When you look all around the home, what do you see? If you’re like most homeowners, you’ll see many home improvements that need to be made. With spring around the corner, this is the perfect time to start making those improvements all around the home. After all, that’s how you build your dream home over time; a little nip there and a little tuck there. Instead of focusing on one room or corner at a time, you can focus on improvements that upgrade the overall outlook of your home. With that in mind, here are the top 10 all around the home improvements you can do this spring.
Get Your Driveway Paved
There are many things to do all around the home, but it’s important to focus on improvements with a high ROI or maximum benefits. Getting your driveway paved ticks all these boxes. If you haven’t paved your driveway in a long time and it’s looking a bit worse for wear, spring is the perfect time to hire professional asphalt pavers. The most important step when getting a new driveway is finding the best professionals in your area to avoid having to redo your driveway. So start by looking for asphalt pavers that have a lot of experience and a good track record.
Another important factor is making sure that the contractor uses high-grade asphalt material. Otherwise, low-grade asphalt means your driveway may encounter additional costs in the future when you have to get your driveway paved sooner. Therefore, it’s better to go with high-grade asphalt that lasts longer. Once you get your driveway paved, you can enjoy many benefits, such as lower maintenance, better curb appeal, and easier ice and snow removal when winter finally rolls around.
Clean Your Home’s Exterior
When talking about all around the home improvements, this should apply to the interior as well as the exterior. So besides cleaning and upgrading the interior of your home, you should also focus on the outside. Cleaning your home’s exterior is a great way to create instant curb appeal. Since your roof is a highly visible structure of your home, don’t forget to also clean your roof. At any given time, there could be leaves, twigs, debris, or algae that’s on your roof. You can get rid of most of the accumulated debris using a leaf blower.
Where possible, you can also give your roof a soft wash as long as you employ all safety measures. Moving on from your roof, you can then tackle your gutters, siding, windows, and porch deck. Flush out your gutters to get rid of accumulated debris, clean your siding carefully to avoid damaging it, and clean your windows until they gleam. You can hire a pressure washing service when cleaning your porch or deck if you want the process to be safe and efficient.
Make Sure Your Air Conditioning Is Working
As spring rolls around, the weather gets warm gradually, and you can start expecting hotter days ahead. It’s usually a good idea to make sure your air conditioning is working properly before the weather starts getting sweltering hot. The last thing you want is to find out that your air conditioning is not working properly on the day you need to use it. Plus, summer is the busiest season for AC contractors, so you may not be able to access emergency heating and cooling services as quickly as you want. So being proactive helps you avoid a lot of hassle down the line.
Make sure you turn on your AC for a long while when checking if it’s working properly. Watch out for the common signs that something could be wrong with your AC. For instance, you may notice that your AC is only blowing warm air or it’s making strange noises or producing a strange smell. In addition, your AC might not even be turning on, so that’s a definite sign you need to get your unit fixed in time for the warm season.
Install New Windows
Spring is the perfect time to install new windows. This is the time when business starts to pick up, so you won’t have a problem finding the best contractor in your area. The problem with installing new windows in winter is that the cold temperatures can interfere with the project. So to avoid project delays, it’s best to get replacement windows in spring. You should get replacement windows if your old windows no longer work or if they’re not energy efficient. When the weather starts warming up, it’s normal to get the urge to throw open your windows and let some fresh air in.
However, this can be a problem if your windows don’t work properly. Similarly, if your windows are not great at preventing air leaks, it’s best to purchase window material from an insulated glass company, as this might help you lower your energy bills. Overall, in spring, the weather isn’t too hot or too cold, so you can afford to install new windows while maintaining a relatively comfortable indoor environment. Be sure to schedule a new window installation ahead of time before the best contractors in your area become too busy.
Do Maintenance on Your Home Appliances
As you consider improvements to make all around the home, don’t overlook home appliance maintenance. You should start with preventative maintenance of those appliances that are in good condition. Preventive maintenance has many benefits because it extends the lifespan of your appliances, thus reducing the need for frequent repairs. When doing maintenance on your fridge and freezer, start by cleaning and organizing your fridge. If you need fridge repair, make sure you hire a professional that has experience with fixing your particular brand of fridge.
