As winter begins to transform into spring, homeowners can take advantage of the new season by tackling these five projects. Each one offers unique benefits that will improve your house and make you feel more comfortable.
Table of Contents
Replace Old Windows With Energy-Efficient Models
Old windows don’t offer the same energy efficiency as recent models, so replacing them can lower your heating and cooling bills. When choosing new windows, look for options with coatings that block infrared radiation.
Standard glass will let about 84 percent of radiation enter your home. In contrast, low-e glass coatings only let 4 percent pass into your home.
Other features that can improve a window’s efficiency include:
- Multiple panes
- Gases like argon and krypton that fill space between panes
- Quality frame materials that prevent leaks
Replacing windows gives you a big return on your investment, so make sure you put this home improvement at the top of your list.
Update Your Interior by Painting Walls
Painting a room only takes a weekend, but it makes a dramatic difference that lasts for years.
Use an app like Paint My Place to decide what colors you want to use inside your home. The app lets you take a picture of your wall and add any color so you can see what the room will look like after you’ve painted it.
Spring is a good time to paint because the pleasant temperature lets you open windows to whisk away unwelcome fumes without getting too hot or cold.
Inspect and Repair Your Roof
Winter weather can do a lot of damage to your home’s roof. Even if your area didn’t experience a major storm, your roof may have sustained some damage. Cold weather can cause icicles that harm shingles, condensation in your attic and ice dams that exacerbate existing problems.
Once warmer temperatures return, you can inspect your roof for signs of damage. If you catch minor problems early enough, you might be able to fix them without hiring a professional.
Install Skylights to Let in the Light
You need a little more sunlight in your life after a long, gray winter. Installing skylights will let sunlight pour into your home as the seasons change.
However, adding skylights does more than make your home look attractive. Skylights also:
- Let you rely on natural light so you have lower electricity bills.
- Give you a daily dose of vitamin D even when you don’t have a chance to go outdoors.
- Let sunlight disinfect your home naturally to reduce the presence of bacteria and fungus.
If you’re fairly handy, you can install skylights without hiring a contractor. By finishing the project in spring, you get to avoid the extreme temperatures of winter and summer.
Schedule an Inspection for Your Air Conditioner
A lot can happen to your air conditioner while it rests during winter. Ice can accumulate in your outdoor unit, fast wind can disconnect cables and some parts can become faulty over several months without use.
Scheduling an inspection for your air conditioner in spring helps ensure that the system will work properly when you need it. If you don’t get an inspection now, then you could face several sweltering days in summer when A/C repair companies are busy.
Getting an inspection before you turn the unit on can also prevent damage that costs a lot to repair. The sooner you have someone tackle a small issue, the less money you will have to spend fixing it.
Plants and animals get active in the spring, so you might as well do some work, too. Start by choosing one of the items from this list. As long as you stay dedicated to the project, you’ll have a nicer home before summer arrives.
