When the weather outside is frightful, it’s the perfect time to buckle down with home repairs. While snow or ice will prevent you from doing certain work, such as roof repairs or replacing siding, there are plenty of indoor options. By choosing smaller tasks that require less space and energy, you can get quite a bit accomplished even if the weather turns sour and leaves you out of electricity. Whether you are living in a custom home or a manufactured modular house, these repair ideas will suit your home repair needs.
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Sunny Winter Days
On those days when you can sneak out for some much desired sunlight, take the time to repair your outdoor furniture. Perhaps you have a set of patio furniture in need of painting or staining. Remove all cushions and rugs from the outdoor scene and clean them properly before storing these throughout the winter months. If you have an outdoor kitchen area, it would be an optimal time to check the gaskets on the mini fridge and to scrub the grill or cooking surfaces. Take a check of decks, awnings, porch coverings and concrete walkways. If needed, fix any cracks, loose screws, disjointed nails, or mold and mildew issues.
Fire and Smoke Safety Repairs
Winter weather equates to lit candles, warm fireplaces and convenient space heaters. The increase of smoke and fire hazards means you should be more vigilant in terms of your carbon monoxide and smoke alarms. Replace the batteries on all units, of which you should have one of each alarm in every bedroom, kitchen, and living room. Also along the lines of fires, wash your kitchen stove exhaust filter to ensure you maintain a clear flow in the possibility you have a kitchen fire. Homes during the holidays are typically filled with extension cords running from Christmas trees to decorative light displays. Replace all broken cords that have wires exposed or improper plugs. If you are unsure of dealing with electrical systems, don’t be afraid to take these lighting projects to a repair shop.
Silencing the Squeaks
Throughout the year take note of smaller repairs that are more cosmetic rather than structural or life threatening, and complete these during the winter when you are forced inside. Start with the squeaks in your house, such as rusty door hinges, loose floor boards, and difficult cabinet doors. Door hinges can be repaired using powdered graphite, which is added around the pin of the hinge. For cabinets, try tightening their screws, followed by replacing screws with larger ones to fit noisy gaps. To fix loose floor boards, dust talc powder in between the boards to hush the sound. If your floor is still squeaky, opt for specific screws made especially for this purpose.
Blemishes Be Gone
Unsightly rust stains, peeling wallpaper and bubbling paint are signs of something more at stake. Start with the rust issues, replacing any screws, valves or pipes that have rusted. If you have water shut off valves with rust preventing them from opening and closing, add some WD-40 or other penetrating oil. Let the oil sit and saturate into the rust before attempting to screw the valve, and you’ll be set for shut off emergencies in case of icy weather conditions. Wallpaper that is peeling may mean a room is too humid. Thankfully, winter indoors means drier conditions, which is a prime time to replace any wallpaper. As for bubbling paint, take this time to scrape off old paint and prime the surface for painting. While you can plan your next painting design, wait to paint until you have a clear day in which you can ventilate your work space with open windows.
Author Bio Box:
+Ken Uhrich likes houses. In fact he lives in one. You can drop him a line at the Custom Home Group website.
