How to Prepare Home Renovation Ideas for the Summer

Summer is a great time for many home renovation ideas to take root. Warm weather and long days allow you to complete projects inside and outside of your home. Some of the best tasks during this time of year include:

• Exterior painting, even if it's just the front door.
• Window replacement or a thorough cleaning and resealing.

• Kitchen remodeling. Fire up the grill and set up an outdoor kitchen while you reinvent the inside.
• Landscaping. Put up that cute picket fence you've always wanted.

• Porch or patio. Repair or build a new outdoor living space for summer barbecues and fall bonfires.
• Restoring wood floors, whether it's a full refinish or a buffing and cleaning with Murphy® Oil Soap.

STEPS, PRICE AND TIME

The key to any successful summer renovation is to start with a plan, start to finish. Draft a detailed list of all your home renovation ideas and the steps each task will take. Include everything, even if it seems small, like repairing a cracked window. Then, next to each item, list the probable cost of the repair if you've received an estimation. If you haven't, pursue a contractor (most of them offer free estimates) and price out the supplies you'll need as well.

From here, list the amount of time it should take. Installing a new front door the perfect job for a new first impression, according to This Old House only takes a few hours, but replacing all the windows and screens in a sunroom could take several days to complete.

Prioritize

The next step is organizing your list by importance. How you prioritize will depend on three factors:

• Need. The top items on the list should be those that need immediate attention, such as a leaking spigot or loose gutter. These items cause long-term damage and can cost you even more when not repaired. They should top your renovation list for the summer.
• Budget. You have to have financial limits when deciding which projects to tackle first. Maybe you don't have enough in the budget to tackle a full-kitchen remodel. Start with what you can afford and what you know will need replacing before anything else. Remember to always add 15 percent to estimated costs for the unforeseen expenses that always seem to happen during home renovation projects.
• Time. Your third consideration is obvious, but not always thought out correctly. Although some people might enjoy spending their vacation among a gorgeous renovation, you'll still want some time to relax. How much time will you want to spend on your home renovation ideas this summer? If you only have a week, keep the vision small or hire help to accelerate the process.

Finally, establish a timeline to go along with the latter. Some projects, like exterior painting, require dry weather. That should inform your roadmap during your area's driest part of the season. Other projects, like landscaping, should happen before or after peak temperatures so your outside is as beautiful as your inside. 

This article was brought to you by Colgate-Palmolive Company, the makers of Murphy® Oil Soap. The views and opinions expressed by the author do not reflect the position of the Colgate-Palmolive Company.