There’s no better time of year than January to make a few New Year resolutions! Many of us resolve to get in better shape, learn that new hobby or even start a business venture. No matter what your 2023 New Year’s resolutions entail, your home remains a constant refuge where you return each day—so why not give it just as much attention? After all, your home is one of the biggest investments you’ll ever make. So let’s look at the walls that surround you and the roof that covers your head, and resolve to give them some love this year. It doesn’t have to mean working harder, but rather working smarter to make your space functional and beautiful.
Here are some resolutions you can try this month to make better use of your home’s outside and out-structures. And don’t worry if it’s more than you can manage on your own… Quality Built Exteriors is on call to help you achieve them.
Resolution #5: Save money with ‘an ounce of prevention’
New Year’s resolutions are often centered around saving money! As the old adage goes, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. This is especially true for one of the biggest investments most families will ever make: their home! To prevent costly repairs down the road, resolve to do small maintenance items on a more regular basis.
Hopefully you’re already doing the interior maintenance checklist with tasks like changing batteries, replacing filters and cleaning out ducts to reduce strain on your appliances and save on energy costs. But did you know that taking a walk around your home’s exterior each month can help save even more money and future headaches?
This simple step can reveal small problems that need minor repairs now—preventing bigger problems later. As you walk, examine every facet of your home, from top to bottom: roof, gutters, trim, siding, windows, doors, porch, steps, foundation, sidewalk, driveway, deck, shed. Keep an eye out for the telltale signs of trouble, such as:
- Cracked siding
- Broken concrete
- Foundation fissures
- Missing mortar between bricks
- Gaps around windows and doors that need caulk
- Rotting wood around your windows
- Peeling trim below your gutters
- Fence or deck starting to become discolored or grow mold
These are problems to fix now—for instance, it’s much cheaper to have your trim repainted than to replace the wood once it’s so exposed by missing paint that it rots (even better, cover it in vinyl trim wrap and never have to paint again!). It’s also much more cost-effective to replace missing shingles right away than to wait for a leak to start (which means moldy drywall repairs and other water damage)—the key is taking action quickly. Call a reputable roof contractor to ensure the new shingles are correctly installed.
As another money saver, consider hiring a professional to have a home-energy audit performed on your home. This will help you determine what repairs need to be done and what upgrades could be done to create a more budget (and environmentally) friendly space.
Resolution #4: Revive your neglected outdoor areas
If one of your New Year’s resolutions is to spend more face time with family and friends, there’s no better place than the great outdoors! Too much screen time from all those new holiday gadgets? Inviting outdoor areas encourage fresh air and free play for the kiddos too. And since more than 50% of Americans are vitamin D deficient, we could all use more time in the sun. But who wants to play in spaces that are moldy, broken and overgrown?
All too often, homeowners let their decks become piled with rusted furniture or their patios become places for old plastic toys to die and mold to thrive. Remember that porches, patios and decks are extra square footage for your house (that you might be throwing away!). Sometimes a simple scrubbing and 10-minute trash pickup is all you need to bring it back to life. Other times you need to invest in a teardown and re-do.
Encourage more outdoor time by intentionally creating inviting spots within your exterior space. Set up a hammock for afternoon naps, or add a chaise for reading a good book. Fence in your yard to create a safer play area for kids or pets. Add a concrete pad with a basketball hoop or trike path. You can even build a firepit or outdoor fireplace for roasting hot dogs and marshmallows. For the grown-ups, consider screening in a covered patio for the perfect spot to have your morning coffee or adding comfy outdoor furniture to an existing deck or porch to entertain friends and family.
Resolution #3: Carve out a dedicated hobby spot
Planning to take up a hobby or learn a new skill this year? Time to consider where you’ll be working on it—and where to store materials. Or maybe your current hobby has started taking over your home.
Here’s your chance to think outside the floorplan—your backyard shed. Sure, people use sheds for outdoor hobbies like woodworking and gardening, but you can customize that space a much wider array of activities. Transform your shed from dirty storehouse to lovely workhouse with just a little time and elbow grease. (I know, you still have yard tools to store, but consider buying some inexpensive plastic cabinets to hold them instead… you can place them behind or along the side of your shed, out of sight but still protected. I did this a few years ago!).
