7 Home Upgrades and Repairs to Knock Out Before Summer
Whether you have some home improvements, upgrades to do on old equipment or appliances, or outstanding repairs, many aren’t good to attempt in the wintertime. As such, spring or summer is often the better time to tackle them.
Accordingly, here is a convenient list of 7 home repairs, upgrades, and general improvements that are worth getting to over the next few months.
1. Pool Cleaner at Your Service
If you’re one of the lucky people with a swimming pool, then cleaning your pool has become a new task on your To-Do list.
Getting the water chemistry right, cleaning or replacing pool filters, and removing any algae build-up are all part of that. If the pool is something that you’re looking forward to using more often in the hotter months to come, then it’s not something to leave too long.
While weekly maintenance is the best idea for pool owners, performing more major cleaning and pool part replacements may be something to outsource to a local pool cleaning company. They’ll have all the right equipment, cleaning supplies, and filter replacements ready to go.
2. Get the HVAC Serviced/Repaired
The HVAC system in your home may require servicing. If it’s not been seen by an HVAC licensed engineer in a few years, then it’s long overdue.
At this time, obtaining parts may be more difficult due to supply chain issues. This is where a company like McCombs is useful because they’ve operated in the industry for many decades. Because of this, they know people and can obtain supplies sometimes when others cannot.
If your HVAC engineer is having a supply problem for a much-needed repair, you may wish to have them check mccombssupply.com. You never know, maybe they’ve got what the engineer needs?
3. Adding a Wooden Deck
A wooden deck is either something that you can work on yourself if you’re handy or it can be assigned to a team. If doing the latter, then it’s important to check that they’re not just general DIY workpeople and have provable experience creating decks for customers. What you don’t want is a poorly made deck because it will become unsteady, may fall apart suddenly, and create a safety concern, or be produced using inferior quality wood.
While typically the majority of the cost of a deck is recouped when selling the property, they do become weathered when not taken care of. Therefore, expect to have a few more care and maintenance issues to attend to. Covering it in winter, cleaning and protecting it in spring, then enjoying it through the summer and fall months is what is involved.
Stick with a wooden deck. It’s far more affordable than a steel option. And while the wood will need protective coatings to sustain it, there’s no worry about possible rust issues. Wood is also far more manageable for accidental damage, repairs, and such like too.
4. Replace the Vinyl Siding
Not all homes come with vinyl siding. But it’s popular in certain states around New England and the Mid-Atlantic area. In those parts of the country, over 75 percent of homes are often found to have siding.
If your home has it or you’re originally from the above areas and are partial to it, then you may own a home with siding. The older style may not have survived well, but the newer siding products are more durable, available in a greater range of colors, and design choices too.
Vinyl siding is cut to the perfect size, so it can be fitted properly and not leave any unsightly gaps. When doing so, the lower exterior areas of your home will not be as susceptible to water intrusion. This can avoid moisture-related problems later.
5. Replace the Windows
While a windowpane may have been accidentally partially broken by a stray ball when kids are playing in the backyard, it won’t take long before that little crack grows. At a certain point, it will become unsustainable to leave the pane in and it’ll need replacing. When there’s some damage to the window frame as well, it is a more serious concern.
You’ve got the choice whether to have a single glass pane replaced and the window frame fixed or to think bigger. If it’s been in the back of your mind to replace all the windows as a set, then this may be the perfect year to do so. Window supply companies may be offering discounts when seeking new customers this year; it may not be as expensive as usual.
Be aware that a completely new set of windows could easily set you back a few thousand. So, it’s not a minor buying decision. However, just replacing the pane and fixing up the damaged window frame is likely to cost only a few hundred dollars.
6. Resealing the Driveway
Driveways made from asphalt will become pitted and pick-up other imperfections. They’re only designed to carry a certain weight for vehicles and can get damaged by drying out or if the driveway was originally poorly produced.
Resealing or resurfacing an asphalt driveway can resolve dips and missing chunks that are putting your car’s tracking out when rolling over them. This can get expensive to keep fixing at the garage, so eventually doing something about the driveway becomes a higher priority.
It’s possible to do it yourself by purchasing the right supplies and hiring the equipment. However, it’s a complex task that requires experience to do it well. It’s better to bite the bullet and hire driveway specialists who know how to repair existing ones.
7. Fix the Roofing
Homeowners go back and forth on the issue of whether to fix the roofing themselves or ask a roofing company to complete the repair. While they may wish to avoid the cost of hiring professionals for a minor fix, it’s surely the safer option.
When we say minor fix, we’re referring to a handful of roofing shingles that are now out of position or missing guttering that needs replacing. Both rely on getting up on a ladder, which can be unsafe for people with poor balance, but the riskier move by far is working up on the roof.
If you have any mobility issues, bad hips, or painful knees, then it’s possible to experience sudden pain and lose your balance at that time. These kinds of things combined with getting up on a ladder become too risky at that point. However, with missing guttering, it’s likely to be something that can be resolved without needing outside help.
Choosing the Best Time
Anything that involves being outside to complete the repair is certainly something that’s usually best done in the warmer months. While it’s possible to wear some winter gloves when completing the work, they don’t necessarily provide the necessary grip or protection that gloves designed more for DIY do.
Furthermore, with all repair and replacement tasks, set ego aside and consider if it’s something that you should carry out? While you may have zero experience with it and be learning as you go, some projects aren’t ones for the inexperienced. As such, consider your safety rather than just the cost-saving or simply not wanting to hire someone.
Pick and choose between the home upgrades and improvements. Get the ones completed that are either the most pressing or will provide the most pleasure once resolved.