Home improvements: Planning For Spring

January is often the month that plans are made for home improvements. We may not actually start them now, it’s too cold to have windows open for painting, or doors open as workmen come in and out, but we do start making the plans, booking the tradesmen and generally working out how we want our homes to look in the year ahead. It is also crucial to look at the big jobs that cannot be ignored, broken or old and ageing boilers, faulty central heating systems and leaky roofs. All can cause terrible issues down the line if they are ignored, so it makes sense to get them checked, or replaced when the weather is milder.

Once you have sorted those big jobs, you can get on with a good Spring clean. This may entail anything from a bit of a clear out, to getting rid of large pieces of furniture. A Spring clean is a great way to see what you already have, and what you need to make your home look better.

Here are some of the things that you can be doing come Spring.

Check out your boiler

From having hot water, to firing up your central heating system, your boiler is an absolutely essential part of your home. When your boiler goes wrong, it’s an urgent thing to fix but one which leaves you no choice, without it you have no central heating and no hot water, so suddenly boiler installation becomes a top priority. In many cases, particularly if your boiler is old, it is more cost effective to actually replace it, especially as new boilers are more energy efficient and will cost you less to run, therefore saving you money on future bills.

If you are looking for a new boiler and feel bogged down with all the information, then you could check out Bbright. The Bbright guide makes it easy to find the right boiler for your home with eight simple questions that choose suitable boiler brands and models for each individual customer. You just need to choose according to your budget. Their questions look at the size of your home, the space you have available and where you want the boiler to be placed, then recommends the perfect model for you and your home. You can spread the cost of payment too, a brilliant touch as our household budgets are ever stretched.

Radiators 

While you are checking your boiler, you should check your radiators too. Are they still giving out a good amount of heat? Do they need bleeding, and when was the last time you did this? Radiators need bleeding when they have air trapped inside them, as this trapped air stops warm water circulating around your radiator. That can make the radiator cold at the top, but warm at the bottom, leaving your room feeling cold. It is a common problem, so you probably need to bleed your radiators at least once a year to ensure they are working properly.

Roof Damage

If you are getting any damp patches in your upstairs rooms, this can be a sign that your roof has been damaged during Winter. This could be damage sustained during high winds, and can be anything from a few missing or cracked tiles t0 blocked guttering, to something more structurally serious.

Spring is the ideal time for roof repairs as the weather should start to warm up, and you can then get any issues put right before Winter comes around again.

Spring Cleaning

Sort that Clutter

Many rooms are guilty of being overfilled with ‘stuff’. You only have to watch these DIY make over programmes to know that many rooms just have too many pieces of over large furniture which make them feel small and cramped. Your Spring clean is a time to size down. You can use house clearance and rubbish removal services like Clearabee to remove bigger items of furniture (or you could hire a skip through them in order to accommodate lots of rubbish and smaller pieces of furniture.) Clearabee specialise in rubbish removal in Birmingham, and you can find companies who do similar all over the country.

Making sure your furniture is the right size for the room is a simple way to improve the look of your home and you may not even need to get rid of furniture, you may just need to use it in another room.

Make Do and Mend

If budget is tight, look at what you already have. Shabby sofas can look instantly better with the addition of a throw or waterproof sofa cover, some stylish scatter cushions, candles add ambience to any room, whilst a simple vase and fresh flowers add colour and beauty. A table that’s seen better days can be sanded down and repainted, as can dated wooden units which can be made ‘shabby chic’ and look just so current. Before you throw it away or decide to replace it, ask the question ‘can it be renovated and used again?’

Don’t forget to sort your wardrobe too

While you are de-cluttering your home, make sure you don’t forget to sort yourself. This is the time of year to take a fresh look at your wardrobe and do something good by donating your unwanted clothing to a Charity shop. My mom is the manager of a Charity shop and struggles with donations at this time of the year as people seem to only get rid of unwanted toys and Christmas decorations. Cull clothes that don’t fit, impulse buys you’ve never worn, and items you’ve just fallen out of love with.

Do you have any tips for the perfect Spring clean?

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