Getting Your Garden and Home Summer Ready: A Priority List 

Summer is just around the corner, and I bet you’re looking at your garden wondering when it became a forest. Everything is overgrown, or grey, and what would you do out there anyway? Well, never fear. We’re here to help you get your garden summer-ready. Read on for all the details.

Get everything power washed

The exterior of your home can get pretty dirty through the winter months. It’s had to deal with all the elements, falling leaves, rain, sleet, snow, etc. and won’t be looking too shiny afterwards.

This is where a professional power washer can come in handy. If you’re looking at your drive looking at the square where your car usually is and remembering that the drive also used to be that colour, you can have the muck power washed away. If you’re looking at your previously white walls and wondering why they’re now grey, that can be power washed away. If you’re thinking of doing some gutter cleaning or Gutter System Repair, you can click here for a professional, who will make sure that no negative effects come from a half-baked attempt. If you need to have a new aluminum gutter installation, make sure to enlist the help of a professional. You’ll be spoiled for choice when it comes to styles and materials, and options like copper rain gutters are popular due to the fact that they don’t rust and are quite durable.

And then there is the decking to think about. Moss and weeds can grow all over the sludge-coloured deck that you could have sworn the real estate agent said was birch, and your guests are supposed to eat there. That can be power washed too. Besides, there’s something very satisfying about watching all the dirt get blasted away.

Add a bar

The latest garden craze is undoubtedly the bar craze. We all got tired of having a drink indoors and made ourselves a home away from home in the garden. Bottles were stored in coolers, the game playing from the ceiling, and the sound of the cocktail shaker going went through the neighbourhood.

And the best part is that you can go as big or as small with it as you fancy. If you are fine using your carpentry skills to build a watertight, electric-powered insulated shed with a counter, go for it. Or if you want to sit in your back garden with a bar trolley loaded up with bottles, then happily spend a tenner in the local B&M for one.

The fun part is decorating it. You can set a theme and go wild with it. Serve cocktails in coconut cups with an umbrella in a grass skirt or line the walls with football flags and play the game with a keg under the bar.

Consider a fire pit

There is something communal about the campfire that is rarely replicated. Something about those licking flames makes us all open up and reveal our deepest darkest secrets. Or it’s just a cosy place to read.

That’s why you should get yourself a fire pit. They can be a piece of art in themselves, something to show off in the garden, and they are practical. They will get everyone huddled together around the warmth on a summer evening, where you can chat all night. Add a few squishy chairs, some blankets, a book and maybe a hot chocolate and you have a recipe for a fun summer.

Charlotte Giver

Charlotte is the founder and editor-in-chief at Your Coffee Break magazine. She studied English Literature at Fairfield University in Connecticut whilst taking evening classes in journalism at MediaBistro in NYC. She then pursued a BA degree in Public Relations at Bournemouth University in the UK. With a background working in the PR industry in Los Angeles, Barcelona and London, Charlotte then moved on to launching Your Coffee Break from the YCB HQ in London’s Covent Garden and has been running the online magazine for the past 10 years. She is a mother, an avid reader, runner and puts a bit too much effort into perfecting her morning brew.