DIY Fun: 3 Summer Additions for Your Home

While winter is a season for hiding indoors by the fire, hot chocolate in hand, summer is very much the time of year to put away those DVD boxsets and dust off the outdoor furniture.

Australia is lucky to benefit from beautiful blue skies and piping hot temperatures over the summer months, so why not make the most of the warm weather by doing some DIY?

Here are three DIY ideas that can help transform your outdoor living space into a luxurious summer retreat.

Summer garden

Nothing says summer like crisp green salads or juicy berries. Enjoying seasonal produce is even more satisfying when it has come from your own veggie patch! Starting a garden is a great project for DIY novices as you can take it at your own pace.

Whether you just want to grow lettuce and herbs or as many plant varieties as you can, a summer garden is the type of DIY project you can whip in a weekend. Head along to your local garden store for supplies and advice. Seasonal summer produce includes mangoes, passionfruit, lettuce, tomatoes and stone fruits.

Handy tip: When at the plant store, be sure to pick up some pest-repellant to keep away greedy snails and slugs, as well as poles and ties to prop tall plants up as they grow (tomato plants in particular can get quite high!)

Patio area

Not interested in mowing the lawn or maintaining a veggie garden? Then a patio is the way to go. Paved areas are perfect for outdoor dinner parties and are relatively easy to construct. Check out this simple step-by-step guide which tells you how to lay out a patio in just one weekend.

You will need: pegs, string, concrete tiles of your choice, ready-mix mortar, a rake, a ruler, a level, some masking tape and a spade.

Deck or balcony

Are you looking to increase your indoor-outdoor flow? A deck or balcony can be a great way to add a sense of extra space to your home. Recruit the help of some neighbours and get hammering - if you work hard you'll have an excellent new deck complete in time to enjoy some outdoor dinner parties in the sun.

Just remember to check what the legal specifications are for decks and balconies in your state, especially if you are building a feature high off the ground.