Renovating your family home can be a great summer project, and it also adds value to your property. Here are some do it yourself projects that any dedicated household can manage.

Replace Your Tired Entrance with a Feature Door

The front doorway is the first thing you see when you enter any building. If your old door is scuffed or splintering, replace it with a new feature door. This is possibly the easiest home renovation project there is – choosing the door will probably take more effort than installing it. Make sure you measure your old door, to ensure your new selection will fit. Remove your old door, but make sure the sill is still intact. Attach the new door, and use some caulk to seal the door in the opening. Insulate around the door with caulk, and if nothing goes wrong, it should be operational just as soon as the caulk is dry.

Retile the Bathroom

If your bathroom is not renovated and still houses its original tiles, then it is definitely time for an upgrade. Before you start, make sure you cover anything you don’t want to get damaged in plastic sheeting, including the bathtub, the toilet, or the mirror. Use a utility knife, and a chisel and hammer to pop off the old tiles, then scrape the floor to remove any old thinset. If there are any uneven areas, you may need to smooth them out with drywall compound. Spread thinset on your tiles, until it is the same thickness as your tiles, and then place them evenly along the floor with spacer in between each one. Don’t forget to grout your tiles to avoid future water damage.

Repaint the House

Painting the house is another easy DIY renovation option, and it’s one you can even do with the kids. Make sure the room is dust free before you start – if dust gets into your wet paint, it can make a nasty bump. Clean the surfaces before you paint them to avoid roughness or grease. Apply masking tape to the edges of areas that won’t be painted to avoid the whole room ending up with a Jackson Pollockesque appearance. Then prime, and paint, and remove the masking tape when you’re done.

Make a Skylight

With the current craze for natural light, skylights are a valuable addition to any house. Make sure you find a spot in the roof free of electric wires or pipes, where the sun will actually shine in. Try drilling a locating nail into the roof to keep you oriented. You’ll need to cut two holes, one in the roof and one in the ceiling – and preferably they should match up! Install a room dome through the roof hole, and down into the ceiling hole to channel the light into your house. Fasten the dome at the other end, sand and seal.

Build a Deck

If none of the options above sounded impressive enough to you, you might want to build your own deck. Mark out the deck site with posts so you have an overview of what you are going to build.

Next, you will need to excavate the deck area to make sure it is level –mini excavators make this work quick and easy. Build the frame on a flat surface nearby, then position the frame and secure it to the posts. Concrete the posts, then level the frame. Next secure the decking boards with screws, making sure you position them correctly by using a ruler. Once all the boards are in place, your deck is done. Easy right?

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