Have you made any New Year’s resolutions this year? Vowing to make huge changes to your lifestyle is something many of us do at the start of a new year, but all too often we set the bar too high and by the beginning of February we’ve fallen off the wagon and slipped back into our old habits. The same is true of resolutions to make improvements around the home; we set ourselves ambitious goals and nothing ever gets done. Instead, think of this year as the Year of Home Improvement, and set yourself smaller bite-sized tasks to be done each month, which by the end of the year will make a huge difference.
January - Planning and Preparing
January weather isn’t always conducive to starting DIY or home improvement tasks, so use this month to take stock. Few of us have the time or budget to tackle everything which needs done at once, so make a list of everything you’d like to do in an ideal world and then rank it in order of priority. Start thinking about how you are going to fund your home improvements, and start looking around for recommendations of tradespeople. Finally, do some research online on national and local websites to see if there are any grants or incentives which may be available to you to help fund the work.
February – Prepare your Garden for Summer
February is a great time to get out in the garden and prepare it for the growing season ahead. Not much is growing at this time of year and this makes it easier to cut back vegetation or even lay new turf. An added bonus is that the winter months are a quiet time for gardeners, who might be able to give you a good price for clearing and preparing your garden. Expect to pay around £10 per hour at least for a gardener (more if you live in areas such as London) to clear away plants or cut your grass, but for a one-off job always get a quote on a “per job” basis.
March – Spring Clean the Gutters
By March, the worst of the winter weather should have passed and now is the ideal time to clear out the guttering. Blocked guttering can cause water to drip down the walls of your property which can lead to all sorts of problems with damp. Depending on the height of your roof this is a job you might be able to tackle yourself with long ladders, if not, you can expect to pay anything between £50 and £100 to get the professional in to do it for you.
April – Tackle Your Insulation
As the days get longer and the weather improves, we start thinking about outdoors living rather than keeping our home warm over the winter. That means that as soon as Easter arrives, there are great deals in all of the DIY stores for insulation products. If you’ve done your preparation properly in January, you’ll know what sort of insulation you need, and whether the weak spots of your home are the loft or around the windows. April is also the month when new funding becomes available for many of the government incentives for insulation and renewable energy.
May – Replacing the Kitchen
If a new kitchen is top of your priority list for 2017, then May is the month to start looking. We all love to flock to the DIY and home improvement stores on a bank holiday weekend, and the two bank holidays in May means the kitchen retailers are falling over themselves to offer discounts and incentives. The average price for a new kitchen is around £8,000. If your new kitchen sale price doesn’t include fitting you should look to compare quotes from kitchen installation companies.
June – Plan for Loft Conversions
During the summer, builders like to be outdoors working on extensions or new build properties. Over the winter months, they like to be doing “indoor” projects like loft or garage conversions. Start the process over the summer by applying for Planning consent or Building Control Approval, contact a list of local tradespeople for quotes so you’re ready to start work in the autumn.
July – Roofing or Repainting Work
It’s not guaranteed, but the weather in July is generally better than in January, so now is the time to think about re-roofing the house, or having it painted or rendered. This sort of work is not cheap, so it’s more important than ever to get at least three quotes from roofing contractors to compare to ensure you’re getting value for money.
August – Consider Home Security
Break-ins and opportunist burglaries are more common in winter when the dark nights provide cover. Don’t wait until autumn to start thinking about security lights, burglar alarms and CCTV, contact some local home security system firms to see what products they suggest are most appropriate for your property, and get them installed way before the autumn sets in.
September – Painting and Decorating
September is a great month for planning any painting and decorating improvements around the home. The kids are back to school, there are end of season sales in the DIY stores and the weather is still warm enough to allow paint to dry quickly. If you are thinking about getting a decorator in to do the work, expect to pay around £375 to have the average living room painted, or £600 if you are hanging wallpaper instead of painting.
October – Get Your Roof Winter-Ready
Before the worst of the winter weather gets started, give your roof a thorough check. Get any loose slates repaired, deal with any brickwork which needs pointed and replace any bits of lead flashing which are looking the worse for wear. If your house is surrounded by trees, take the opportunity to have your gutters cleared of falling leaves at the same time as you are having other work done on the roof.
November – Shop for a New Conservatory
There are few people in the market for a new conservatory in November, so you’re in a strong position to negotiate a good price. Most conservatories can be put up without planning permission, but a quick phone call to your local Council before you start work is always a wise move, particularly if you are considering getting a large conservatory built, as there can be restrictions on size before planning permission is needed.
December – Tackle your Energy Bills
Any way of saving money in the run-up to Christmas is a huge bonus, so spend an hour or two on the price comparison sites trying to reduce the price you are paying for gas and electricity. Make a note of the length of your contract, and set yourself a reminder to go through the comparisons again once the tie-in period has finished. You might also want to consider getting a new boiler fitted, if your existing one is less efficient that you need and coming to the end of its lifetime.
