I think it comes from my childhood and my handyman parents, but every time summer comes around, I get the urge to get out the pots of paint, the plaster, the brushes and rollers and give the house a facelift. So, while I’m waiting to get started, I thought it would be a good idea to draw up a list of small summer projects to spruce up the house. Nothing too costly or complicated, these project ideas are just a great way to spruce up your home after the winter.

1 – PAINT SHUTTERS AND WINDOWS
There’s no better way to spruce up the outside of your home. If the color of your shutters is faded, frayed or damaged, a lick of new paint on them will give them a new lease of life! And if your windows need a lick of paint too, do it at the same time!

Materials required:

• Sandpaper for sanding
• Spatula to scrape off loose pieces
• Paint (exterior) in shutter color
• Paintbrushes
• Blouse / work clothes
• Tarpaulin (tarp) to keep floor clean

2 – CLEANING THE TERRACE
Once a year, a little cleaning on the terrace will give it a new lease of life! Moss, stains and dirt are all gone. But it takes a long time! Plan to take turns and spend several hours on the job.

Equipment required:

• Rain boots
• Garden hose and extension cord
• Lots of patience

3 – PAINTING YOUR GATE
As with shutters, if a gate’s paintwork has been damaged by time and life, a little brushwork and the gate rises from the ashes!

Materials required:

• Wire brush for front cleaning (iron gates)
• Sandpaper for front sanding (wood gates)
• Paint (rustproof iron for iron or wood depending on the gate) in the color of the gate
• Paintbrushes
• Blouse / work clothes
• Tarpaulin (tarp) to keep floor clean

4 – PAINTING ONE OR MORE ROOMS IN THE HOUSE
When you have white walls, you don’t always realize it because the deterioration is happening right in front of your eyes, but they’re turning yellow. All you have to do is put a sheet of white paper on a wall to see just how much. You can therefore – at your leisure – repaint in white or, why not, paint a colored wall (a pastel shade or, on the contrary, a beautiful duck blue or forest green, etc.) to give the room some pizzazz. At home, I repainted the inside of my inlaid bookcase green.

Materials required:

• Filler to fill in if necessary
• Sandpaper for sanding irregularities if necessary
• Undercoat
• Paint (interior, satin) white and color (if colored wall)
• Brush (for corners)
• Roller
• Scotch tape for paint (to avoid protruding)
• Blouse / work clothes
• Tarpaulin (tarp) to keep floor clean

5 – COVERING A ROOM FLOOR
You don’t need to do any major work to spruce up a room’s floor. Installing lino or adhesive tiles is quick and easy! We’ve done it with adhesive tiles in the kitchen, and it works just as well on the floor. But if you’re laying lino or tiles over your existing floor, make sure that the thickness of the lino or tiles doesn’t prevent doors from closing. That would be a shame.

Materials required:

• Acetone to strip / degrease beforehand
• Lino or tile
• Cutter for cutting into nooks and crannies, etc.
• Long ruler for cuts
• Patience!

6 – REDESIGNING YOUR GARDEN
What better time than summer to redesign your garden and make the most of it? Now’s the time to get out / invest / build a garden furniture set, create cosy corners on outdoor cushions, build “forts” for the kids with sheets and clotheslines. In short, make the most of your little (or big!) plot of land to enjoy it 100%.

7 – DECLUTTER / SORT
We keep coming back to this… but the warmer weather makes me want to free up some space in the house, and it’s also ideal before the start of the new school year in September, so we can get off to a good start! So let’s arm ourselves with good will and patience, declutter by category of object…