
24.08.2022
Feature image: Freepik