For instance, if you have a True fridge, then you should look for a professional that offers True refrigerator repair services. For microwave and oven appliance maintenance, you should give both appliances a thorough cleaning to get rid of tough grime. You can make a homemade cleaning solution using a combination of baking soda, vinegar, and water. Don’t forget to also clean the oven hood. While at it, clean the coffee machine, dishwasher, air conditioner, washing, and washing machine. Do things like removing the dryer lint, changing the AC filter, and repairing broken appliances as part of your appliance maintenance routine.
Have Your Septic Tank Pumped
Generally, septic systems should be pumped once every three to five years. This is important if you want to maintain your septic tank properly and keep it in the best condition. That’s because, over time, solids or sludge will build up in your septic tank. If the sludge is not periodically cleaned, this can affect the smooth functioning of your septic tank. For instance, the buildup of sludge can end up rising to the top and flooding your drain field, which ends up being more expensive to deal with. So, if you haven’t had your septic tank pumped in the last three to five years, this is something you should do just before or during spring. The good thing is that once it’s done, you might not have to give your septic tank another thought for a few more years.
Exterminate Any Pests
Do you have pests wreaking havoc all around the home? It’s best if you contact a pest control service before the pests start truly thriving as the temperatures get warmer. If you want to save yourself a lot of hassle, the best thing to do is to skip the temptation to get rid of the problem yourself. Hiring a reputable pest control service right away is so much easier because they know how to deal with the problem swiftly, safely, and effectively. For starters, professionals know the best solution to apply to get rid of your problem.
This depends on the type of pest you’re dealing with. You could be dealing with a bed bug infestation, or your place is overrun with roaches and rats. Other pests that could invade your home and do some damage include wasps, termites, and ants. In any case, pest control experts deal with these problems daily, so they apply the same methods that have worked well for others. You’ll enjoy your home so much better when it’s pest-free, so take advantage of spring to cross ‘exterminate pests’ off your list.
Add New Electrical Outlets to Your Home Office
Working from home has become a popular trend, and if you have your own home, you know from experience how convenient it can be. However, if you want to create the best work-from-home experience, it’s important to upgrade your office and minimize distractions. One way to do this is by adding new electrical outlets to your home office. This is ideal because, in a typical at-home setup, you might need to plug in a lot of appliances, whether that’s your desktop, laptop, printer, Wi-Fi router, mini-fridge, or coffee machine. If you don’t have an adequate number of electrical outlets in your home office, you might end up overloading the existing outlets.
To avoid this, you can reach out to a reputable and experienced electrical contractor to talk about adding new electrical outlets to your home. If you don’t have any training in electrical work, this is the best course of action because it can be dangerous working with electrical wiring if you don’t know what you’re doing. When looking for the best electrical contractor for your mini project, be sure to do plenty of research before hiring to ensure quality work that doesn’t cause you any problems down the line.
Repair Your Deck
The deck is often left out when many homeowners perform home improvements. However, the deck often suffers a lot of abuse during its lifetime, so it’s worth adding it to your list of improvements to make all around the home. Not many people know how to perform deck repairs, so you might also be interested in hiring a deck contractor. This is especially so if you end up deciding on a deck replacement. As mentioned, after a few years of being used, the deck can end up in pretty bad shape. There might be visible damage to the wood, or the wood might even start rotting. Other common deck repairs you might need to work on include upgrading the fixtures and fittings, fixing loose railings, and getting rid of mold and mildew.
Renovate Your Kitchen
The kitchen is the heart of the home, so when it comes to all around the home improvements, this is one of those areas that rarely get left out. The good thing about kitchen renovations is you can go with a minor renovation if you don’t want to break the bank, or you can go out and transform your kitchen from top to bottom, depending on your budget. Regardless of whether you’re doing a minor or major kitchen renovation, keep in mind that there are popular trends you can capitalize on to make the most of your kitchen renovation.
For instance, upgrading your kitchen cabinets is always a good move that could potentially add more storage space while giving your kitchen a much-needed facelift. You can also choose to upgrade your appliances or add a kitchen island or two to increase the overall functionality of your kitchen. Getting your kitchen renovation right means improving the functionality as well as the aesthetics. The kitchen should be a warm and inviting space that fully meets all your needs. That way, you can enjoy making meals, entertaining guests, or relaxing in your kitchen.
These 10 all around the home improvements are worth adding to your to-do list, and they should keep you busy for a while. By the time you get to the bottom of the list, your home will be in pretty fantastic shape. Some or all of these home improvements can even help increase the resale value of your home. Even if you’re not planning to sell anytime soon, you can enjoy your home better when you give it a makeover.