Summer season might be over but the good wеather lasts well into September and October. For the average homeowners, this means they still have time to finish a home improvement started earlier or to spruce up the home with a completely new amenity. Just because summer is officially over, this doesn’t mean that you cannot decorate the home for fall.
Wash the windows
It might seem like the most obvious thing to do but homeowners usually forget that their windows need washing before colder weather sets in. Namely, the summer brought a lot of heavy rain showers, resulting in a lot of dirt covering the window panes. Depending on the number of windows and glass doors you have, the cleaning process shouldn’t last longer than one afternoon. All you need is a cloth, water, and a cleaning solution.
Declutter the entire house
You are probably aware of the importance of decluttering but you have been focusing on one room at a time, right? Well, the end of summer is the ideal time to conduct an all-encompassing decluttering spree, from the attic down to the garage. Apart from getting rid of all the extra stuff, you have no real need for, be sure to find a place for every single item inside your home. The AC remote controller could get a wall mount or you can build a newspaper rack.
Prepare water features for the cold weather
In winter, exposed pipes freeze overnight, causing them to crack. The last thing you need is a flood in the middle of December, so make sure all exterior water features are well-protected. Insect the pipes in the basement and insulate them if necessary.
When it comes to the backyard, the water tap needs to be dismantled entirely, because closing the main valve off leaves water inside the pipes where there are susceptible to freezing. If you own a backyard pool, cover it with a plastic sheet for safety reasons and to prevent leaves from accumulating at the bottom.
Painting the fence and the deck
Although the air is no longer hot, fall months are still ideal for repainting parts of your property. The fence and the deck can always do well with a fresh coat of paint. This can be a DIY job but if you want to paint the picket fence and the deck at the same time, then professional deck and fence painting is the right way to go. Not only will pros do a good job but they’ll get everything done in time before the rainy season starts.
Better storage ideas for the kitchen
One of the perks of summer is the ability to cook outside. However, as the weather gets worse, you are going to spend more time indoors, so extra storage space inside the kitchen is more than welcome. For example, you can extend the hanging cabinets to the ceiling or install a kitchen hood for preparing barbecue indoors. Updating the kitchen island with pegs for cooking utensils is another solution, while an LED strip under the kitchen cabinets will make your kitchen pop and improve lighting over the countertop.
Add a fire pit to the backyard
Your outdoor living space is the most suitable for a major improvement such as a fire pit. This outdoor amenity is ideal for the summer/fall season when the temperature outside is trickery. Namely, the days are sunny and warm but the air temperature plummets at night. Building a fire pit means that you can stay outside longer, provided you have enough blankets, roasted marshmallows, and horrors stories to make time pass faster.
Hang artwork on the walls of the house
Since you are going to spend more time indoors now that summer is over, you need to decorate the walls a bit. If there’s a picture you are not happy with and want to replace it, now is the time. Adorn the walls with various artwork, from pictures to tapestries. Ideally, these works of art should be handcrafted by you or a close friend of yours; adding to the sense of homeliness.
Arousing the senses
Apart from cleaning the house and minor improvements, you can achieve a lot in terms of interior design if you place a fruit bowl here and there. Namely, you want the house to smell and feel like the upcoming fall season, thus creating a transition from summer that has just expired. Fruit like apples and vegetables like pumpkin are ideal for decorating the living room or the kitchen.
Redecorate the windows
After you’re done with decluttering the house, painting the deck and/or the fence, and filling it with fall fragrances, it’s time to redo the curtains and draperies. Namely, you need to replace the light (both in terms of weight and colors) curtains with “heavier” variants.
It may no longer be summer but diligent homeowners can still keep their hands busy. The first two months of fall are ideal for a DIY home improvement project or a major cleaning spree that would prepare the house for harsh winter conditions.
