6 Great Home Projects for Summer

Build a Porch Swing

Wile away your summer on your front porch with a cool drink and a dog at your feet, and keep an eye on those kids running through the sprinkler. There is no better perch for this than a porch swing.

This project is a surprisingly easy build, requiring only simple, inexpensive materials and basic tools for construction. Even the chains are purchased in sets that are designed especially for porch swings, so no metal-cutting is involved. As long as you have a sturdy porch ceiling capable of holding the weight of the swing plus users, you’ll have your porch swing up in no time at all.

Design and Install a Paver Patio

Get ready for summer fun by designing and installing your own paver patio. Precast concrete pavers are easier and less expensive than pouring a concrete slab patio and faster than laying down smaller individual bricks. Plus, they can feel like a more organic addition to an outdoor space than some other patio options.

Hardscaping materials tend to be fairly inexpensive, using crushed stone or paver base, paver sand, landscape fabric, and edging. Polymeric sand is swept between the pavers and dampened with a hose; the sand hardens to a cohesive joint that is much like mortar.

Replace Your Home’s Front Door

Get ready for the cooler weather of fall and winter by replacing your home’s exterior front door, especially if it’s drafty. Summer is the perfect time to do this since the project entails keeping the front door open to the elements for as long as a day or two. Summer, too, means you are not competing with inclement weather that threatens to drive you inside. Door replacement is a substantial project that is well worth the effort: It can boost your inside comfort, overall home value, and curb appeal.

Paint Your Countertops

Replacing kitchen and bathroom countertops is an expensive proposition. The affordable alternative? Painting your countertops is a viable solution that works as an excellent stop-gap for a number of years prior to full replacement.

While water-based latex paints are tolerable in enclosed spaces, the oil-based polyurethane paints required for painting countertops emit a noxious smell. Not only that, but extensive sanding is also required to prep the countertops for the paint.

That’s why summer is the perfect time to paint your countertops. In addition to wearing a respirator and other safety gear, you can fling windows and doors open and direct a house fan towards the outdoors to draw fumes and dust away from the inside.

Install a Slider or Casement Window Air Conditioner

Scorching temperatures threaten to drive homeowners out of their yards and into their homes. Find much-needed relief from the outside highs by installing a window unit air conditioner in your slider window or casement window.

Owners of homes with vertically sliding single-hung or double-hung windows have it easy when it comes to purchasing and installing window unit air conditioners. For casements and horizontally moving slider windows, though, air conditioners are more expensive and trickier to install. But this project is well worth it, especially as a respite from working on your outdoor projects while temperatures are high.

Insulate Your Crawl Space

Prepare your house for the upcoming cool months by insulating your crawl space. Summer is the best time for this extensive project, as it gives you enough time and cooperative weather to make those frequent crawls under the house.

Properly installed crawl space insulation helps to control mold and mildew, keeps upper floors warm, and maintains the health of your home’s foundation.