There may come a time when you are stuck at home for an extended period of time. We have all had this happen at one time or another due to snow storms, hurricanes, being sick, or like this week in the world, a GLOBAL PANDEMIC!
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When this happens we need to find ways to take advantage of that time. We always complain that we never have enough time to do this or that around the house. This is the perfect time to get those things done that you may have been pushing off , some even say you may have been “kicking the can”. Here are a few home improvement projects to do when you are home bored:
- Paint
- Organize the Garage
- Increase Wi-Fi Coverage
- Create a Home Gym
- Clean Gutters
- Power/Pressure Wash
- Replace Bulbs and Emergency Batteries
- Replace HVAC Filter
- Smartify the Home
- Plan Your Next Project
This is the perfect time to get those things done that you have been pushing off and just do not want to do or just have not had the time to do them. This article will list some projects that you may or may not have been thinking about and now is the perfect time to get them accomplished.
1. Paint
Painting is something every home needs and is an easy DIY project for anyone stuck at home. The great thing about this project is it does not take any special equipment or skills. Tools for any paint project include:
- Primer: Depends on the surface painting, additional info to help know if you need primer here.
- Paint: The #1 ingredient to any painting project is getting the right paint.
- Paint Brush: Choosing the right paint brush will make the job all the more easy. Make sure you have the right sizes and enough paint brushes to get the job done. After using them, visit our other article on how to take care of your paint brushes.
- Paint Roller and Pan: Depending on the area you need to prime you may also need a paint roller and a pan. These will help get the job done more quickly than just using a paint brush.
- Painters Tape: This is key to make sure you do not paint over the surfaces that you do not want to paint.
- Drop Cloth: To ensure you do not get paint on any flooring or furniture you will want to use a drop cloth.
- Ladder: A ladder will help you reach those areas you can’t reach.
A new coat of paint will help make any surface and gives it that next level look. This is the perfect time to spruce up the home and give those walls or cabinets a fresh coat of paint. There are many painting articles on this site that could help you with additional information needed to help you complete that painting project here.
2. Organize the Garage
The garage is a place that can quickly get unorganized and out of hand. If you don’t have enough storage in the home this is the first place that gets cluttered quickly. Now that we are home, this is the perfect time to go through everything and get it nice and organized.
To get the garage tidy you may want to install some shelves and hangers and even purchase different sizes of 70 quart bins and 18 quart bins to put on the shelves to ensure that the garage remains as uncluttered as possible. After completing this project maybe you can even pull the car in the garage.
3. Increase Wi-Fi Coverage
Telecommuting is happening more today that ever before. Not only are people working from home more, but a large aspect of everyday life requires being connected at all times. It could be anything from your smart doorbell, security system, Amazon Alexa, Xbox, smart lights, watching Netflix, and even some refrigerators that need a strong connection to the internet. This means that we need to ensure the home has a strong wi-fi connection in every corner of the house.
The best way to boost your wi-fi coverage in the home is to create a mesh network by adding extenders throughout the home. I personally installed the Google WiFi System and have placed the extenders at different points throughout the home and it has worked wonders. I no longer have to fight for bandwidth when working or using the internet at different corners of the home.
4. Create a Home Gym
Working out at home is now becoming an essential part of life. When you are hunkered down you need to make sure you are staying healthy and fit, which means you need a place that makes you WANT to workout and you need to create the space and have the right equipment.
The great thing today is there are endless possibilities of ways to create your own workout space and it does not need to take up too much space or need its own dedicated room.
Adding a piece of cardio equipment can help turn any small space into the perfect workout space. Peloton’s and other connected workout devices now have been in style and help connect you to the outside world, keeping you excited and motivated. If cardio isn’t your style then you could add some adjustable dumbbells to the space. This will allow anyone to weight train and not take up too much space.
The possibilities are endless and is all dependent on the space available and the budget.
5. Clean Gutters
One job that every home owner forgets or doesn’t take the time to do is clean the gutters. There are many reasons you need to clean them every year. Some of those reasons include:
- Keep Pests Away: Clogged gutters make for a perfect habitat for birds, rodents, and bugs. We need to keep the gutters clean to make sure we don’t have an unwanted infestation of the home.
- Prevent Water Damage: If the gutters are clogged then water will not have the ability to drain the right way. If overflowing happens then this could cause water damage on both the interior and exterior of the home.
- Decrease the Risk of a Cracked Foundation: If the water is not draining properly then the water can build in unwanted areas, thus when it gets cold the water will expand and freeze and could damage the foundation.
- Roof Protection: Failure to have water properly drain could have the water build on the roof and cause roof damage.
Cleaning gutters is zero fun, but essential to ensure that your home is protected from unwanted pests or water damage. Take this time when you may be going crazy from cabin fever or being quarantined and get this project done!
