There’s something special about spending the summertime at home with the family. Sure, the summer is all about trips to the beach, picnics in the park and booking holidays. But it’s also about hosting BBQ’s in the garden, having friends and family round to enjoy the lighter evenings, and making the most of your garden space while you can. For homeowners, it also opens up another door: tackling those home improvements that you put off all through the winter. The summer months are generally best for assessing what needs repairing or upgrading, and getting on with it while the weather is warmer - especially for any outdoor tasks.Summer home updates can range from large remodelling projects to little changes that need doing around the house. Knowing where to start, and which ones are worth it, can sometimes be the problem that encourages people to leave it for another year. Here, we’ve put together a list of summer home improvement ideas which will make your home a more enjoyable place for the family this summer: 
Landscape the garden
No matter whether you have a small yard or a large, impressive garden, summer is the time to get your garden into shape. It needs to be a safe place for children to play, and a relaxing space any friends and family to gather. Landscaping is always on the top of every homes summer ‘to do’ list, as it not only reflects the quality of the home, but the neighbours will also be checking out your garden too (even if you think they won’t!).Start by fully mowing the lawn, trimming the edges, pulling out weeds and tidying up overgrown bushes and shrubs. Then, invest in new plants and flowers to plant which should bloom in full by mid-summer. If you require a seating area and need concrete or decking laying down, look into local companies who can come in and do this for you. If it’s done wrong, the results can be problematic. Bring nature indoors
You can also bring nature to your home from the inside, as well as focusing on your gardens. Summer is the ideal time to have a look at the decor and themes you have running throughout your home. With the natural sunlight beaming through during summer, it’s the ideal time to bring some greenery indoors and introduce a touch of nature.The first thing to do is look at reasonable house plants that can be placed in various corners of the home. You can get beautiful floor plants which grow fairly high, making great additions to those odd corners in the home that don’t currently offer anything visual. Don’t be afraid to bring real plants into the equation, too. You can work on some creative set-ups here, such as fresh flowers on the coffee tables and dining table, you can put herbs on the windowsill in the kitchen, and blooming summer plants and hanging planters can be placed around kitchens and hallways. Energy efficiency improvements
Summer is a great time to start looking at ways to be more energy efficient in the home, which is extremely appealing to cost-conscious homebuyers when you do come round to selling up. Sustainability in the home is becoming a growing trend, so it could be worth investing in improvements around this topic. Here are some to keep in mind:Update your windows: Windows are a key aspect to the home that buyers look at, therefore old single-pane windows just won’t do. Instead, you will need air-tight windows which don’t let any warm air out (or cold air in). This will save you lots on heating bills. Smart thermostats: Smart meters are becoming the norm these days, and potential buyers will be impressed if they see a house which has one set up. This way, you’ll give possible buyers the chance to control the temperature of their home themselves, with total flexibility. It can be done from a mobile device, and the best part is the thermostat can learn the heating habits of the homeowner, making it easy for you to control temperatures.Fridges and freezers: Did you know that fridge freezers (combined) are the biggest energy drain among everything in the home? It’s important to have a quality one, after all, it's your fresh food it’s keeping chilled, but there are now energy efficient fridges out there which use don’t drain energy use as much. You can find out more about these here. A lick of paint
Lastly, painting a house has to be one of the most important - and cost-effective - summer updates you can give to your home. If nothing else, painting the rooms of your home with newer, fresher paint will make the rooms look good as new, and create a totally different atmosphere than before. However, don’t just buy a pot of cream paint and plan to paint every room in the home a clean, neutral shade. Think about whether it’s a job you can do yourself, or should you leave it to a professional?If it’s the whole house that needs painting, it might be best to invest in a painter and decorator to come in for 1-2 days when you can take the kids out. Otherwise, it’s a huge job, and may take up a lot of time this summer, while you could be enjoying a brighter, cleaner looking house quickly! Remember that just like your wardrobe, your home deserves the attention of a complete transformation from the inside out every season. Make sure you give it a good one this summer!*Guest post
