Fall is the perfect season for home repairs and improvements. The weather is just the right balance, not too hot and not too cold. So if you’ve been thinking of getting some home improvements out of your to-do checklist, now’s a great time to get started. We’ve prepared a list of around the home improvements that you can start almost immediately. Take a look and see what might fit your home’s current needs.
Safety Systems
They say safety always comes first, which is why it’s wise for anyone tackling around the house home improvements to get safety panned for first. Safety precautions are what will ensure everything that you have worked so hard for, including the rest of the around the house home improvements we’ll list here are safe and intact. The most common Safety systems around the house are mainly CCTV’s and fire alarms.
Home safety systems like home CCTV cameras will ensure that you recover anything that might get stolen from your house. The CCTV footage captured can be used by insurance companies as evidence to prove that you deserve compensation for your stolen items or by police to help recover your items. CCTV cameras also play a crucial role in the prevention of crime. A thief who sees a home has been secured with CCTV cameras will most often be discouraged from attempting to break into such a house.
Another safety precaution that should not be overlooked is a fire alarm. It’s of equal importance (if not more) to the CCTV. Its ability to detect fire before it spreads completely will avert a pending disaster. To get the one that’s best suited for your needs engage the services of fire alarm specialists. They’ll give a variety of options for you choose from. They might even suggest you go for the ones that double up as a gas leak detector which will kill two birds with one stone.
Septic System
Another one of the around the house home improvements that should not be ignored is the septic system. A septic system is crucial because if ignored, it can lead to a nightmare that’s difficult to control. You don’t want a situation where you and your entire household are forced to vacate your house because you can’t stand the fumes. For this reason, you should make an appointment with septic service professionals to come and do a thorough checkup on your system. This will be for the sole purpose of diagnosing, treating and putting in place measures to prevent future problems with your sewer system.
Getting the right team, however, is not a walk in the park. The wrong team can aggravate an already dire situation. There have been instances where the septic tank professionals cut water pipes in the process of doing maintenance. To avoid getting the wrong team of professionals, ask for referrals from your friends. If this proves difficult, a quick online search can give some promising leads. To narrow them down, look for the ones with glowing reviews and good ratings. Once that’s done look at their terms of engagement to see if they’re the right fit for you.
Sheds or Barns
Sheds are a splendid addition to any backyard. They not only add life and character to your yard, but they serve as a much-needed storage space. If you are a fan of gardening and other outdoor activities, a barn will suit you well. This is where you’ll store your spades, hoes, and all related farming equipment. If you lean more towards construction, a shed will also be a great place for all your construction tools and equipment. This is not to mean that it’s restricted to storing only farming and construction equipment. You can use it to store of anything that has no room in the house.
Sheds however, should not be built haphazardly because of their temporary nature. You need to have them well-designed and well-built. A well-designed shed or barn should complement the design of your main house. They should exist in cohesion, without either sticking out like a sore thumb. For instance, to create harmony between the two, you can have them painted the same color on the outdoors. You can also decide to have the same type of roof for both.
The building part shouldn’t be overlooked. To get started, look for a framing contractor who specializes in sheds and barns. They’ll guide you on the best materials to use based on your locality. For instance, if your homestead is in a locality that’s prone to termite infestation, he or she might suggest you forego wooden framing and use light gauge steel framing. If the differences in the costs end up being too much, the contractors will inform you of the best anti-termite treatment options within your budget.
Chimney Maintenance
If you have a chimney in your home, then you need to add it to your around the house improvements list. A chimney should be inspected annually to ensure that it doesn’t pose a health risk to the occupants of a house. This is because a chimney that’s regularly used not only has ash residue and accumulates dust and soot over time. This built-up dust eventually makes it back inside the house. Inhaling that dust can lead into serious health issues like lung and respiratory problems.
To avert these health problems and risks, ensure you source for reputable chimney cleaners. The chimney cleaners should not just be general cleaners. They need to understand the dangers of prolonged exposure to chimney dust and soot. In addition to that, they should be highly skilled and properly trained. To get the right team, look for the ones that come highly recommended from their previous clients.
Bathroom Remodels
Among the most fun and fulfilling around the house home improvements that you could ever partake in is bathroom remodels. Bathroom remodels are exciting because they’re one of those around the house home improvements with instant visible results. You can transform an old bathroom and give it fresh energy by tweaking some elements. For example, changing the wall tiles from a dull color into something bright will instantly transform your bathroom’s interior.
