Autumn is a great time to renovate, restore or redecorate areas of your house and garden. Making changes in the autumnal months leaves you free to enjoy the summer, and gives you plenty of time to get things done before winter sets in.

Whether you concentrate on decorative elements, home improvement or energy efficiency, working on your property in autumn means you can enjoy a stress free festive season with family and friends – safe in the knowledge that you will be secure and cosy.

Here are some ideas.

Kitchen

Refitting the kitchen is a big job, and one that is well suited to autumn. The kitchen is usually the most used room in the house, for socialising and family time as much as cooking and eating. You’ll need it up and running before the winter holidays, and a fresh kitchen can really add to the atmosphere and ambience of your home. Replacing or repairing cabinets and resurfacing worktops gives a new lease of life to the kitchen. Choose lighting carefully, a mix of task lighting and mood lighting – easily done with dimmers or adjustable colour temperature. And if you’re painting, try choosing two light tones such as pearl or champagne, and offset those with a muted charcoal for an elegant effect.

Bathroom

Autumn is the ideal time to get your bathroom winter-ready. And that means cosiness – a new floor-standing bathtub for a long hot soak, underfloor heating to keep the feet toasty, and new luxurious showerheads. Light and music are important factors too – a smart system is now more affordable than ever, and lets you change the ambience via voice control, meaning you don’t have to get out of the bath. If you don’t want to refit, there are some small touches you can make, such a splash of paint, new mats or towels, or simply a bowl of potpourri.

Deck

Building a deck is hard work, much more so in the hot summer months. Depending on the climate where you are, the weather conditions could be favourable in other ways – firmer ground as the cold sets in helps to put down a structure without too much of a negative impact on your property. And getting it done before winter sets in is imperative – you want to be able to enjoy your new deck as soon as the spring sunshine hits!

Lighting

Nothing creates mood and sets the atmosphere like the right lighting. A combination of task lighting over desks, coffee tables and work surfaces with spotlighting on features, and wall washing mood lights ensures versatility in the home. Decorative pendant lights come in all styles, from antique to minimalistic, and add an air of class to your home. And now with smart technology becoming so affordable, it’s easier than ever to automate and control the lighting in your home.

Heating

Many homes are in dire need of a heating upgrade, and it is crucial – obviously- to get that upgrade done before the cold weather closes in. Smart thermostats help you control your heating remotely, meaning you can turn on the heater from your car on the drive home, and get cosy as soon as you open the door.

Roof

Many roofs are made with asphalt, and that needs to be installed at cooler temperatures – meaning that autumn is the ideal season to do so. Also, you don’t want to be on a sloping roof if there is frost around. And in order to keep your house warm, and your heating bills under control, getting any repairs done to the roof or the insulation is best tackled in autumn.

Garden

With winter not too far away, autumn is the time to prepare your garden for next year. Aerate your lawn to prepare it for colder weather, and generously water any plants before the chill sets in. Autumn is also the best time to mulch, with dead leaves and other garden waste. Putting in dense shrubbery to protect more delicate plants from cold weather is also a good idea.

Autumn is a great time to get stuck into the home improvements you put off in Summer and will be too cold, or festive, or both to tackle in winter.

Do you have any home improvement projects in mind for this Autumn? Tell us in the comments below.