Springtime Home Improvements.

17th May 2024 1:34 pm Comments Off

Springtime Home Improvements.

With the days growing longer and winter fast becoming a distant memory, many people in the UK are finding themselves inspired to breathe new life into their homes as part of ambitious spring cleaning and DIY projects.

But what are some of the UK’s most popular home improvements to undertake at this time of year? Let’s take a look…

Garden revitalisation.

Now our green spaces are bursting into bloom again, homeowners may well be tempted to show their outdoor areas a little TLC.

From simple tasks like weeding and pruning to more ambitious projects such as installing new flower beds, laying decking or creating a cosy seating area, giving your garden a shot in the arm is a quick and relatively inexpensive way of enhancing the beauty and functionality of your home at this time of year.

Painting and decorating.

A fresh coat of paint brightens up any room and spring is the ideal season for interior painting projects, as the warmer temperatures and increased ventilation from open doors and windows make it easier for paint to dry quickly and evenly!

Whether you’re opting for a subtle hue to create a calming atmosphere or a bold splash of colour to make a statement, a newly painted room is one of the most fool-proof ways to completely transform the look and feel of your home.

Decluttering.

For many of us, spring cleaning simply means ‘having a really good tidy up’ but there’s much more to it than that – it’s an excellent opportunity to declutter and organise your living space, creating a more serene and harmonious environment.

Take the time to sort through your belongings, donating or disposing of items you no longer need, and organising the rest in a way that maximises space and minimises clutter. From wardrobes and cupboards to garages and attics, there’s no shortage of areas to tackle during a thorough spring cleaning session.

Upgrading the kitchen.

The kitchen is often considered the heart of the home, making it a popular focus for springtime home improvement projects. Whether you’re planning a full-scale renovation or simply updating fixtures and appliances, there are plenty of ways to breathe new life into your kitchen. Consider replacing outdated countertops, installing new cabinetry or upgrading to energy-efficient appliances to enhance both the aesthetics and functionality of this vital space.

Outdoor maintenance.

As the weather warms up, it’s important to ensure that your home’s exterior is in top condition. From cleaning gutters and washing windows to repairing fences and repainting doors, outdoor maintenance tasks can help protect your property from the elements while enhancing its overall appeal.

Don’t forget to inspect your roof for any signs of damage and schedule any necessary repairs to prevent leaks and other issues down the line too!

DIY with LCU!

Whether your spring home improvement project requires just a few tins of paint and some new storage options or a whole new kitchen, our range of affordable loans is here to help you make your dream home a reality!

Find out how we can help here.

Why Now is the Perfect Time for a Little DIY

29th May 2023 1:38 pm Comments Off

Why Now is the Perfect Time for a Little DIY

With spring cleaning and DIY going hand-in-hand, now is a great opportunity to tackle some home improvements. However, it can be hard to know where to begin, especially if you are trying to stick to a budget.

Fortunately, there are plenty of ways to cut costs when giving your home a makeover and we’ve rounded up a few of the best. Here are our DIY tips for spring and summer 2023.

Erect new shelves

Sounds simple but putting up a new shelf adds depth to a room and enables you to display anything you want on it, with photos, prints and seasonal decorations all inexpensive and easy to switch whenever you fancy a change.

There are no end of shelving options available in hardware stores and online these days, with something for every budget. If you have any leftover pieces of wood from previous DIY projects, you could even have a go at making your own shelf to keep costs down further still!

Create a feature wall

By painting one wall in a room a different colour to the others, you’ll bring it to life, drawing attention to your feature wall and giving the whole room a vibrant refresh.

All you need to do is decide what colour you want your feature wall to be, then get painting! You might not even need to buy new paint – if you’ve amassed a collection of paint sample pots over the years, you could go bold and colour block your wall by using two or three different colours that work together.

If you’re not sure which colours work well together, look at a colour wheel and either choose colours that are close together – like orange, red and pink – or that are directly across from each other – like blue and yellow – for contrast.

Upcycle your kitchen cabinets

As the heart of the home, everyone wants their kitchen to look its best. A simple way of giving it a quick face lift is to paint your cabinets and change their handles.

Immediately improve dated, gloss-finish cabinets by first painting over them with primer, then painting them any colour you choose. By then adding brass handles, you’ll instantly transform your kitchen, giving it a high-end and trend-proof look at an affordable price.

Regrout your bathroom tiles

For the ultimate in budget renovations, nothing beats regrouting, so turn your attention to any cracked or discoloured bits of grout today!

Ideally, you should remove at least 3mm of the old grout – using a grout rake which can be picked up inexpensively from any hardware store – before regrouting, but if you’re really pushed for time, new grout can be applied on top of old grout.

In the time it takes the grout to dry, you’ll bring a bright outline to your tiles, highlighting their colour and instantly making the bathroom a more vibrant place to be.

Give old garden furniture a new lease of life

With summer just around the corner, many of us are looking forward to spending some time in our gardens. If you fall into that category, you’ll want to check your garden furniture to make sure it still looks its best after six months in the shed!

Again, a simple lick of paint is all that’s required to get your tired garden furniture ready for summer. And because most sets aren’t especially big, you might have enough paint lying around your garage or shed to paint everything you need to without buying any new tins. You could even ask a neighbour if they have any pots of leftover paint you could take off their hands.

How Leeds Credit Union can help

Although the aim of this advice is to help homeowners keep costs down, we know that sometimes you might need to undertake a bigger project – or several little ones all at the same time – that makes sticking to a budget impossible.

If you need a helping hand affording some home improvements this summer, we offer loans from as little as £250, all the way up to £25,000, and you can find out more about them here.

Tag Archive: DIY