The last 12 months have been unusual, for want of a better word. The covid-19 pandemic forced many people into prolonged lockdowns in their homes, and with great numbers of people unable to work things have been difficult and different.

At the time of writing in the middle of February, 2021, there are signs that there is light at the end of the tunnel. There’s time to go yet as we won’t emerge from the current restrictions in one go, yet the success so far of the vaccine programme has been promising.

With at least a few weeks left of the current lockdown you may be itching for something to do, so here’s a list of five home improvement ideas that you can undertake during your enforced downtime and make your home more enjoyable to be in!

Home Improvement Ideas

Home improvement doesn’t have to stop because you’re stuck in! You might not be able to take a trip to the shops and have a look around, but you do have the internet and all it offers! Each of the following can be achieved without leaving the home, so make use of that time! Here’s our five tips, so let’s not hang around.

1: Decorate the Home

In a normal working week you’d get home tired, want to eat, get cleaned up and then relax for the evening. Weekends you might get out shopping or take the children somewhere. But decorating, that’s something that needs doing but you never get around to it!

Now is the time to pick up your brushes, rollers and paints and start giving your rooms a fresh look. You might want to wallpaper a room or two, or even tile the bathroom, Then there’s the exterior paint: the warmer weather is coming, and this is when you can tidy up your front door and any other areas that need attention.

So you don’t have paint or equipment. That’s no problem – log on and search, and you’ll find many retailers offering quality items at great prices who will deliver. That’s got to take up a few days of your time and you’ll have a new look where you want it. You don’t have to do the whole house, just choose a room and make a project of it.

2: Learn New Skills

If you’re not adept at DIY, then this might be the ideal opportunity to learn new skills. Let’s take tiling, for example, as mentioned above. It’s a useful skill to learn the ins and outs of tiling and you can find courses on this subject – and many more to do with home improvement, DIY and others – online.

Many courses are discounted at the moment to try and encourage people on lockdown to join in, so check out those skill you want to learn and do it now, while you have time on your hands. You might find there are courses for the family to take part in too, so you can rope them in to help!

3: Install a Gym

Does building a home gym count as home improvement? We think it does as it is a facility that all the family can use, whenever they want to. Many people who enjoy keeping fit at the gym have given up their memberships thanks to the travel and social restrictions, and a lot of those have converted a spare room, garage or even a basement into a home gym.

It doesn’t need to be expensive as you can start with, for example, a set of pull-up bars and some weights. You can buy a full range of home gym equipment surprisingly cheaply if you search online, and there are plenty of reviews to check out as well as package deals. Gyms are not buying at the moment so you may find some good deals on professional standard gym equipment, and it’s certainly worth looking into.

Most homes have that spare space that is full of junk – often the garage – so have a think about where you could place a gym in your home and start looking now, it’s a great lockdown project.

4: Create a Hobby Room

If a gym doesn’t take your fancy, what about a room where you can hide away and indulge in your hobbies or passions? Perhaps you are a budding artist or potter, and need a studio? Or you might be into photography or crafting of some kind. Whatever you do in your spare time having a dedicated space to enjoy it makes a difference.

You may have a hobby that requires a space for display such as model railways, or perhaps you simply want somewhere you can relax, unhindered and read or even play computer games. This is another great use for space that is currently underused, and you might want to think about combining your hobby room with a home office. The latter is always useful as many people have discovered in the past year.

5: Give the Garden Some Attention

Our final suggestion is to get out in the garden and if now is not quite the time to do so, the next couple of weeks should see spring begin to show its face and the weather should start to improve. Gardening is not for everyone, but it’s worth getting outside and simply pottering about and tidying up even if just for the benefit of fresh air.

You may want to dedicate an area to growing your own vegetables – it’s easy, takes minimal time and is very satisfying – or grow flowers from seed or bulb. Try it and give your garden a makeover that lifts it to a different level. There are plenty of garden supplies retailers online, so start shopping now and you can put a bit of colour in your exterior space.

There’s a lot to be said for getting on with any of the above during lockdown – it’s good for the mind to engage in something – so let’s hope we’ve given you some inspiration.