At home or on the road, Labor Day weekend is nothing to squander. You might choose to host a #cookout or tailgate, Country Living suggests, now that football season has arrived, or you can find a swimming hole, rent a pool or simply turn on the sprinklers. Watching the local #parade and #picnicking are possibilities, as are bike rides, books, beer gardens and anything else you like to do for fun. If you’re handy, don’t wait to start your on any home improvement projects you want to get done this fall — or at least prioritize those projects, start gathering the necessary equipment and contacting any experts you’ll need to help. #LaborDay
Tag: home improvement
Easy Home Improvements That Can Counter the Winter Blahs
With rain, snow and ice in the forecast, the temptation is often to hole up and spend some quality time with the TV. But after you’ve shoveled the walk and streamed all of your programs, you may start to notice that your surroundings are looking a bit dingy. Fortunately, winter is a great time to pursue #home improvement projects large and small, whether you go with a professional contractor or do it yourself.
Get the ball rolling by #organizing a small space. #Donate or sell any clothes you no longer wear to ClothingDonations.org to give closets some breathing room. One good upgrade is to install shelves and bins that keep clothing neatly folded and grouped by color and category, The Washington Post says. Over-the-door #organizers can help store shoes and other garments.
Another simple project to consider is to #declutter the #garage and install more #storage. Garages often have lots of overhead space that can hold bins of seasonal #stuff such as sports equipment and #holiday decorations until you need them. All you’ll need is a drill and a few screws to get started on a new set of shelves or overhead racks.
People who work from home now have even more time to consider their home environment, and ample incentive and opportunity to keep things #clean (or not). Instead of thinking of #household #chores as insurmountable, time-consuming tasks, schedule five-minute breaks throughout the work day to do a load of laundry or scrub the sink; your productivity will skyrocket.
For a quick refresh, try painting a room. A fresh coat of paint in a new or tired-and-true color will instantly make the space look #cleaner and can take less than a day to accomplish, depending on the space. The secret is in the prep work: Sand uneven areas, fill nail holes, dust and tape before you start rolling out the new paint.
Another option is to upgrade the lighting in your home to counter the energy-sapping dark days of winter. Simply upgrade and replace the light bulbs already in use, install a “smart” lighting app, or opt for a new “statement” light fixture, Forbes says. All can help improve the warmth and livability of your space.
You can pursue most of these ideas in an afternoon or over a weekend, but larger projects are fair game for the winter, too. Take advantage of contractors’ slowest season if you’re looking at a larger home project, and get started today!
The Perfect Time of Year for Renovations
Every season has pros and cons when it comes to home projects: Spring is best for starting new landscaping projects, for example, while summer is good for a kitchen overhaul since you can grill while your new stove is installed.
These seasons are the busiest time of year, however, so your project may face shortages of labor and materials — or pay top-dollar to get what you want, when you want it. Fall and winter may be equally good for a renovation project, Renofi says..
Right now, you can still install new flooring or finish your basement and finish in time for the holidays. Temperatures are still warm enough for exterior painting, too, as well as many landscaping projects such as reseeding a lawn or planting bulbs and shrubs.
Should your roof need repairs, don’t hesitate. In areas with significant amounts of snow buildup in winter, a faulty or damaged roof may not last until spring. Roofing has the benefit of being a fairly quick project that won’t disrupt your home’s interior.
Interior painting is a good project to tackle in the fall, since the lower humidity will help paint dry faster. You’ll be spending more time inside those rooms soon enough; why not do so in a fresh and clean environment?
Larger projects such as a kitchen or bath overhaul may take more foresight, experts say. Plan at least a month or two in advance to get those renovations started, whether you decide to do them yourself or hire a contractor.
Winter has the added benefit of being contractors’ slowest season, so if you’re eyeballing a big job such as a new kitchen, bathroom or whole-house renovation, start planning and booking workers now. The only downside is that the weather may be messy.
Big renovations are likely to test your patience, considering ongoing supply-chain issues and labor shortages. Project timelines may be three to five times as long as they were in the past, U.S. News & World Report warns, and prices for materials and labor have gone up.
But there’s no time like the present to get started. Just remember to contact ClothingDonations.org to schedule a free, #contactless #donation #pickup of any castoffs you discover as you prepare to freshen your space.
Start Cold-Weather Household Projects Now
People spend aobut 40% more time inside their homes during the winter months, so it’s worth the effort to pursue household improvement projects that will make the environment cleaner, cozier and more energy-efficient as the weather gets cooler. For example, you can concentrate on big projects such as insulating the roof, weatherstripping and furnace upkeep ahead of the worst winter weather, Homelight says, and paint interior and exterior walls while the temperatures are still compfortable enough to open windows for ventilation and/or dry quickly enough to provide protection. #FallProjects
Start Planning Fall Home Improvement Projects Now
One of the curious aspects of the #pandemic is that it forced people to stay home more — and all that staying at home helped many launch renovations and other projects to make their space more useful and livable.
With things are nearly back to #normal in many parts of the country some 16 months later, people are in a more celebratory mood, using their summers to travel, visit friends, go out to restaurants and generally do all of the things that the coronavirus curtailed.
There are likely a few household projects that still need doing, however, and you might want to plan ahead to get them done when the weather turns cooler and the kids return to (in-person) school.
Likely projects for areas with cold winters include upgrading your furnace, replacing single-pane windows and adding insulation, says Family Handyman. You should also clean the gutters and replace any missing shingles to protect your roof against leaks.
If any exterior painting needs doing, early fall is one of the best times to do it, the Spruce says; pick a dry week with temperatures above 50°F. You can paint interiors at any time, but it’s always nice to give your space a fresh new look ahead of the holidays.
Wait for the fall to do any projects that involve lumber — new building, flooring, decking, etc. — to give prices a chance to stabilize. Wood products continue to be in short supply, and costs are high as a result.
Upgrading your home office is a good project to tackle this fall if you’re one of those lucky people who will continue to work from home (#WFH) once the pandemic subsides. Consider a new desk, shelving, artwork or an attractive background for your Zoom call.
One household project you can tackle at any time of the year but is especially important to do ahead of DIY projects is #decluttering. Go through that room, closet or garage, weed the #stuff you don’t need, and contact ClothingDonations.org for a free #donation #pickup.
Your fall projects will be easier to accomplish once you get that #clutter out of the way. And once you complete your fall home #renovations, you’ll have an attractive, functional and clean new space to call home.