Home maintenance isn’t difficult, but it needs to be done regularly. Every season comes with new opportunities to improve your property, refresh it, and do necessary repairs for the upcoming weather conditions. Also, regular home maintenance ensures that the property stays in good shape for longer. This way, you won’t have much work to do if you decide to sell. That’s why you should take a look at some of the easy DIY home improvements this fall and prepare your property for the upcoming winter.
Repair exterior wood
It’s typical for wood parts of your home to deteriorate slightly during wet spring and hot summer. That’s why fixing it in the fall is the perfect moment to refresh it. Exterior wood parts of your windows, porch, and siding are often made of durable, water-resistant wood such as redwood, cedar, or cypress. However, they could also use some regular maintenance, especially before the winter comes. Don’t neglect rot or wet parts to avoid spreading and damaging other parts of the house. Be sure to repair them before any more snow or rain affect them. Also, do regular maintenance such as trimming the branches and bushes touching the wooden parts, applying wood stain to your siding, and cleaning any dirt or mildew piled up during spring and summer.
Cleaning the gutters
Another DIY home improvement that’s an important home maintenance task is cleaning your gutters. Removing branches and falling leaves will prepare the gutters for winter and ensure the rain and snow don’t get stuck in them. Wait until most of the leaves fall down and thoroughly clean your gutters to make them ready for winter.
Power washing
Refresh your home by giving it a deep clean using a power-washing machine. You can wash the exteriors and ensure your home glows after months of high temperatures, humidity, and other harsh weather conditions. You can also power wash your driveway, garage door, decks, fences, outdoor furniture, and garbage cans. You’ll refresh the outside of your property and make it look as good as new.
Remember: not every material can resist the high pressure from the power washing machine. Be sure to adjust the pressure to the item you’re cleaning at the moment, or you risk paint damage or even more severe destruction.
Paint your front door
Nothing can refresh the curb appeal of a house more than a freshly painted front door. A fresh coat of paint will prepare the door for winter and make your home look better – especially if you decorate it with a fall wreath. You can even paint your garage door and match it to the color of your front door. Just prepare the surface and use the right paint for a long-term effect.
Prepare the right protection for your garden tools and equipment
Summer garden and yard maintenance require you to have a lawn mower, a wheelbarrow, a shovel, a rake, and similar tools. However, you don’t need them until spring, so prepare a safe spot to keep them during winter. These items need to be protected from snow and rain, so you can have them in the same condition when spring comes. That’s why one of the easy DIY home improvements this fall is creating a dry space for your gardening equipment. This can be building a storage shed or adapting a mudroom or a part of your garage. Equip it with shelves or a pegboard to hand all the small tools and keep them organized.
However, for those who don’t have a lot of space in their homes, experts from Verified Movers suggest getting a storage unit where they’ll keep season items or things they don’t need at the moment. This way, you can make more space in your home and not worry about the safety of your belongings.
Re-caulking
If your doors and windows aren’t properly sealed, you can expect water and wind to come in, along with some uninvited guests, such as bugs. Re-caulking windows and doors is an essential task in home maintenance. Even though it’s not a visual improvement, keeping your home dry and warm during winter and reducing your electricity/heating bills is crucial.
Winterizing your outdoor water sources
Unless you live in an area with extremely mild winters, you need to prepare your outdoor water sources for cold temperatures. These can include the outdoor faucet, lawn sprinklers, pool, etc. You need to winterize the water sources, so they don’t freeze during winter and get damaged.
Refresh the indoors
Fall is coming, so you can make some minor changes to your home interior and refresh it for the upcoming season. One of the projects you can do is repaint the living room walls and give a new vibe to the space. Also, you can pick a wall and accentuate it with an attractive wallpaper or use a stencil to paint a unique pattern. It can be a massive refreshment of the space and a great way to introduce autumn colors to the décor. What’s best – you can easily change the wallpaper when you’re ready for a spring or summer color pattern!
Update the kitchen hardware
Kitchen remodeling can be pretty expensive, but there are ways to spruce it up on a budget. One of the simple DIY tasks is to replace the kitchen hardware. Adding new handles and knobs in gold or some accent color can truly change the whole look of your kitchen. You can do this with door knobs around your home and make a big difference.
Updating our home from time to time is a great way to keep it well-maintained and give it a fresh, new look. This can be very motivating and inspiring, so be sure to check out these simple DIY home improvements to do this fall and make sure you feel good in your home during the upcoming cold months.