That beautiful South Texas summer is here, and it is hot out! With summer comes a bit of free time and that strong itch to do a bit of work around the house. Alamo Handyman is here with recommendations for 10 summer home improvement projects, along with recommendations of which projects you should tackle yourself, and which you should leave to a professional!
1. Plant a summer garden. Cucumbers, eggplant, squash can all grow in our climate during the summer months. This is a great project to get the whole family involved. We say do it yourself.
2. Update your home's exterior. Whether it is painting your home's exterior or re-paneling the siding, you can make your home ready to survive not only the summer elements, but also the winter elements. However, you want to make sure this is done right and completed within budget, so we recommend that you leave this to the professionals.
3. Clean-up your driveway. Are you noticing oil stains, dirty footprints, and normal wear and tear on your driveway? Give your home that just-purchased look with a simple power washing session. Deepening on size, it will take about an hour and a half to power wash your driveway, but it will give you a lasting result! You can easily and affordably do it yourself on this project.
4. Restain and reseal your deck. If you have a wood deck, you may notice a few problems with it over the years. Our fluctuating temperatures in the San Antonio region cause nails to pop and boards to splinter, not to mention the lackluster color decks begin to take on. Cleaning, retaining, and resealing your deck are the best ways to improve the look while also protecting the deck for years to come. If you have extensive experience and a lot of patience, you can do it yourself. OR you can call in the professionals to get it done quickly and easily.
5. Replace your windows. Looking to save on your electric bill and improve your home's aesthetic? Look no further than window replacement! New window models have energy-saving features that look great--for your home's appearance and for your wallet. We recommend that you leave this to the pros.
6. Install a stair runner. To add dimension to any room in your home, we recommend rugs and runners! This is especially true with staircases. If you have a two story home and are looking to spice things up, install an affordable stair runner. With a bit of shopping and a quick YouTube tutorial to get things safely in place, we think you can take this project on yourself.
7. Get a new door. Unless you have a custom-built home, your house was most likely constructed with functionality in mind, rather than personality. This rings especially true with standard-installed doors. If you are looking to let your personality shine through, consider a new door that suits your style! (And maybe some light can shine through too, with a glass-paneled door!) Unless you have a clear direction of what you want and where to purchase, we recommend that you call the pros for this project.
8. Build a pergola. Big yards, small yards, only a front yard....no matter what your situation is, we all suffer from the same issue--how do we make this space look fantastic?! The answer is system--install a pergola! Whether in the front of backyard of your home, a pergola adds character and dimension, and gives you a creative space to add flowers and other natural life. To get this done right, we recommend that you leave it to the professionals.
9. Add a shed. No space for a full man cave at your house? No problem--get a shed! Because these can be easily purchased from big chain stores like Home Depot and Lowe's, we recommend that you take on this project yourself.
10. Replace your gutters. Do you have sagging, easily-clogged gutters? With the unpredictable, often intense precipitation we have experienced in the past few years, it should come as no surprise that many home owners are needing their gutters replaced. For this project, we recommend that you clean the gutters yourself (it's cheaper that way!) then call the pros to get them fixed or replaced.
For each of these jobs and any other job you can think of, Alamo Handyman is where you can turn! We offer free, competitive estimates for all jobs--because at Alamo Handyman, no job is too big or too small. We do it all! Give us a call today at (210) 684-8500.