Today’s Guest Blog comes from Ray Flynn and Bret Engle – otherwise known as The DIY Guys – who spend their days showing their love for DIY home projects, repairs, and activities that promote green living. Check out their book, How to DIY Damn Near Everything, a must-have for every DIYer’s bookshelf!
We may associate cleaning with spring, but this season also offers an opportunity for essential home maintenance and DIY projects. After all, winter can take its toll, and the resulting damage may worsen and impact your home and finances. These following spring tasks are vital to keeping your house in excellent condition.
Deal with Your Exterior
Unfortunately, gutters and downspouts are prone to winter damage and could suffer further degradation without repairs, which means taking care of them should be pretty high on your checklist. It’s crucial to check them, clean obstructions (such as leaves or branches), and promptly deal with damage using roof and gutter sealant. Our roofs can also be vulnerable, so inspect them for any damage, such as loose tiles or brittle surfaces, and include antenna, chimneys, and skylights in your examination. Remember, ensure your safety by securing ladders, and make certain that the ground beneath you is solid and even.
Seal Where Appropriate
The end of winter heralds the return of pesky critters and insects, and they will often find entry points into your home if any exist. Go through your home, inside and out, and look for evidence of decay or holes, as rodents can squeeze through gaps the size of a small coin. Once found, how you seal them will depend on the location, as you could use cement mortar for foundations or steel wool for holes in walls. A sealant will also be necessary to keep temperatures comfortable since caulking around windows may erode and cause air leaks. However, caulking over an existing layer will undermine your efforts, so remove any remnants with a sharp tool, such as a putty or utility knife. Your home and your HVAC system will thank you for it.
Evaluate Your Yard
Our yards can be hardest hit by winter, but there is much we can do to restore them, from raking to mulching. However, central to a yard’s vitality are the trees that help landscape it, yet their health can suffer in winter. Given this, get to know warning symptoms, such as erratic colors or cavities at a tree’s base. Even if a tree appears healthy, these could be indicators of a serious problem. As with trees, wooden decking may exhibit the strain of poor weather, such as cracking or distortion of paneling. Thankfully, it’s relatively straightforward to re-stain decking, though you could also use paint to both conceal issues and clean out cracks.
Check Your AC
A change of season is welcome, but your home must be prepared for those changing temperatures. This is why it’s essential to check your HVAC system to ensure it can make the seasonal transition. Routine maintenance can be done yourself, like cleaning out components, vents, and assessing whether the air filter is dirty or in need of replacement. Also, when you’re taking care of filters, make sure you know the size you need. Should your HVAC have any parts outdoors, like a heat pump, you will also want to confirm that there is no winter-related damage. Your HVAC can be a lifesaver come summer, and spring is the time to get it ready.
Cosmetic Tasks
We want our properties to be as pretty as possible, so spring is ideal to identify superficial issues and beautify things. Have your doors and trimmings been impacted by winter, or are they showing deterioration like flaking? Well, the calmer spring weather is the perfect time to apply fresh coats of paint. You can be as creative or restrained as you want, but consider an overall scheme, as this can help your home stand out as modern, bright, and attractive. Likewise, if your driveway still looks gloomy, spring is the time to transform it with power washing. This can also be essential, particularly if there is winter-related cracking, as your driveway may otherwise be susceptible to weed and moss infestation. Cosmetic enhancements can be a manageable way to revitalize your home for brighter days.