4 Weekend Projects That Solve Long-Term Problems

You rarely have time to ponder which home improvement project you should tackle next during a busy week, let alone start it. By the time you get home from work, the last thing you want to do is dig your toolbox out of the garage and start hammering away as the sun goes down. That’s why weekends present the perfect opportunity to take on DIY weekend projects that solve a long-term problem for your living space.

Before you jump headfirst into these weekend do-it-yourself projects, make sure your homeowners insurance policy meets your present and future needs, and be sure to pick up all necessary supplies. A little preparation goes a long way when it comes to maintaining and improving your home!

Light Up Your Yard

A yard that goes dark as soon as the sun sets is less than inviting. Especially during the warmer months, a well-lit landscape will invite you and your family to spend more time enjoying the outdoors. Ample exterior lighting can also increase visibility and deter possible intruders from targeting your home for an invasion.

This Old Housesuggests looking for low-voltage exterior lighting fixtures. Pay special attention to lighting up your driveway and walkways using rows of stake lights, and focus on illuminating any gathering areas or interesting features in your yard. It’s best to hire an electrician to handle the actual installation, but you can use your weekend to put together a comprehensive landscape lighting plan and pick out the fixtures.

Ramp Up Energy Efficiency

Have you been muttering about the heating and air conditioning bills since you moved into your home? Has the size of your carbon footprint been weighing on your mind lately? Use the weekend to make your home all-around energy efficient! Here are a few manageable ideas:

− Install a ceiling fan. Ceiling fans can help lower your electric bill by as much as 30 to 40 percent, and can help circulate air during cold and warm months alike. Opt for a stylish model with lighting and you’ll be able to change the look and feel of any room.

− Update your draftiest window. Window technology has advanced in leaps and bounds recently. Pick any notoriously drafty window and replace it with an ENERGY STAR model to lower your household energy bill by an average of 12 percent. It will look fresh and help you avoid piercing winter drafts.

− Switch to LED bulbs. Incandescent lightbulbs lose most of their energy in the form of heat. LEDs don’t. It’s an easy Sunday afternoon project to figure out the wattage and size requirements of your light fixtures and make the full switch over to LED bulbs.

− Update your showerhead. Your old showerhead is depriving you of a heavenly, spa-like bathroom experience. It also may be leaking or gushing water in an inefficient manner. Do yourself—and the earth—a favor and install a resource-efficient new model.

Organize Storage Spaces

If your weekly routine involves rummaging through drawers to find every small item you need, it’s time to reorganize. Buy or build the dividers, shelves and containers you need to organize your closets and drawers.

Switch Up Hardware

Changing the drawer handles and faucets in your home is an excellent way to give your living space a facelift and avoid breakage from overuse. You can opt for an eclectic set of hardware, or choose a streamlined matching set to tie design elements of your entire home together. The key here is making sure that any hardware you purchase fits your current setup, or you may be dealing with a much costlier, riskier home improvement, especially when it comes to faucets.

Homeowners who use the weekend to implement savvy home improvements will experience the benefits for months and years to come. For a DIY approach to homeowners insurance, compare your policy options using CoverHound’s easy interface. Good luck!