The Best (and Worst) House Projects That Start in the Summer
Home projects come in two different types: panic- stricken, crappy projects that are thrust upon you at your least convenient (and usually random) moments, and pre-planned, ambitious projects that will improve your home, or at least help you. avoid problems in the future.
There’s not much you can do about the first type who storms into your life with hurricane force when you least expect it. But when it comes to the second type, the timing of this project is critical to both its success and the level of misery it causes in your home while it’s working. Of course, scheduling projects in February can get you the best prices and the most calls from contractors, but if you’ve ever had your windows replaced in the middle of winter, for example, you now know that there are much better times. year for projects that leave your home exposed to the elements.
So, with summer upon us, it’s time to think about which home projects are actually best to take on this season and which ones should be avoided at all costs.
Best: Outdoor Living Projects
On one hand, you might want to have your deck, patio, or backyard ready to go the moment the temperatures start to rise so you can make the most of your summer outdoors. But figuring out outdoor furniture placement, grill and outdoor kitchen placement, and installing other outdoor items in the off-season is all theory: You don’t know how you’ll actually use it until you do it.
That’s why early summer is the perfect time to figure out how to best use your space , because you’ll literally be using it. You’ll learn whether expanding your deck will pay dividends, whether you’re better off having a fire pit than an above-ground pool, or whether a bar cart is a better investment than an outdoor kitchen you’ll never use. .
Worst: Drawing
Summer seems like a good time to paint. You’ll have more daylight to work with and likely more free time to devote to a project with an amazing return on investment .
But summer also means higher temperatures and humidity, which can ruin your paint job in many ways. Your paint may take longer to dry or dry inconsistently, and if you paint on hot surfaces or with paint that has been in the sun for a long time, you may find the paint peeling and cracking as colder weather sets in. Painting is best left for spring or fall, when temperatures are milder and the air tends to be drier.
Best: Heating Maintenance
Keeping your furnace or boiler in good condition is essential to creating a safe and comfortable home, so regular inspections and maintenance are a great idea. There are two reasons why you should do this in the summer, when your heating system is probably the last thing on your mind:
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Planning. Heating is the last thing on your mind, the last thing on everyone’s mind. Your local heating contractors will be happy to hear from you and make it easy to schedule an appointment.
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Convenience. If problems are discovered and your heating needs to be turned off for a few days, then you’re not using it anyway.
The opposites of these reasons are just as compelling: If you wait until the cold weather sets in, you’ll find your contractor very busy. And if you need a major furnace repair or replacement, you’re in for some extremely uncomfortable nights.
Worst: New flooring
Installing new floors in the summer may seem like a good idea, but it’s probably the worst time of year to undertake this project due to the heat and humidity. You might be able to get away with it in the first few days, but if it’s constantly hot and humid outside, your best bet is to wait until the fall.
Heat and humidity can cause a number of problems for new floors, including warping of boards and longer cure times for adhesives and sealants. Plus, if you need to ventilate the house after the new floors have been painted and sealed, you’ll be sitting in a greenhouse with all the windows open instead of enjoying the beautiful fall or spring breeze.
Featured: Kitchen Remodel
A kitchen renovation really does disrupt your life. You have no idea how much you’ll miss having a usable kitchen until you’ve spent three weeks with a plastic-wrapped, dust-covered hole in the middle of your home waiting for the electrical and plumbing to be inspected.
That’s why summer is the best time for Reno kitchens. If you’re replacing flooring you’ll have to take into account heat and humidity issues, that’s true (see above), but not having a kitchen is less of an annoyance when you can cook outside all the time, with an occasional (or daily) addition to the mix. delivery order. And if you can do some planning magic and be on vacation while working full-time in a reno, you can experience the magic of leaving a home with one kitchen and coming back with another.
Worst: Air conditioning maintenance.
If you wait until hot weather arrives to check your air conditioning system, you’ll have some trouble calling a technician—they’re likely inundated with appointment requests and emergency calls from desperate, heat-stricken people. who woke up that day without a working air conditioner.
Plus, this delay in service makes it more likely that your own air conditioner will break down once temperatures start to hover in the triple digits. Spring is the ideal time to service your air conditioner. In fact, the first day the temperature rises above 60 degrees , you should turn on the air conditioning to make sure it will actually work when you really need it.
The Best and the Worst: Roofing
You don’t always have control over roofing projects: If your roof leaks or has obvious storm damage, you’ll have to repair it no matter the season. But for non-emergency roofing work, whether it’s preventative roof replacement or regular DIY maintenance like roofing installation , summer is both the best and worst time to do it.
On the one hand, any DIY work on the roof in the summer will be like standing on a hot grill. You will be completely exposed to the heat and sun and will be burned from below by the sun heated surface, which can heat up to 150 degrees . This means that doing extra roofing work in the summer will be an unpleasant task.
On the other hand, if you’re having your roof replaced, summer is the best time to do it: Asphalt shingles and roofing adhesive are heat-activated to cure, and they ‘ll harden and seal faster in warm weather. Plus, you’ll probably hire someone to do this so you don’t have to stick around like an egg in a frying pan.