With the cold winter months slowly fading away, the days getting longer and spring blossoming, your thoughts are probably turning to the top improvements you can make to your home this summer.
More so than ever, given the last year of lockdowns, we’re taking great pride in our homes and gardens. We’re spending more time at home and we want to know what improvements we can make to enjoy that time as much as possible.
And with summer approaching, we’re likely looking for the best ideas and the top recommendations for outdoor home improvements.
Here are our top 6 ideas for summer 2021 home improvements:
1. Extend your kitchen/diner (or bring dining outdoors)
2. Create a multifunctional area for outdoor entertaining
3. Landscape your garden (or spruce it up!)
4. Install a brand new concrete driveway
5. Build an outdoor retreat
6. Upgrade your porch
1. Extend your kitchen/diner (or bring dining outdoors)
One of the most desirable home improvements, year after year, is a kitchen extension. Building out into the back garden and creating a large kitchen/diner – with large windows, bi folding doors and a whole lot of practical space will transform your home and certainly add a huge amount to your property’s value.
But kitchen/diner extensions don’t come cheap. And they may well be beyond your budget for the summer. So how about simply bringing the dining experience outdoors? A stunning new concrete patio can help you create the perfect foundations for an al fresco experience.
You could recreate the Riviera with a stunning marble effect or opt for a countryside pub garden feel with a rustic slate design.
2. Create a multifunctional area for outdoor entertaining
A new patio for dining can also serve other purposes. Get the design and installation right, and you could create an outdoor area that’s perfect for the whole family. You might opt for a dedicated eating area one side of the patio, and a place to relax on the other with sun loungers and a hammock.
Or you might merge a new concrete patio with stone aggregates, bark and grass – to separate kids play areas, garden displays and maintenance-free decorative concrete that’s ideal for chairs and tables.
3. Landscape your garden (or spruce it up!)
If you want to really enjoy your outdoor space this summer, then a professional landscaper can help you realise the full potential of your garden. They can transform your run-down lawn, overgrown flowerbeds and wild bushes into a beautiful area for the whole family to enjoy – complete with a new patio, pathways and home-grown allotments.
Adding fruit and vegetable patches to your garden could even increase the value of your home by around £6000!
But landscaping your garden is expensive. You could always spend a weekend tidying up key areas, and then if you’re looking for something long lasting with low, hassle-free upkeep, pave over existing sodden ground and worn-out decking with a stunning concrete patio.
4. Install a new concrete driveway
We’ll hopefully be able to welcome lots of guests round to our houses this summer, and the first thing they’ll see is your driveway. Will it be old and cracked, or will it be a stunning new pattern imprinted concrete drive, designed to perfectly match the style of your home?
Concrete driveways add over £8000 to the value of your home – and they give it superb kerbside appeal. If you’re thinking of selling, they’re an essential home improvement this year. If you’re staying put, they’re long lasting, highly durable and low maintenance.
One improvement this year and you’ll be good for the next 20! Plus they’re so versatile, you can completely transform the look of your home with any shape, colour or style you like!
5. Build an outdoor retreat
Another must have home improvement is an outdoor retreat. A shed, a building or even a den away from your house as a standalone place to relax and unwind. Or perhaps you want to add a garden office, a place to work from home while not being actually at home?
Whether it’s an office space, a bar or a summer house, it’s sure to add value onto your property. And why not link your new patio to your new outdoor retreat with a gorgeous, winding, printed concrete path that will stay free from moss and algae even during the winter?
6. Upgrade your porch
Last, but not least, you might want to consider upgrading your porch as one of your top home improvements this summer. After all, it’s one of the first thing visitors will see – and we might be having a lot of doorstep conversations and catch ups!
If you’re thinking of a new driveway, upgrading your porch at the same time – with a new maintenance free footpath right to your front door – makes perfect sense. You might even install new steps, a new door and a new canopy to shelter guests from the summer rain.
So which home improvement will you make this summer?
If you’re thinking about a new concrete patio or driveway to transform your outdoor spaces – then we can help.
Get in touch for a completely free design to bring your vision to life and a free quote to carry out all the works with zero fuss.