Four easy home refreshes for spring and the Local Heroes who can help

Spring is for more than just cleaning – it’s the perfect time to tackle little jobs around the house. After all, the Ideal Home team firmly believes that happiness is a ticked list. And for any DIY you don't fancy doing yourself, a service backed by British Gas called Local Heroes can help you find tradespeople to complete the job for you.

There are Local Heroes for plumbing, painting, plastering... and jobs that don’t begin with a P, too. The Heroes have been vetted and all their work is backed by a 12-month guarantee for your peace of mind. Here are just four examples of tasks you could get a Local Hero to tackle.

1. Get the shower working perfectly

Put some power in your morning shower by fixing water pressure problems. Or save water and cut bills by fitting eco tap inserts and shower heads. These clever innovations inject air into the water stream, so you use less water without missing out on the luxurious feel of high pressure.

Local Heroes Plumbers tackle jobs big and small, so they’ll also take on your dripping taps before they become a torrent. A stitch in time saves nine.

2. Redecorate the hallway

A repainted hallway offers guests a warm welcome, refreshes your home and brings everything together. You can even paint the stairs themselves with hardwearing floor paint, which is a really on-trend look right now. Add a wide stripe in a contrasting colour to create the effect of a stair runner. Mount a mish-mash of picture frames for a unique gallery or hang a series of identical frames leading you up the stairs.

But painting the hallway is a thankless task – there can be lots of walls to cover, including those hard-to-reach areas at the top of the stairwell. If there was ever a decorating job for the pros, this is it. Local Heroes Painters & Decorators can do painting and wallpapering jobs, big and small, even whole house decoration and exterior painting.

3. Replaster tired walls

Plastering is often the best way to transform whole walls and ceilings into beautiful blank canvases ready for anything. Replastering is ideal if you’ve stripped wallpaper, changed electrics or are simply starting with an unsatisfactory canvas. But very few of us can plaster: just filling a hole neatly is challenging enough.

Having an expert skim uneven walls doesn’t have to cost a fortune. Local Heroes Plasterers puts you in touch with vetted plasterers near you, and will first give you an estimated range based on market research and our own experience, so you'll know you're paying a fair price. Simply enter the details of what you need doing online to request quotes. You can even add images online to help you find the perfect person for the job.

4. Revamp a kitchen

Kitchens are often tired but fit for purpose – there’s no point in ripping them out but there’s definitely room for improvement. Take the opportunity to give your kitchen a fresh look this spring with a Local Heroes Handyperson.

Look at each element of the kitchen and figure out which need a revamp. This might be simply hanging new cupboard doors for an instant makeover or putting up a few extra shelves for cookery books. It’s also well worth renewing sealant to keep the worktop clean and watertight. Your Handyperson can also hang pictures, a kitchen clock and other touches to make the space your own. Whatever the job, if you don’t have the time or DIY nous, they’ve got you covered.

Nothing beats a recommendation and Local Heroes come not just recommended but also guaranteed. You get 12-months cover on their work and you pay online. You can even spread the cost over up to a year, interest-free. A few clicks is all it takes.