For the space itself, create a homey environment by adding flooring (you can get vinyl plank leftovers for cheap since you need so little!). Install some basic shelving using planks and brackets along the walls, and then paint it all for a built-in effect. Add lighting, whether you run an extension cord through some plastic conduit or stick with a battery-powered fixture (there are many out there!). Furnishings can be cast-offs and thrift finds (I get a lot on Facebook Marketplace too!), with a rug, seating and a desk or work table. Be sure there are some fabrics in there, to make it feel cozier (whether it’s curtains, if your shed has windows, or throw pillows or a blanket).
From there, let your specific hobby finish out the space. Taking up crafting, but don’t want your pet or toddler accessing tiny beads? Turn your shed into a Creative Cottage. Or maybe you’re into model trains? A backyard shed is the perfect place to build a mini model town. Need a cozy knitting nook or a modern art studio? Here’s your spot. And if starting that new business is on your New Year’s resolution list, your shed can serve as a chic office space, giving you the separation to concentrate on your work and the space to store your business-related equipment and materials.
Check out my previous shed article for even more fun ideas, from backyard bars to she-sheds and man-caves.
Resolution #2: Create storage from wasted space
One of the most common New Year’s resolutions is decluttering! Most of us start out with great intentions to finally organize the garage, clean out the office or purge the playroom. We start sorting and boxing… then realize we have nowhere to store everything from the “keep” pile.
I realized years ago just how much space goes unused in a home. I call it “vertical storage,” because a lot of available space is right there up your wall and along the ceiling. People tend to only use their floors. In every home where I’ve lived, I hired a contractor to create a hanging shelf along the top of my garage (like in the image above), where I could place large and/or long-term storage items. For instance, when we had our second child and lost our guest room at our old house in Hampton, I wanted to still keep the queen bed until we someday bought a larger house. But the home had no attic or basement. Voila, we suspended it from the ceiling in the garage. I go even further with my garage to create more usable floor space, adding floor-to-ceiling shelves and a workbench with pegboard. I think we’re the only family on our street who can park both cars in our two-car garage. And it is FULL of stuff.
When I had Quality Built Exteriors rebuild our deck, they offered to add a gate to the wood wraparound below it. That crawlspace became the perfect spot to store outdoor-ready items: the screens we removed from our front windows, some garden items not currently in use, bags of soil, and more.
If you’ve exhausted all these storage options but still need more space, why not buy or build a new shed? You can add shelves inside on your own using metal brackets and boards, or you can hire a contractor to create a more custom solution with a polished appearance. .
Resolution #1: Keep up with your curb appeal
I’ve seen it happen to so many friends and neighbors. They get tired of the weeds growing in their sidewalk cracks, the overgrown flowerbeds and the dead bushes by the door. They finally pay someone a hefty fee to come out and overhaul everything until it’s neat and groomed… then immediately let it go again.
Part of keeping up with your curb appeal is making realistic choices for both landscaping and décor:
- If you don’t think you’ll regularly have time to trim shrubs, don’t plant something like boxwoods that grow unevenly and look bad without routine haircuts. Instead, choose fluffier shrubs that keep a natural shape (and always, always check their mature size before planting!).
- Add nice pillows and rugs to your porch, but be sure to choose outdoor fabrics and be ready to wash them at the first signs of mildew.
- Fill cracks and fix flaking paint before it becomes an eyesore.
- Pull weeds as soon as you see them… you’ll get fewer overall and never end up with a weedy yard. My husband walks our yard after work each day for 5 minutes to pull any tiny new weeds. That ends up taking far less time and work tham trying to dig out dozens of deep-rooted monstrosities in a month.Most importantly, start an easy maintenance routine! In my family, we give our housefront a detailed once-over every weekend to fix anything that’s started to go awry, so we never have a massive project on our hands. Just a few minutes a week can prevent many hours and hundreds of dollars!
Whether you’re determined to spend more time with friends and family this year, live more eco-friendly, or finally get around to those long-overdue maintenance items, there is a corresponding home resolution! The experienced, qualified team at Quality Built Exteriors can help you achieve your goals this year. Call them today for a free estimate.