As the summer heat and hurricanes subside in Central Florida, homeowners begin to think about the holidays and a new year. This period just before the start of the holiday season is a great time to undertake honey-do home projects to knock off the grime and dirt of summer, as well as get your home ready for the upcoming year. With the current inflationary period and budget-busting days of Christmas these projects must also be affordable.
Here are my top 5 honey-do homeowner projects before the holiday season that shouldn’t bust the budget.
With the heat, rain, and humidity of summer, there is mildew and mold everywhere around your home. An old fashion scrub brush, a gallon of bleach, and a little detergent is just what your home needs. Don’t forget that bleach alone will not kill mildew and mold, you must also use a detergent. Get your water hose out and scrub down exterior parts of your home that have a black haze on it, or better yet, pressure wash your home. This is a great project before you hang exterior Christmas lights and decorations.
Let’s be honest, it has been too hot this summer to trim bushes and trees around the house. For most shrubs, this is one of the best times of the year to trim up wild branches because it is still warm enough to keep those plants from going dormant. Later in the winter, even in Central Florida, plants will go dormant and typically that is not the time to prune. Before pruning, check the type of plants you have around your home to ensure pruning, and trimming can be done without killing the plant. Also, this is the time that you may want to fertilize your plants to get them prepared for the cooler season, but once again, check for your plant’s recommendations.
If you have gutters and you have the proper ladders and physical ability to clean gutters, now is the time to get this done. Through the summer and fall, a lot of leaves will fall, filling your gutters with debris daily. A clogged gutter can back up leading to rotted facia boards as well as roof and wall leaks. Before you tackle this project, ensure you are physically able to handle this type of work. A broken bone or serious injury from a fall off the ladder is not a good way to start the holiday season.
In the summer, painting the exterior parts of your home is difficult because extreme heat can accelerate drying times, plus it can be miserable painting in the heat. With a gallon of paint less than $50 and now that supply chain has improved from last year, this is a good time to paint exterior parts of the home that have paint which is chalking or failing. Good prep work like cleaning the area and sanding rough spots is a must. Remember, never paint over dirt or mildew because it will immediately bleed through your new paints. Porches, railings, doors, driveways, and garage doors are easy projects that can truly enhance your home’s beauty. If you take your time and follow directions, you can have your home shining for the holiday season.
Finally, clean out the clutter of summer. Most homeowners will store summer items in their garages and sheds until the next year. However, many of these items such as worn out or broken beach chairs, old plastic pools and beach toys, need to be disposed of in the trash. When in doubt, throw it out, because most summer toys are not well made, and these items are typically only good for one season. Having a clean, well-organized storage space free from the junk and clutter of summer is a great way to start the holiday season and the new year.
There are countless other projects you can complete around your home which do not require a lot of money. The best projects just require a little time and attention, and you will be glad to get them done so that your focus can be on your family and the holiday season.
Don Magruder is the CEO of Ro-Mac Lumber & Supply, Inc., and he is also the host of the “Around the House” Show which can be seen at AroundtheHouse.TV.
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