While at it, you should also consider changing your bathroom fittings to the latest models with additional features that can improve the bathing experience. For instance, consider upgrading your old bathtub with walk in tubs. These tubs will instantly elevate your bathing experience because, unlike the traditional bathtubs, you don’t have to jump over the tub to get inside. You simply open the door placed at the side and get inside, allowing the tub to fill in while you’re already seated. These bathtubs are extremely easy to use, making them great options for improving accessibility in the bathroom.
Deep Cleaning
Deep cleaning makes it to this around the house home improvements list because you’ll be so much happier after you do it. Keep in mind that the expertise needed to clean soft furnishing and such is different from the one for cleaning the floors and tiles. The cleaning of soft furnishing may be a bit simpler compared to the latter and will need you to invest in good detergent and generally lightweight equipment. Alternatively, the professionals could carry the items that need to be cleaned to their own designated areas where they have the solutions and any equipment that they may need for the job.
The floor cleaning exercise will require most of the expertise. This is because there are instances where floor tiles have leftover grout or have accumulated hard-to-remove stubborn stains over time. You’ll need special cleaning agents for that. Whatever place you need to get cleaned, engage the services of house cleaning companies. You’ll be glad you invested in them in the first place. Like all professionals that you hire, do your due diligence before you sign on the dotted line. To be on the safe side, insist on paying after service delivery.
Landscaping
Landscaping can elevate your home in leaps and bounds, and as such, it makes among the must-have around the house home improvements this fall. Landscaping, however, has a lot of tenets that often confuse beginners. To avoid getting confused, start by making a rough list of the things you would like to have in your garden. The list should include elements like driveways, a garage or carport, a pergola, a water feature, and anything that you think will give you the dream backyard you have dreamed of for years.
Once you have a rough idea of what you’d like, look for landscaping professionals to assist you in translating your ideas into tangible designs. A landscaping architect is the best person for this. He or she will polish up your ideas and make improvements where necessary. For instance, they might suggest that you plant a variety of fruits based on your home’s climate. Once that’s done, the next step will be to translate the plans from drawings to the actual elements on the ground.
After planting all your plants and vegetation, the last and often overlooked part is the plants’ maintenance. To ensure that all your efforts are not in vain, invest in local tree care and plant maintenance professionals. They will protect your plants from withering by watering them regularly. Another alternative to this is investing in a drip irrigation watering system. Pick any of the two options that suit you best to ensure your plants are a sight to behold.
Exterior Maintenance
When tackling some of these around the house home improvements, you’ll notice that it’s very difficult to tackle one task and leave the rest untouched. Most are intertwined. For Instance, you can’t have a perfectly done landscaping job without doing proper exterior maintenance. One will stick out like a sore thumb. Exterior maintenance jobs to tackle include stucco repair, lights replacements, fencing poles replacements, and more. Ensure that all successive tasks are done to completion.
Other exterior maintenance jobs that might come up are masonry sealing jobs. That’s because most of the exterior environment is exposed to direct sunlight, you might need to seal your exterior masonry with a weatherproof and waterproof sealer to ensure the longevity of your walls. You’ll also need to repaint worn-out paint on the walls and the fences. All this will ensure that every aspect of your exteriors come are well finished and future-proofed against external threats.
Roof Maintenance
In the same breath, roof maintenance is among the around the house home improvements that also fall in the exterior maintenance category. You’ll however need to assess if your roof does indeed need maintenance. If it has leaks, you should follow up with residential roofing experts to seal the holes up for you. If the roof is damaged beyond repair, ask them to replace the roof for you. To prevent future occurrences of the same, invest in a high-quality roof that can serve you well for decades to come and pay for itself in this time.
Garage Door Repairs
Garage doors repairs also can’t go unmentioned in this around the house home improvements list because most of them tend to develop issues over time. So, if yours has been working less than perfectly, fall is the perfect time to have it checked. If it’s damaged beyond repair, consider getting automatic garage door replacements. These are not only easy to operate, but they can serve you for a very long time without calling for regular repairs.
This comprehensive list of around the house home improvements that you should tackle this fall should help you get as much work done in the shortest time possible. It should also help you identify the home improvements that apply to you. If you identify a good number then allocate an adequate budget for each. This will prevent you from ending up with a half-complete job and no funds left to complete it. After that’s out of the way, call the relevant professionals and sign the contracts. Hopefully, come winter, you will be all set and done.