6. Power/Pressure Washing
Power or Pressure Washing is a great way to get the outside of the home a nice clean and refreshing look. It may seem like its unnecessary but should be part of any home owners maintenance routine. The outside of the home is exposed to harsh elements over the years and the siding, decks, porches and driveways can look worn, discolored, and gross. The good news is that all you need to do is give it a good pressure wash. This is the most effective way to clean and safeguard your biggest investment you have ever made… the home. Key benefits of Power Washing include:
- Prevents Damage: If your home isn’t washed on a routine basis the grime and mold that builds can result in permanent damage.
- Protects Your Health: Dirt, grime, and mold can eventually cause you and your family to get sick. Pressure washing routinely ensures it doesn’t have the time to build up and have that opportunity.
- Increases Property Value: If you’re thinking of selling the home, power washing will give it that increased value look. It will look clean and brand new on the exterior thus giving it a higher perceived value.
- Maintenance Saves Money: Routine pressure washing is a great preventive measure used to ensure the home continues to be healthy and no costly repairs are in the future.
Since you are home and have no where to go, this is the perfect time to get the outside of the home looking brand new. Power washing really does give it that brand new and clean look that everyone wants. More importantly it will keep your family healthier and save you money in the long run.
7. Replace Bulbs and Emergency Batteries
One job everyone forgets about is to check the emergency batteries in their smoke and CO2 alarms. This project can actually save your life in the future and needs to be taken seriously.
Since you are sitting around the home bored, this is a perfect time to find all your smoke and CO2 alarms and replace the batteries. This will ensure that your alarms will be fresh and effective for at least a few more years and give you a better piece of mind at night.
Along with replacing batteries for you alarms you can go around the home and replace any light bulbs that may need refreshing. This isn’t as necessary as changing the batteries in the alarms but could save you from being irritated when the bulbs go out at an inconvenient time in the future. These two tedious projects are perfect small things that you can do around the home to have everything continue to work for the future.
8. Replace the HVAC Filter
A quick and easy job to help keep the house running efficiently and keep the air quality healthy is to replace the HVAC filter. This is another job that is always forgotten about but extremely important to any homeowner. Failure to routinely change your HVAC filter can result in a few issues:
- Poor Air Quality: Dust and debris build up will occur and the old filter will not be able to filter it out anymore.
- HVAC Damage: If too much build up occurs, dust and debris can enter the motor and damage it. This will be a very costly mistake.
- Mold: If you allow build up for too long, eventually mold will appear. This is extremely unhealthy and could cause health problems for everyone in the home.
Luckily, we have another article that goes deeper into some details for an HVAC filter and why you need to use a filter. Check it it out here.
9. Smartify the Home
Home and bored…. this is the perfect time to buy all those smart home products and install them in the home. Installing these products can help your life become easier, healthier, and less stressful. Smart home products impact life in ways you may not think about. Here are a few products to add to your smart home:
- Smart Lights: Routines help people wake up easier and feel more refreshed. They are also great for setting the mood when watching movies at home with the family. My personal favorite and what I use all over my home are Phillips Hue Lights.
- Video Doorbells: Great for security and deterring burglars. Not to mention it’s fun to mess with friends who come to the door. I use the Nest Hello and love it!
- Amazon Echo Dot: To have a smart home, you need a smart home hub and Amazon’s Echo Dot is a great choice. Ask it questions you need answers to or use it to execute routines in the home. In my home I have Echo Dots in every corner of the home and it works flawlessly.
- Smart Locks: Ensures your home is safe and locked up. I love it because I can lock the house, if I forget, from my phone and also give friends an access code to get in the house if needed. My house has the Nest x Yale Smart Lock and it works wonders.
- Smart Thermostats: Keeps the home at the perfect temperature at all times. This can help save so much money and you won’t need to fight with the thermostat constantly. I have 2 Nest Thermostats set up in my home and they work amazingly.
Smart home products take time and require attention to details, but it’s totally worth it. Smartifying the home will help kill those cabin fever hours and in the end you will reap the reward of living in a new smart home.
10. Plan Your Next Project
Last on this list is plan your next project. Maybe you don’t have the tools or materials right now to start your next project. Don’t fret, this is the perfect time to start planning. Planning some projects may take days or weeks.
Let’s take this time to start gaining some inspiration on Pinterest and other social media tools or we can even start a scrap book/design board. This phase can be fun and helps get us get prepared to start tackling the project quickly and effectively when we are ready.
Making lists of materials needed and the cost will help us know how much the project will be in the end. We may even want to do some research on hiring out some of the project work to small and local companies. During times like these this is a great way to help the local economy.
Final Thoughts
At times we find ourselves stuck at home. In the future this could be a more common occurrence and we need to take advantage of the free time we have at home.
The list above is a great list to help you beat that cabin fever you could be feeling from being quarantined.
