Quick Home DIYs for the Easter Long Weekend
To keep your house looking its best, regular maintenance is key – and this is the perfect weekend to do it
Joanna Tovia
22 March 2016
Houzz editorial team. Photojournalist specialising in design, travel and living well. Follow her photodocumentary about pets and the people who love them on Instagram @unfoldingtails
Houzz editorial team. Photojournalist specialising in design, travel and living well.... More
Without a little maintenance and the occasional repair job, your house can quickly go from looking well-loved to rundown and neglected. Time’s on your side this long weekend, so put it to good use and get your DIY on to bring your house back to a state of good repair. You might even work off some of the Easter eggs you’ve devoured in the process.
Fix those broken porch lights
Nothing makes a house look more welcoming at night than some entry lights on the porch or by the front door. Replace any dead light bulbs, repair any broken light fittings, and get rid of any cobwebs gathering on and around the lights. You’ll feel an extra sense of satisfaction for your efforts knowing thieves are deterred by a brightly lit home.
Nothing makes a house look more welcoming at night than some entry lights on the porch or by the front door. Replace any dead light bulbs, repair any broken light fittings, and get rid of any cobwebs gathering on and around the lights. You’ll feel an extra sense of satisfaction for your efforts knowing thieves are deterred by a brightly lit home.
Repaint your front door
A bold new colour for your front door can change the whole look and feel of your home. Choose a hardy gloss-enamel paint and be sure to remove any door hardware before you start painting – a messy paint job looks far worse than a door in need of attention. Tape off any panes of glass in and around your door before getting started to achieve a professional-looking finish.
A bold new colour for your front door can change the whole look and feel of your home. Choose a hardy gloss-enamel paint and be sure to remove any door hardware before you start painting – a messy paint job looks far worse than a door in need of attention. Tape off any panes of glass in and around your door before getting started to achieve a professional-looking finish.
Get out in the garden
If you spend much of your working week in front of a computer, take advantage of your days off over Easter and get out in the garden – no matter what the weather’s doing. You’ll feel refreshed and rejuvenated – and so will your garden – after you’ve spent a few hours pulling out weeds and replanting pot plants that have seen better days.
Need an expert hand planning your outdoor area? Find a landscape architect or designer near you on Houzz for a professional result
If you spend much of your working week in front of a computer, take advantage of your days off over Easter and get out in the garden – no matter what the weather’s doing. You’ll feel refreshed and rejuvenated – and so will your garden – after you’ve spent a few hours pulling out weeds and replanting pot plants that have seen better days.
Need an expert hand planning your outdoor area? Find a landscape architect or designer near you on Houzz for a professional result
Touch up your grout
Along with the kitchen, the bathroom is the one room in the house that shows its age the most. However, you don’t have to go to the expense of renovating the whole bathroom to bring it back from the dead – touching up your grout can be positively transformational. A grout removal tool from your local hardware store makes the job a snap.
If you’re addressing your grout for the first time, find a professional near you who can do the job for you.
How to Get Five More Years Out of Your Bathroom
Along with the kitchen, the bathroom is the one room in the house that shows its age the most. However, you don’t have to go to the expense of renovating the whole bathroom to bring it back from the dead – touching up your grout can be positively transformational. A grout removal tool from your local hardware store makes the job a snap.
If you’re addressing your grout for the first time, find a professional near you who can do the job for you.
How to Get Five More Years Out of Your Bathroom
Clean and repair windows and locks
When you think of a haunted house, what do you see? Broken windows covered with grime and cobwebs are likely to come to mind. Take out your broom to sweep away the cobwebs, and get real about any window panes that need replacing. If you’ve lost the keys to any of your window locks, it’s time to replace them too.
When you think of a haunted house, what do you see? Broken windows covered with grime and cobwebs are likely to come to mind. Take out your broom to sweep away the cobwebs, and get real about any window panes that need replacing. If you’ve lost the keys to any of your window locks, it’s time to replace them too.
Fix your front gate
Tricky latches, wonky hinges and rusty fittings are all telltale signs of a home that’s not being well maintained. A quick clean with a high-pressure water cleaner will make a big difference to your front gate and, if there are any repairs you could make to improve how it functions, do them this weekend. A gate that drags along the ground or painfully catches your visitors’ hands are signs you need to take immediate DIY action.
Tricky latches, wonky hinges and rusty fittings are all telltale signs of a home that’s not being well maintained. A quick clean with a high-pressure water cleaner will make a big difference to your front gate and, if there are any repairs you could make to improve how it functions, do them this weekend. A gate that drags along the ground or painfully catches your visitors’ hands are signs you need to take immediate DIY action.
