Would you say your home is less comfortable during the hottest months of the year ? From new curtains to a new backyard grilling station, we have many home renovation tips to help you get more out of your home, inside and out.
Better Air Conditioning — Without a New AC
Air conditioners seldom need to be replaced. Unless yours is truly broken, you can get better performance out of it by improving the ventilation and insulation:
- Finish the attic or garage (or at least add new insulation) to eliminate a dead zone and keep more cool air indoors.
- Use heavier curtains or blinds and keep them closed during morning and later afternoon.
- Install casement windows that tilt open so you can let the cool bay breeze in at night and turn on your air conditioner later the next day.
- Use wall or floor ducts? Retrofit your AC with overhead ducts so that cool air falls downward naturally.
- Rearrange furniture or renovate living areas to put seating areas away from windows and in the path of air conditioning vents.
Porch and Patio — Enclosed, Screened, or Renovated?
There are many options to turn an outdoor space into a cool, enjoyable feature that you actually use — and adds value to the home.
Unused sunrooms or screened porches can be enclosed for better energy efficiency. Or you might remove the structure to enlarge your outdoor space.
Open patios or porches that you would like to use more should be screened or enclosed. You can create a comfortable space with a roof and ceiling fan, or turn it into a full-fledged home addition.
Finally, it may be time to renovate your sliding glass doors. These let in a lot of light if not covered all the time. Home contractors can turn the glass doors into a full wall, with or without a door and windows.
Home Renovations Outdoors
The outdoors has some of the best projects for home improvements:
- Plant tall shade trees to block the high summer sun from blasting your living room, office, kitchenette, or other spaces with too much heat.
- Build an outdoor barbecue or kitchen with brick, stone, or concrete and enjoy the outdoors — and reduce the amount of high-heat cooking indoors.
Renovate While On Vacation
Larger home renovations often require workers to go in and out of the house, which in some cases makes it difficult to keep the home air conditioned. Homeowners should consider staying in a hotel during major home improvement projects anyway, so why not take a relaxing vacation the week contractors will be renovating? Contact McNeil Construction for a contractor you can really trust.