Preparing Your Home For Winter….
Winter is right on the horizon but there’s still time to make those all important changes to the home to ensure that you and your family have the most comfortable time possible. It’s a little more pertinent this year too because a lot of people will be spending far more time at home than usual due to coronavirus. Changes to the home can completely range and each person might want to do something slightly different. After all, everyone is unique and will each hold a different meaning of a beautiful home. The tips below can help change your perspective and help you start thinking about some of the best ways to make your home better. Whether that’s one of the larger projects, or something small and snappy. Just be sure to apply advice to your own personal situation before acting on any of them, and make sure your budget is in the right place to do so.
Change Up The Living Room
The living room is one of the most important places in the home, likely for everyone in your family. It’s where you can relax, watch some TV, read a book, or do whatever you want to wind down like watching the Giants vs 49ers. It’s why the room becomes quite easily worn or tired or people just get bored of it so change it up to make a difference. You can start by doing something really simple like simply changing the layout of the room. Change the focal point. Move the TV from one area to another. Remember, you can put it on the wall if that makes things any easier. Changing the focal point will give the room a different feel and when combined with some of the other tips below could leave you feeling like you’re in a different home altogether. For some, a simple move like this is all it takes to have that winter change up needed.
A Fresh Coat Of Paint Goes A Long Way
Another fairly simple thing to do is giving the home that fresh coat of paint. It can really lend a different look to your home. You can go for a wintry colour to suit the mood, but you can also keep the colour the same and simply go for a refresh. Having the walls redone might be like a new colour all in itself, especially if it hasn’t been done for a long time. You can focus on a room or instead, attempt to do the whole house if you wanted one big change. This is fairly easy and can be done yourself for a relatively cheap price, depending on what paint you want to use. You can also paint the outside of your house, though you’ll probably need someone to do this for you. If this is the case, make sure you get a few quotes and use a quality paint that’s resilient to adverse weather conditions. Remember, the closer to winter you get the harder it will be to get people to carry out this work due to danger working in high spaces along with the weather putting people off.
Think About Energy Consumption
You might want to approach this from another angle. It might not just be the appearance you’re thinking about, but the money too. You can bring down the costs of your energy consumption by looking into things like insulation. Cavity wall insulation stops heat escaping and stops the cold penetrating the walls. Also, you do the same with loft insulation to stop the heat escaping upwards. You might also want to think about switching energy tariffs. If you can cut the price and use the money to have a better winter then surely it’s worth it. One of the best ways to ensure heat stays in the house, thus saving you energy, is by getting new windows. Think about triple glazing, or just a better quality double glazing. The new windows will not only keep you warmer, but the likelihood is that your home will look a bit nicer from outside too.
Safety Should Come First
Safety of the home is important and there are some things to think about in winter. If you’re not sure the home is safe during winter then it’s surely time for a change up. Think about carbon monoxide poisoning. Make sure your carbon monoxide is working and installed right, give it the test and check your smoke alarms when you’re at it. You might even need to get your boiler serviced. Make sure it’s someone with the proper accreditations. If your boiler has never been serviced then it’s important to do it. It doesn’t just ensure that it’s safe but that it is running properly, meaning you’re getting the most for your money. A faulty boiler can be a nightmare. Remember, you should have a carbon monoxide alarm in every room where there is a fossil fuel boiling appliance. No excuse not to as they’re relatively cheap and last a fair few years.
Clear The Gutters
If you suffer from a lot of rainfall during winter you need to prepare for it accordingly. One of the ways you can do this is by looking into getting your gutters cleaned out to ensure the water is properly sluiced away. Check your drains too. If you have a lot of leaves you might find them blocked up. Check for puddles, if they pool in the wrong place they can cause you trouble. Clearing the gutters is fairly easy but people don’t like to do it because they may lack the right equipment, or not like to be so high up in the air. Always have someone holding the ladder underneath you to make sure that it doesn’t slip, even if you’re pretty sure that it is in a solid location. Also, it means you’ll have to dispose of the refuse yourself, and if there is a lot of it that can become quite troubling. Instead, consider hiring someone who knows what they’re doing and will be able to do it quickly.