As the intense summer heat starts to fade and the holiday season slowly approaches, many homeowners are interested in making their houses as cozy as possible. There are many fun and simple ways to customize your space and make your property better without picking up the phone to call a professional. Here are some of our favorite DIY home projects to spruce up your home this fall.
Give the Front Door a Fresh Coat of Paint
One of the simplest ways to add instant curb appeal to your home is to clean the front door and give it a new coat of paint. Fall is a great time of year to complete outdoor painting projects, as it’s not as humid as the summer but the temperatures are still warm. If possible, do this project on a day when it’s clear and sunny.
If you plan on putting your home on the market before you repaint the door, it’s best to choose a neutral color like white or taupe. However, if you are feeling more adventurous or want to add some personality to your house, a bold color is an awesome idea. If you have colored shutters, consider coordinating your door with them. Ensure that the paint you use is designed for exterior use and not interior use.
Clean the Gutters
Your gutter gets a workout over the course of the spring and summer, and gutters are critical to making sure that water rapidly drains away from your home instead of settling around the foundation. Unfortunately, yard debris and leaves can fall into the gutters and render them useless. One of the easiest fall home improvement projects to do is cleaning your gutters.
Get on a ladder and manually remove leaves and other debris from the length of the gutters. Once you think that you are done, grab your garden hose and run some water down each part. This quick test will make sure that there are no obstructions left, and it will also give you an opportunity to see if there are any leaks in your gutters that should be repaired. Regular gutter cleanings ensure that your gutters will be able to handle future rain.
Add Mulch to Perennials
Most garden enthusiasts and homeowners know to add mulch to the base of their shrubs and perennials in the spring, but you should also add a layer in the fall. Mulch helps to lock in moisture beneath the surface and add a little bit of warmth. This helps keep perennial plants healthy throughout the coldest months of the year so that they are strong and vibrant in the spring. Shrubs, trees, and plants can all be mulched using high-quality mulch.
Replace the Batteries in Your Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Detectors
The most important DIY home project you can do any fall is changing the batteries in your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors. While this is a simple and inexpensive home improvement project, thousands of house fires every year start and go noticed because smoke detectors are not working properly.
The National Fire Protection Agency suggests that renters and homeowners change the batteries in smoke detectors every six months. If you have a 10-year smoke detector, you should replace it for the safety of you & your family, confirm that the expiration date has not passed, and test to confirm that it works properly. Carbon monoxide detectors also must be tested. It’s great to do this in the fall before gas appliances will be used and the risk of carbon monoxide poisoning increases.
Pack Up the Lawnmower and Garden Tools
Did you know that your lawnmower and yard tools should be cleaned at the end of the season and put away for the winter? Especially if you have a gas-powered lawnmower or trimmer that you won’t be using for a few months, it’s important to properly break them down to safely store them. If you leave dirt and other debris sitting on the surface of your yard tools, you’ll have an even bigger project come spring.
Fall is also an excellent time to have a professional sharpen your mower blades. Spending a little bit of time on lawn equipment maintenance in the fall can save you a lot of time in the spring and summer next year.
