Our top home improvement tips for Autumn

It’s virtually impossible at the moment to watch TV or listen to the radio without hearing horror stories about the rising cost of living and the scary price of energy in particular.  While it’s easy just to let this news get you down, it’s important to remember that there are things you can do to keep your spending in check.

At M&T Builders Merchants, we’re here to help you identify the home improvements autumn should include making sure your house is in good order when the really cold months come. Carrying out home improvements in the autumn is a great habit to get into and here are our top tips for the things you should be doing or checking right now.

Keep the cold at bay

There’s no point turning your heating on only to discover later that you’re letting the heat you’re paying for seep out of our house through your doors, windows and loft.  One of the first things you can check for on your home improvements autumn list is easy.  Just walk around your house once night has fallen and feel for draughts around windows and doors.  While now mightn’t be the right time to start installing new windows and doors, adding thick, thermal curtains to draughty windows and doors, or using insulating tape will help keep the heat in. 

At this time of year, you should also be making sure that your loft is well insulated as that’s the place where lots of heat can get lost.  Adding or topping up loft insulation as part of your home improvements autumn routine will help save lots of money on lost heat.  If you’re needing to either insulate your loft for the first time or top up your existing insulation, you can check out our loft insulation right here.  And the best news is that without having to leave the comfort of your own home, you can order online and opt for click and collect or local delivery.  The choice is yours.

Get your annual checks done

Sometimes people think that they can save money by skipping annual checks, but in many cases, this really is a false economy.  As an absolute minimum, you should be getting your chimneys and flues swept, checking your smoke detectors and CO alarms and getting your boiler serviced.  Not only will adding these things to your home improvements autumn list make your home safer, but it will also put you firmly in control because you’ll know that you’ve done the checks that are really needed.

Deal with the outdoors

Even though the thought of going outside in the cold and wet mightn’t inspire you, as part of your home improvements autumn routine, it’s important to look after your outside space as well as inside your home.  Here are 4 things that we think are non-negotiable at this time of year:

1. Put your outdoor furniture away/cover it.  Outdoor furniture is great in the summertime and may indeed get used from time to time during the winter months.  But, if you’re not planning to use yours, its best to store it somewhere dry over the winter.  If that’s not possible, at least make sure you cover it so it’s in good condition for you when you need it next year.
2. Clear your gutters.  Clogged up gutters can cause havoc with everything from trapped water, pests, roof damage and even structural issues.  To avoid costly repairs, take time to clear your gutters, particularly at this time of year. 
3. Power wash and repair your paths, decks and driveways.  Making sure your paths, decks and driveways are clean and in good condition ahead of the seriously cold weather is a great investment, not just for the safety of you and your family but it’s also a great way of making sure you don’t have unwanted damage because of frost.  If you need supplies, you should head over here and check out what we have in stock to help you.
4. Repair walls.  Cracks in walls can wreak havoc in winter and it’s for that reason that now is the time to go around your walls and repair them where needed.  Water seeping into cracks and then freezing can mean even bigger cracks and even worse – so don’t leave it to chance.  We have a great range of materials and tools that can help.  Start by checking this out – and don’t forget – if you need help or advice, we’re here for you.

No matter what your home improvements autumn plans are, you can count on M&T Builders Merchants to be there for you.  You can order products online for local delivery or collection or visit us in-store to view the full range and get advice.