give something a lick/a coat of paint= paint walls

hang/put up wallpaper= to attach new paper to the walls

fit/put up blindsorcurtains= cover the windows either with curtains (fabric hanging across the window) or blinds (strips of plastic or fabric that cover the window)

throw out/replacethe oldlight fittings= change the lights

go for a(name of fashion)effect= recreate a particular look

put the finishing touches to= complete the decoration with the final details

Renovation

have an extension= build on to the existing house to provide more rooms

put in a conservatory/a fitted kitchen/a new bathroom= to install a conservatory (room between the back of the house and the garden), a fitted kitchen (where the units are connected, rather than being single pieces) or a new bathroom

convert the loft(have a loft conversion) = convert the attic into a liveable room

turn the dining room into a spare bedroom= convert a room into one with a different purpose

knock down a wall= demolish a wall

knock through from the kitchen= demolish the wall from the kitchen into another room

build a patio= build a paved area around part or the whole of the house

rewire the house= put in new electrical wiring

install central heating/solar panels= put in a new heating system

re-plaster the ceiling= take off the old plaster (covering the bricks) and replace it with new

re-tile the bathroom= put new tiles on the floor and walls

Other useful expressions

diy= Do it Yourself (doing maintenance and building works in your house)

be handy around the house= to be practical and able to do jobs in the house

draw up plans= to make technical plans before you do building or renovation work

get planning/building permission= to get authorisation from the town hall to do work on your house

Cleaning vocabulary

Here are some useful words and phrases to talk about cleaning your house.

Everyday / weekly cleaning

Tidy upyour house, by putting away things in their right places. Use a soft, dry cloth (a duster) to remove the dust from furniture. Then use thevacuum cleaner(orhoover) to hoover the floors, rugs and carpets. Use different hoover attachments for different types of hoovering (i.e. one for the floors, another for the furniture, etc.)

If you have wooden or tiled floors, you can alsosweepthese with abroom. For smaller areas, use adustpan and brushto sweep up dirt, dust, or broken glass, for example.

Every so often, you can clean the floors with water. For this, you can use a long-handledmopandbucket(for the water.) If you have wooden floors, you can alsowaxthem (a sort of protective liquid that will make them shine.)

If a surface is particularly dirty, you might have toscrubit with ascrubbing brush(a wooden brush with stiff bristles) orscourit (with a tough scouring cloth) to get rid of the marks or stains.

Disinfect the toilet withtoilet duck(a special cleaning product that containsbleach.)

Usewindow cleanerto clean your windows, andoven cleanerto clean your oven. Use furniturepolish(a type of wax) to clean and protect wooden furniture.

Spring-cleaning

Many people spring clean their houses When winter seems to be finally over. Spring-cleaning is a thorough clean, from top to bottom! Here are some words to describe this:

Polishyour silver (such as silvercutlery) with silver polish.

Declutter= get rid of extra things you don't need.

Washsoft furnishings(take down the curtains, or take off furniture covers).

Touch up the paintwork(paint the places where the paint has come off, or where there are dirty marks.)

Get into all the corners of your house, and clean them thoroughly – i.e. behindheavy furniturewhere you wouldn't normally clean.

Get rid of anymouldon the walls, or on bathroom tiles, for example.

Clean high up or difficult areas to reach. Removecobwebs(spiders' nests.