If you’re part of the Maker Family, you know that summer is an amazing time to complete some of your bigger yearly projects. The weather is nice so you won’t run into any hiccups on outdoor projects and the bright sunny days are filling you with creative inspiration. You could tackle some new shelving units for plants in the garden or you could build a bookshelf or even remodel your entire kitchen. Instead of going out and buying that new patio chair you’ve been wanting, build one with your own two hands (at a fraction of the cost, we might add). Make this the summer to complete a big maker project and enter fall feeling that satisfying combination of exhausted and accomplished that only DIY can give you:

1) Add some new furniture pieces

Start a summer DIY project to give your house the new furniture pieces you’ve been searching for. Instead of heading over to Ikea, build yourself that cozy ottoman you’ve been wanting… using an old tire? You can create a new bookshelf purely with wooden crates and using mending plates and nails to connect the crates and wheels at the bottom. Use a ladder and pieces of wood to create a new shelving unit that could serve as a bookshelf or even a display for your succulents if you’re more of a green thumb. Set a goal for yourself this summer to fill your home and outdoor space with all new furniture handmade by you!

2) Remodel Your Bathroom

If you’re a maker looking to undertake a big summer project, consider a bathroom makeover. Makers such as Modern Builds have been able to accomplish a full bathroom renovation with a budget of roughly $500. The construction includes stripping away some of the tiling and countertop, spackling the drywall, adding a wooden panel wall, new countertop, new glass sinks, new shelving, a new showerhead, and shower rod. This project does involve disconnecting the water supply for your sinks and removing your showerhead briefly so make sure your house has a backup bathroom you can use in the meantime!

3) Kitchen Makeover

Another huge summer project you can undertake as a Maker is remodeling your kitchen. Give it a sleek modern look like makers’ Lee & Bri DIY. To give their countertops a modern granite look they started by covering the countertops with a black primer. Then you use three colors of paint and dab them on with sponges to give them a textured look. Next, they took their gloss and applied it over the paint coating. They also created beadboards, attached them around specific areas of the kitchen using glue and a nail gun, and walk their viewers step by step through painting their cabinets and walls.

4) Make some gifts for your friends

If you’re a woodworking Maker, put your skills to the test by setting a goal to make all of your friend’s gifts this summer. Whether you have friends who have a birthday coming up or just want to get them something for the fun of it, there’s nothing quite like a gift made with your own two hands. Perhaps your boyfriend needs a new ‘catch-all’ bin so that they stop losing their phone and keys around their apartment. Maybe your friend, who is now working from home, needs a stylish place to store all their writing utensils. Maker DIY Montreal gives viewers a step by step walkthrough on how to make wooden gifts for any of your friends or family.