Revamping Your Home In Time for the Holiday Season

The festive season is fast approaching and many of us are starting to spend more and more time indoors. Over the course of the past year and a half, many of us have spent a lot of time as it is, complying with lockdowns, social distancing guidelines and social isolation rules. During this time, we’ve identified all sorts of areas of our home that we’d like to improve upon and that we’re determined to get done before we start hosting events, dinners and guests in our homes for the holidays. Of course, it’s only October, but now could be a great time to get started with all of this. There are countless things you can do, but here are just a few ideas and areas of focus that might take your fancy!

Declutter

All of us are guilty of collecting items we simply don’t want or need in our homes. Perhaps they’re things that have become outdated, items that we were given or gifted, things that were once useful but no longer are or anything else. It’s important that you declutter your home every once in a while to free up space, neaten the room up and generally reduce that overwhelming and claustrophobic feeling you can get when a room has too many unnecessary items in it. Decluttering can be achieved with three simple steps.

• Pick out unnecessary belongings – start your decluttering journey by sifting through your belongings and picking out items and belongings that you don’t need. If you don’t use something and it holds no real sentimental value, chances are, you can get rid of it.

• Sell items of value – of course, you don’t want to just throw everything in the bin. Instead, you need to determine what to do with each item. If you notice that any of the items you no longer want or need are items of value, you can sell them and make some money back on them. There are plenty of online sales platforms, such as eBay, Etsy, Depop or Facebook marketplace. Alternatively, carboot sales can be good for selling items of a lower value.

• Recycle and donate – if you are left with anything that won’t sell, you may want to donate it to a charity store. Alternatively, if it’s broken or no longer of any use, you can recycle it.

Deep Clean

You’d be surprised how much of a difference deep cleaning your home can make. After decluttering, you’ll be left with a blank canvas to spruce up and perfect. Of course, we all have routine cleaning tasks that we complete on a day to day or week to week basis. But these miss some areas, where dirt can slowly build up over time. It’s important to conduct a deep clean every once in a while to really keep on top of everything. There are plenty of deep cleaning activities out there, but some you might want to consider include:

• Carpet cleaning with a professional carpet cleaning machine
• A deep clean of the bathroom
• Wiping down skirting boards
• Window cleaning
• Cleaning the inside of the oven
• Jet washing patios
• Clearing gutters

Repainting

A task that’s relatively small and straightforward, but that can make a major difference to how your home looks, is to repaint the walls. Whether you tackle one room or the whole property, it’s more than worth the time and effort. It’s surprising just how much walls fade and mark over time. Even if you stick with the same colour, the final look and feel of the room will make you realise just how much your walls needed it. If you have the time and energy, you could tackle this yourself. However, if you’re busier or want a completely professional finish, it’s best to call in a professional painter decorator who will able to complete the work for you.

New Blinds or Curtains

Blinds and curtains are often something we invest in once and don’t think about again. But over time, they can age, become damaged, or simply stop matching the rest of the design of the room. If you’re considering updating or changing your blinds or curtains, there are plenty of options out there. From roller blinds to shutters, black out blinds and an endless array of curtain fabrics and patterns, it can feel difficult to settle on one option. But as long as you stick with a reliable supplier, you should be fine. You can click here for a few options and ideas. When you do choose the right window coverings for you, make sure that they are installed properly. This can help them to look great and to stand the test of time.

Renovations

When you first move into your home, chances are, you’re completely happy with it. You’ll have spent a fair amount of time browsing the property market, waiting for the perfect building to pop up. However, as time passes, you may find that your needs and preferences change and that your home isn’t ticking your boxes anymore. This doesn’t necessarily mean that you have to move house. Instead, you could simply renovate your much loved property to make it appropriate for you again! This can be a long and complex process to undertake, but moving house can be long and complex too. Instead, with renovating you get to stay settled and you get to simply build and work on the place you already call home. Now, if you haven’t undertaken renovations before, you may be wondering where to start. Here’s some key information on renovations and the home renovation process that can get this venture started out in the best direction possible!

Consider Planning Permission

Before setting your heart on or getting started with any particular home renovations, it’s absolutely essential that you consider planning permission. This is something that you will have to receive before getting started, and also something that you may not be granted. Put simply, planning permission is a process that provides you with a permit to go ahead with your planned work. If you are planning something overly outlandish that could bother your neighbours or impact house value in the local community, you are likely to be rejected. However, most standard home renovations will get the green light. It is absolutely essential to be approved before getting started. If you don’t and someone complains about your renovation or the local council finds out, you may have to return your property to its original state. This, of course, results in a lot of money spent for nothing.

Extensions

Now, there are countless renovations out there that you can choose from. However, one of the most popular that we can focus on for now is extensions. When you first move into your home, chances are there’s plenty of space – or you wouldn’t have moved there in the first place. But over time, our needs change, and you may find that you need more space to accommodate children, pets or other individuals spending time in your home. You don’t necessarily have to move in this instance. Instead, you can keep the home you love and simply extend on it. An extension will help you to make your property bigger, adding on an extra room (or multiple rooms) to gain the space you need. There are so many different types of extension to choose from and the best for you will depend on how much land you have, what type of home you live in and more. It’s generally best to discuss your options with a professional architect who will be able to make personalised recommendations.

Loft Conversions

If you don’t have sufficient room around your property for you to extend into, an extension may not be an option for you. But don’t despair – this doesn’t mean you can’t have that extra room you’ve been dreaming of. Instead, you can simply repurpose the space you’re already working with. This is where a loft conversion can come in useful.  A loft conversion turns your disused loft space into an extra room that you can use as a guest room, home office, play room, cinema room or anything else you may have in mind.

En Suites

Having an en suite can make a huge difference to your day to day life and routine. When everyone in your home shares one bathroom, you can find queues in the morning as everyone wants to get ready at the same time. Having an en suite adds a small bathroom to your bedroom, providing you with a private space to get ready and use as you wish. It’s also greatly convenient during the night.

As you can see, there’s a whole array of things you can do to revamp your home in time for the holiday season. Some steps are small, some are large. Some are completely free, some will be costly. Hopefully, some of the options outlined above will help you to determine what’s best for you and your home and which options you want to engage with!