Mend your mailbox
How’s your mailbox looking? The weather and accumulated pollution can take their toll on these street-side essentials, whether yours is modern metal or traditional timber. Give your mailbox a good clean inside and out and repair any components as needed… or just cut your losses and replace the whole letterbox.
Peeling paint does nothing for first impressions, but it doesn’t take long to give a painted timber mailbox back its pristine looks. A light sand and a lick or two of exterior paint should do it.
How’s your mailbox looking? The weather and accumulated pollution can take their toll on these street-side essentials, whether yours is modern metal or traditional timber. Give your mailbox a good clean inside and out and repair any components as needed… or just cut your losses and replace the whole letterbox.
Peeling paint does nothing for first impressions, but it doesn’t take long to give a painted timber mailbox back its pristine looks. A light sand and a lick or two of exterior paint should do it.
Get your internal doors in shape
Door hinges that squeak and doors that don’t quite close unless you slam them are easy things to ignore over time, but when you get around to fixing them you’ll really notice the difference.
Oil the hinges and get out the sandpaper if a door is sticking. If sandpaper doesn’t quite do the job, consider taking the door off its hinges and using a planer to make the door a perfect fit.
Tip: If you really feel like giving your home a lift, consider painting your internal doors black.
Door hinges that squeak and doors that don’t quite close unless you slam them are easy things to ignore over time, but when you get around to fixing them you’ll really notice the difference.
Oil the hinges and get out the sandpaper if a door is sticking. If sandpaper doesn’t quite do the job, consider taking the door off its hinges and using a planer to make the door a perfect fit.
Tip: If you really feel like giving your home a lift, consider painting your internal doors black.
Clean your pavers
A paved outdoor area can look pretty uninviting if the pavers are dirty. You know what to do. Make light work of this job with a pressure cleaner, and don’t forget to pull out any weeds that may be growing up between your pavers. Unless that’s the look you’re going for, of course…
A paved outdoor area can look pretty uninviting if the pavers are dirty. You know what to do. Make light work of this job with a pressure cleaner, and don’t forget to pull out any weeds that may be growing up between your pavers. Unless that’s the look you’re going for, of course…
Clear up the clutter
When life’s busy and ‘I’ll do it tomorrow’ turns into ‘I really should get to that’, your carport or garage can start to look like a dumping ground for all the clutter that serves little purpose and needs to be rehomed.
Easter is all about new life, so why not give your home life a fresh start with a ruthless clear-out of everything that needs to be sold, recycled or thrown away. Start with anything broken, move onto things you no longer use, and progress to things you’re keeping out of obligation but don’t really like.
Does it Spark Joy? The Art of Decluttering, Japanese Style
When life’s busy and ‘I’ll do it tomorrow’ turns into ‘I really should get to that’, your carport or garage can start to look like a dumping ground for all the clutter that serves little purpose and needs to be rehomed.
Easter is all about new life, so why not give your home life a fresh start with a ruthless clear-out of everything that needs to be sold, recycled or thrown away. Start with anything broken, move onto things you no longer use, and progress to things you’re keeping out of obligation but don’t really like.
Does it Spark Joy? The Art of Decluttering, Japanese Style
Give your deck some love
If you’ve given your deck a workout this summer, you’ll know how valuable this outdoor space is to your lifestyle. Make this weekend the time you take steps to keep it looking good, by spending an hour or two sprucing the space up with a couple of coats of decking oil.
If you’ve given your deck a workout this summer, you’ll know how valuable this outdoor space is to your lifestyle. Make this weekend the time you take steps to keep it looking good, by spending an hour or two sprucing the space up with a couple of coats of decking oil.
Your turn
What other regular maintenance tasks do you do to keep your home looking good? Share your advice in the Comments below, like this story, save the images for inspiration, and join the conversation.
More
Need more inspiration to get going with helping your home look it best? Read Designers’ Best Tips for Creating a Tranquil Garden
What other regular maintenance tasks do you do to keep your home looking good? Share your advice in the Comments below, like this story, save the images for inspiration, and join the conversation.
More
Need more inspiration to get going with helping your home look it best? Read Designers’ Best Tips for Creating a Tranquil Garden
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Give your art pieces a sponge off, rearrange them or look online for some beautiful complimentary pieces from artists to upgrade your living areas
Your comment about window keys reminded me of a job on my to do list: to match every key to its lock. I have a collection of keys that I am not sure about. Old keys from locks that have been replaced? Key that were lost then found again after new ones were cut? Spare keys that were never used and now I'm not sure which door they match? House keys, shed keys window keys, keys from houses that my kids have lived in? Time to get that sorted.