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The new year is often a time when people think about making changes. After nearly two years of multiple lockdowns being made to stay and work from home, it’s no surprise that many people are considering making improvements to their home. Whether this is to aid their new way of working by creating a home office, or simply opting for a fresh lick of paint, is there a best time of year to make these changes? 

Whether or not you should schedule your home improvements in for a certain time of year greatly depends on the size of the job. For example, cosmetic changes such as  repainting or wallpapering a room can be done relatively easily without affecting your everyday life too much. However, more significant changes, such as redesigning your kitchen or extending your property will require much more work and will likely result in some disruption to your day-to-day routine.

When is the Best Time of Year to Paint Your Walls?

The best time of year to paint your walls can depend on a number of factors. To begin with, you’ll want to choose a dry time of year such as summer as any humidity in the air can cause paint to streak, fail to adhere properly to the walls and take much longer to dry. 

Another thing to consider is what you have going on when you’re deciding to paint. For example, if you have young children, painting around the summer holidays may not be the best idea as they may be more likely to touch wet walls or disrupt the process.

If you find yourself having to paint during the cold and wet months, we would advise using a dehumidifier to help prevent the moisture interfering with your paint.

When is the Best Time of Year to Install New Blinds?

Although it is quick and easy to install new window blinds and shutters all year round, if you find that your current blinds or other window coverings aren’t working as effectively as they should, the best time to have them installed is right before the more extreme weather conditions begin, such as winter and summer.

This is because in winter, you’ll need blinds or shutters that can effectively work to trap warm air inside your home and prevent it from escaping through the windows. Similarly in summer, you’ll need blinds or shutters that can prevent the sun from overheating a room and keep the cool air inside. 

Not only does this help to maintain more comfortable temperatures, but by preventing heat and cool air loss from your home with blinds, your central heating and cooling system won’t have to work as hard to maintain the temperature in your home, helping you to reduce your energy usage and cut your heating/cooling bills significantly.

Other times when you should replace your blinds are when your current ones:

• Are difficult to lift
• Have damaged slats
• Won’t close
• Aren’t working as well anymore
• No longer match your home style

At Aspiration Blinds, we can install new blinds and shutters across the North West all year round. For a free style consultation by one of our design experts, get in touch with our team today or come and browse our fantastic wide range of blinds and shutters.

When is the Best Time of Year to Extend Your Home?

Any renovations and extensions that entail a significant amount of external work generally work best when scheduled in the summer months due to the better weather (though this isn’t guaranteed with the unpredictable British weather). However, this does mean that if you have children, you will have to keep them off the construction site during the summer holidays, meaning more days will likely have to be spent away from home.

However, if your project includes a lot of groundwork, you may actually be better scheduling this in for the winter months once most of the vegetation has died down and the soil is softer and easier to excavate. Additionally, if your project requires foundation trenches, the colder conditions can help to prevent them from collapsing. 

It is worth noting, though, that any timber frames will need to be kept as dry as possible to prevent excessive expansion and will need to dry out to prevent shrinkage if any moisture has already been absorbed.

Bricklaying is also best carried out in dry conditions as it can be tricky to do when wet and significant rainfall can wash away the mortar and weaken the structure of the brickwork.

For more home styling tips and advice, check out the rest of our helpful guides here.