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Last updated: 13 June 2023
Top home maintenance tips for summer
As the weather gets warmer, it's no surprise you want to make the most of it. Here's how to make sure your home is summer-ready for maximum relaxation and hosting friends and family.
You're ready for summer, but is your home? Here's how to make sure your home is summer-ready for chilling and enjoying family time.
If you read and acted on our blog about the top 6 jobs to do in spring, your home is probably already in good shape. But there's still some work for before summer well and truly hits.
If you want to know what to focus on in fairer weather, read on for our summer home maintenance tips and their associated costs.
Summer home maintenance checklist
Clean your windows and doors
Summer is the perfect time to give your external glass a good clean.
In seasons where your windows take more of a beating, be it through storms or general windy drizzle, there's little point in making them sparkle.
However, when you want to look outside and take in the sights without dirt or smudges marring your view, getting your windows cleaned is the only way to make this happen.
Rough cost for window and door cleaning?
Typically, you can expect your window cleaning price to start from £30. Residential window cleaning prices will vary depending on how many windows need cleaning and how high they are from the ground.
Of course, if your house is bigger or the windows require extra care and attention, the costs will increase.
Check out our window cleaning prices guide for more information.
Repaint your home's external walls and gates
Along with your windows and doors, another top home maintenance tip for summer is to repaint your outside walls and gates/railings. Doing this in warmer weather is ideal. This is because the risk of rain, wind, and other nuisance elements is lower. The last thing you need is flying debris sticking to your fresh paint or raindrops making the colours run!
Check the forecast and pick a milder summer day to avoid your paint drying too quickly, or sun patches causing hairline cracks before the paint is fully cured.
Remember to clean your walls and gates or railing with hard or wire brushes to remove any loose dirt and old paint. You should then wash with a mild detergent, before leaving to dry and then apply the paint. For more top tips, read our guide on how to paint a wall.
For best results, we would always recommend hiring a professional. The average cost to paint a houseis between £3,000 - £6,000
Prices vary depending on the size of the project, the time it takes to complete, and the type of prep and paint required.
Tidy up your garden
Whether you've got decking, a patio, an array of flower beds, or a mixture of everything, keep on top of your summer garden maintenance by de-weeding, cleaning, and landscaping where needed. While you're at it, trim your hedges and bushes to prevent overgrowth, and polish your garden accessories in time for guests.
Depending on the design you want and the materials you need, the cost of garden landscaping varies. In terms of weeding, expect to pay a gardener £30+ per hour.
To return your decking to its former glory, read our tips on how to clean decking, and check out our guide on cleaning a stained patio for expert advice on restoring your patio area.
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Give internal walls a fresh lick of paint
Along with your external walls, your internal walls could use some love while you're spending less time inside. Summer also means you can leave your windows and doors open, which means faster drying times and fewer paint fumes to inhale for you.
Maybe now is the time for that feature wall? How about a lounge revamp?
Painters and decorators coston average £325per day.
Thoroughly clean your loft and/or basement
When it's dreary and cold, the last thing you want to do is delve into the darkest reaches of your house. Storage areas like your loft and basement are often neglected due to the colder weather making you less likely to venture into them.
That's why giving them the TLC they deserve during the summer evenings is a great idea. You can even make space for extra storage, a spare room, a wine cellar, or a reading nook.
Check out our cellar conversion cost guide and loft conversion cost guide for more information. If you just want some help cleaning your loft or basement, why not hire a cleaning company?
Consider building a summer outhouse
Most people think about building a summer house in the spring, but there's nothing stopping you from installing one in the summer. They're perfect if you're looking for some extra space to relax and unwind after a long day.
They also offer a bit of extra space away from the main hustle and bustle of your home, meaning you can pretend you're somewhere else for a while when the world gets a little too loud.
Because summer houses come in various shapes, designs, and materials, the cost varies significantly. Expect to pay at least £5,000+ for a prefabricated timber construction.
Take a look at our summer house cost guide for more information.
Alternatively, learn how to build your own with a DIY design.
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Start a new project
You can do loads of fun DIY projects in the summer, whether they're for home improvement purposes or just because you want something to keep you busy.
Here are a few ideas to get your creative juices flowing:
Build your own love Island garden
Go one better than a paddling pool - build a swimming pool!
Build an outdoor shower
Create an outdoor cinema experience
And don't forget to check out our ideas for sun worshippers this summer for even more inspiration.
Wondering what jobs other homeowners complete across the summer months?
Based on the searches we saw for tradespeople last year, we saw these jobs boost in popularity over the summer months*:
In July
A big increase in wasp nest removal. In fact, we saw a 105% increase in searches for our tradespeople
More homeowners were searching for swimming pool experts (31% increase), as well as lanscape gardeners (15% increase)
In August
Landscapers, unsurprisingly, were very popular. There was an interesting increase for landscapers offering play areas, with a 48% increase in searches
And August looks to be a good time for tiling - in more ways than one. Mosaic tiling searches increase by 25%, while carpet tiles saw a 23% increase in popularity
In September, with summer coming to an end
The chillier months were clearly on the mind of homeowners - chimney sweeping grew a whopping 84% in website searches
Along with a 43% increase in searches for boiler repairs and servicing with our central heating engineers
Did you find this 'top home maintenance tips for summer' article useful? If so, check out our blog for more expert advice, how-tos, and renovation inspiration.
*Average trade category searches per month in 2021 on checkatrade.com - popularity increases compared with searches in the month previous.
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