The temperatures are beginning to rise and the snow has melted away for the final time this year. This can mean only one thing: spring is here. With the weather changing, now is the time to get out and take care of some of the things that have been building up on your DIY list. Here are some home improvement projects to do this spring in Greater Cincinnati Area or Northern Kentucky.
CLEAN UP THE EXTERIOR
A great way to kick off your spring maintenance routine is to break out the cleaning supplies and make your home exterior shine.
It’s great to start with the siding, but also take care of the roof, windows, and gutters while you’re at it. Hopefully, you already cleaned out your gutters last fall, and the springtime is perfect to go through them once again to clear out any debris and make sure water is flowing through them correctly and efficiently.
If you have a power washer, pick up some house and siding cleaner from your local hardware store and apply it according to the directions on the manufacturer’s bottle. This can make a huge difference on your home itself as well as the driveway and any surrounding areas.
ADD SOME INSULATION
As you’re coming out of the winter months, you have a pretty good idea of how cool your home may have gotten over the last season. Take that into consideration and look into adding insulation to areas of the home that were uncharacteristically cold as one of your projects to do this spring.
A critical area to add insulation is the floor of your attic. If you noticed an abundance of large icicles hanging down from your roof this winter, there’s a possibility you developed ice dams on your roof. Adding insulation to the attic floor will help keep warm air out of the attic in the winter and inside your normal living spaces.
By keeping this warm air out of the attic, your attic will maintain a cooler temperature that is less likely to melt snow and ice on your roof and capture it along the line between your roof and gutters.
GET YOUR AIR CONDITIONER INSPECTED
An often overlooked point is to have a professional come out and inspect your HVAC system.
With the warmer weather on the horizon, add an air conditioning inspection to your list of projects to do this spring, but having the entire HVAC system serviced annually is a great way to make sure the entire system is running efficiently all year. The other great reason to get this done is it will help lengthen the life of your HVAC system.
INSTALL OR REPAIR YOUR DECK OR PATIO
With the sun making its way out more, you may find yourself wanting to spend a little more time outside the four walls of your home, and that means it’s time to maintain your deck or patio or maybe look into putting one together.
Every year around this time is when you want to take some time out of your week to scrape, clean, and repaint or stain and seal any wooden outdoor fixtures. This is a great way to increase the curb appeal of your home if you’re planning on selling in the coming months.
Also, through much experience, curb appeal can make or break the sale of a house. All of these tiny projects may save you a lot of grief if you go ahead and do them now instead of waiting until your home is on the market. Think about it this way, the outside of your home is the first thing that your potential buyers will see, spend the extra time to make it look nice.
UPDATE AND REPAIR LANDSCAPING
Another cost-effective way to increase curb appeal is to do some simple landscaping work.
Cut back overgrown hedges, add mulch and update pavers around trees and flowerbeds, and get your lawn started off right with a good initial trim.
Speaking of mowing your lawn, don’t forget to add mower maintenance to your list of projects to do this spring. Change the oil, check the air filter, spark plug, and blade sharpness prior to use.