SPRING HOME MAINTENANCE

With warmer weather just around the corner, home and business owners alike, are dusting off their home improvement to-do lists and finding that many of their projects fell through the cracks this past year.

Here are a few tips to consider for your spring home maintenance check-list:

Inspect the outside of your home as well as other wooden structures for dry rot.  Use a screwdriver to probe areas you believe there might be wood rot.  If the tip exposes any soft or mushy areas, this should be added to your list of home maintenance chores.  Some areas to inspect include wood siding and corner trim as well as window sills and trim. 

Inspect your window and door screens.  I love fresh air which means having my doors and windows open.  Now is the time to start cleaning and making sure that your screens are free from rips and tears as well as bent frames.  You don’t want any unwelcome critters entering your home.

If you have a crawl space or basement, make sure to inspect it for standing water and/or excessive moisture.  

If you are like me, I love having fires all winter long.  Now is the time to have your fireplace or wood stove and chimney cleaned and serviced, as needed.  

Another item to include on your list is to start inspecting your deck for deterioration.  Look for loose or cracked wood.  If a deck board feels too spongy, it probably needs to be replaced.  Use the screw driver method mentioned above on the deck posts.  If there is wood rot, it’s time to get this repaired as well.  If you have handrails, make sure they feel secure and not wobbly.

Once your deck seems good to go…why not get it pressure washed as well as sealed.

Oh, the dreaded Spring Cleaning – click HERE for a downloadable list to help make your spring cleaning easier, room by room! 

Why not take your Spring Cleaning one step further and replace last years wall colors with something new or maybe have some ceiling fans installed to help circulate the fresh air.

Adding more storage to your home not only decreases clutter, but increases your home value as well.

In summary, you can do a lot of the small items on your list, but for some of the bigger things like paint, dry rot repair, etc...why not contact Steve's Handyman Service. I can save you time and energy!!

Remember...I am just a phone call away!

NEW YEARS HOME MAINTENANCE/REPAIR CHECKLIST

Has the New Year heightened your desire to start making improvements around your home wherever possible?

Someone once said that “little things after a while get to be bigger things, so now is a time to start a Home Maintenance Checklist”.  Once you have your list together, it enables you, the homeowner, to plan out repair, maintenance and improvements for the coming year.

Here are some basic repairs/improvements to include on your home maintenance and improvement checklist:

1    Change out your light bulbs for some energy-saving light bulbs.  They really aren’t that much more expensive and they will save you on your energy bill.

Energy Saving Light Bulbs

2      Do something about your clutter…I admit, I am guilty here.  We tend to have a lot of clutter around the house and garage.  Start going through your stuff, throw out what you don’t need and maybe have a garage storage system installed, pull-down attic stairs, or another type of storage unit installed in your house/garage to organize what you plan on keeping. 

3     Get your gutters cleaned and have some gutter shields installed so there won’t be so much buildup the next time around.

4    Seal windows, doors and cracks with caulking.  Weatherstripping is inexpensive and easy to use and a way to help keep the cool air outside and the warm air inside and yet another way to help you save on your energy bill.

5    Updating a room at a time…whether you decide to apply a fresh coat of paint or some simple trim around the window, this is a cost-effective way to spruce up your home…one room at a time.

Dirty and clean filter

6    Change your filters – these should be cleaned or replaced every three months.  If your filter is dirty, not only are you breathing in the dust and other particles that can’t come through the filter, but it is making your furnace run harder which makes it less energy efficient.

 7   Check the batteries in your smoke and CO detectors.  I like to do this at the begi
nning of every year as it’s an easy way to remember when the last time it was done. 

 8    Popcorn Ceilings are stale…not much more dates a house than having a popcorn ceiling.  Removing popcorn from your ceiling not only updates your home but adds value as well.

Before and After Popcorn Removal

 9   Check all your faucets and toilets for leaks and replace as necessary.

10  With all the damp weather we are having, have you noticed some green buildup on your sidewalk, decks, siding?  Having your decks and other areas of your home power washed will not only remove all the grime and dirt, but will make these areas of your home look newer.

So, what is at the top of your home improvement/maintenance checklist?  If you need some help crossing some of these items off, give Steve’s Handyman Service a call.  I would love to help out…and remember, No Job is Too Small!!!

Happy New Year!!

PULL DOWN ATTIC STAIRS

Many of us have attics in our houses.  Some may be large enough to turn into another room and some are basically crawl spaces but can be used to store decorations, small pieces of furniture, items that you don’t use too often, etc.  Having this space is a valuable commodity, so why not utilize it to its fullest potential.

One of the first home improvements I did when we moved into our home was to install pull down attic stairs in our garage.  It has been an awesome and convenient space saver for us and comes in handy every Christmas to store our decorations and other items we only use occasionally.  These pull down stairs can also be installed anywhere in your home that has easy access to the space above.

You can choose between wooden and aluminum pull-down and fold away stairs, some support more weight than others. 

Once the stairs are installed you can put trim up around the door opening and paint the panel to match the ceiling.  Once everything is completed, these stairs will blend in with the feel of your home, looking perfectly in place when closed.

You are now ready to start re-organizing…maybe even start Spring Cleaning!

If you are interested in having more storage in your home and the convenience it adds, please give me a call.  I would love to help get you clutter free this coming New Year!!