Summer isn’t your only excuse to get out there and do some work on your property. There are jobs big and small you can do at different times of year to enhance your home for each season and maybe improve the value along the way.
So, what should you be thinking about? Here’s a bit of seasonal DIY inspiration to start you in the right place:
Spring
When it comes to improving your home, spring tends to be all about starting fresh and preparing for summer. So, take it as an opportunity to spruce up those outdoor spaces and ensure your home is fit for the heat!
1. Landscape the garden
At a minimum, spring is an excellent time to power wash any grime that has built up over winter, scrub the barbecue clean and tidy up any flowerbeds. But you could go further – making your garden an extension of your living space, inviting you to get more use out of it in summer.
Ideas to try:
- Plant new herbs, fruit and vegetables, or new flower beds. Building a greenhouse now will also allow you to get great use out of it throughout the rest of the year.
- Build a deck or patio with sails or a retractable canopy for shade or build a more permanent structure like a gazebo or screened-in veranda.
- Replace old outdoor furniture.
- Replace old, worn fencing (or refinish your existing fence to refresh it).
Learn more: Vital Home Maintenance Tips for Every Season
2. Prepare for the heat
Before Australia’s summer really sets in, take the opportunity to install new ceiling fans or aircon units throughout the house.
You might also want to check your ceiling – most of a property’s heat comes through the roof, so good insulation is key to keeping it out.
Finally, reseal your doors and windows to ensure cool air can’t leak on those 40-degree days.
3. Install insect screens
If you plan to keep doors and windows open during the day, insect screens are a must for blocking mozzies and flies from coming in.
4. Replace broken external light fixtures
Do all your external lights work, and how do they look? Light up those new outdoor spaces with improved fixtures, replacing anything cracked, broken, dull or old fashioned.
5. Go solar
Going solar may not be as expensive or difficult as you might think. In fact, many installers can get a home set up for solar in 24 hours, and it could improve your home’s value by up to 17.1% (Domain).
Both the NSW state government and federal government offer incentive schemes to discount the purchase of solar, so it’s well worth a look. The sun is about to be shining at its brightest – you could take advantage of it.
6. Clean those windows
Lastly, while you’re out in the garden anyway getting things done, go around your property and clean the exterior windows. It’ll make the inside feel fresher and newer, and if you’ve got a nice new garden to look at, the view won’t be covered in grime.
This is also a chance to replace loose window latches with new ones that properly seal the window.
Summer
Summer’s longer days give you plenty of time to get fix up your property, adding value or simply improving how it looks or feels. You might get bigger projects done a little faster with all that time, though competition for tradies will be higher so consider planning projects that require limited assistance (or getting in early).
7. Remodel your kitchen
Remodelling a kitchen can feel quite disruptive, which is why getting it done in summer – when you’re happier to be outside – may feel less ‘in the way’. New cabinets are an easy win, but it might also be time to upgrade the cooker, add an extractor fan, improve the lighting, add a new splashback or just give it a fresh coat of paint.
8. Build a new shed
Sheds provide extra space for storing outdoor furniture, gardening equipment, hobby supplies and more, which you’ll be glad of when winter comes around and you put everything away.
DIY kits are readily available from most major hardware stores, though there are plenty of companies offering sturdier designs. Sheds are also often exempt from needing council approval in the Sutherland Shire, though it always pays to check.
9. Improve indoor-outdoor flow
New doors could help to improve the fresh air and light in your main living spaces, as well as connecting the indoors to any outdoor space. Consider creating an indoor-outdoor flow by opening up that space swapping out old doors for new sliding or bi-fold doors.
Autumn
As you head into autumn it’s time to start thinking less about the outdoors and more about ensuring your indoor spaces will be cosy, clean and inviting. Winter isn’t far away, so it’s best to prepare now.
10. Upgrade insulation
If you haven’t already checked your insulation in spring, now’s the time. Ceiling and wall insulation make a huge different to the warmth of a home, and you can often install secondary glazing options to old single-glazed windows too (without needing to install entirely new windows).
On top of all the big changes, it’s also worth going around and checking seals and caulking to make sure no heat will leak out when things get chilly.
11. Install a fireplace
There’s no heat quite like the heat of a real fire – it just feels so much cosier and really encourages families to sit around the flickering light and enjoy time with each other.
If you put in an application for approval now, you might be able to get it installed for the coldest part of winter.
12. Renovate your bathroom
If, every time you invite guests to stay, you have to warn them that the shower or bath aren’t any good, that might be a sign to upgrade everything for the coming winter.
Cabinets, sinks, toilets, flooring, walls – these are all things you can upgrade, finally getting the bathroom of your dreams. Got low-pressure water? Swap to a showerhead with a high-pressure nozzle that optimises the water flow, plus taps with aerators, so it all feels stronger.
13. Repaint your home
Autumn is one of the best times of year to repaint your home in Sydney because the temperature outdoors will be milder and the humidity lower (so long as you watch out for rainy days). Scrub down those exterior walls and refinish them with a bright, new colour that reflects sunlight away from the home and looks great from the street.
Winter
Winter is the time of year everyone wants to hibernate, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t things you can do to upgrade your home in the colder months. In fact, because it’s less common to do big reno projects in winter, tradies are often a lot more available (and some of them even less expensive) at this time of year.
14. Install new hardwood floors
Hardwood floors are stylish and modern, easier to clean than carpet, better for people with allergies and have a timeless appeal – often improving the home’s value as a result.
Dry conditions make it easier to install a hardwood floor, as there’s less moisture to get trapped beneath the floor as you lay it down. That said, you may want to seek a professional’s help to make sure the lack of humidity hasn’t shrunk the boards, which will then expand in summer.
15. Upgrade internal light fixtures
You’re going to be spending a lot of time indoors during winter, so let’s not leave the place looking gloomy and dark.
Get around the house and replace old lights with modern LED alternatives. Warm-coloured lights will feel snug and homely in bedrooms and living spaces, though you may want a cool light for kitchen or office spaces – making them feel cleaner and brighter.
Selling your home? Get help from the experts
All of the upgrades we’ve discussed today should have a positive impact on the value of your home, or at the very least, its appeal to buyers compared to other properties in your area.
If you still aren’t sure what to do to your Sutherland Shire property to improve its saleability, get the experts on your side. We know the Sutherland Shire inside and out, plus all the tiny details that help a property to sell. Learn more about how we can help you here, or talk to our team today to book a chat.