It’s starting to get cold all over the Northern Hemisphere. Keep in mind that home improvement can be done year round, and you should be able to find home contractors that are available for work even during the coldest months of winter.
Basement, bathroom and kitchen remodeling, have become popular projects during the winter, as home owners continue to work on beautifying their home and improving their investment.
Below are five great projects and tips that any homeowner can accomplish during the winter months:
1. Roofing & Shingles:
Before it gets too cold, start by taking a look at your roof and gutters. Missing shingles could have cracks that will allow water in, and as water freezes, it expands making the crack bigger – which will eventually lead to leaks. Either replace the missing or broken shingles or hire a contractor to make the necessary repairs. Water coming in through the roof or side of the house is a lot cheaper if you catch it early.
2. Frozen pipes:
Insulation and flowing water are your two best defenses against pipes freezing. If you have water lines running through a crawl space in the ceiling or running in the basement. Make sure these lines are insulated or near some kind of heat source to keep them from freezing. Water is the enemy of any home; and a broken line could release gallons of water before anyone realizes the line has broken. Take the time to careful inspect and learn where all your water lines and shut off valves are.
3. Furnace tuning and inspection:
Most people don’t know anything about their forced air furnaces. It’s best to leave this part of the job up to a professional. Have someone come out and inspect and tune the furnace you plan to use all winter. The small amount of money on the front end could save you hundreds in additional electrical costs over the winter, or it might just save your home if something is on the verge of being faulty. A proper inspection will eliminate a lot of the cost and risk of the furnaces – especially if you’re using an older model.
4. Winter Remodeling:
Now that the house isn’t going to be flooded with water or burn down. Turn your sights to some of those interior projects you couldn’t do because the summer months constantly had you on the go. Take a look at that bathroom, basement, kitchen, or even the bedroom. Get creative! If there is something you’ve always wanted to do or improve – take a good look at it, set aside the time and the money, a start chipping away as the winter months drag on.
Try to have fun while you’re doing it, that’s why we call them projects and not jobs. Jobs aren’t fun, projects usually are!
5. The Holiday Spirit:
With winter comes the holidays. Pull out those annual boxes you keep stored away and have fun decorating the house. Don’t go crazy though; there’s a fine line between decorating and clutter. If you find that you have to push three santas and six stockings off to the side so that a guest can sit on your sofa, you probably went too far.
Get in the holiday spirit! Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years are all occasions where we tend to treat each other a little nicer, and we all wish it lasted year round. Avoid using the credit card for your projects if possible. These are too easy to use and go overboard. Why put five thousand dollars on your credit card, but only add two thousand in equity to the house. So be careful with those things.
Tags: Basement Finishing, Do it yourself, Preparing for Winter by
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