Spring Has Sprung

Spring has Sprung… now is a perfect time to spruce up the outside of your home.  A little sprucing up can go a long way and enhance the outdoor appeal of your home. It’s not necessary to have a perfectly manicured lawn or beautifully trimmed shrubs and trees but a little bit of refreshing goes a long ways. Yearly maintenance can prevent big costs and overhauls in the future. Here are just a few things that you may want to consider to spruce up the outside of your home this Spring.

1.     Pick up the debris that was left by the winter weather. Isn’t it amazing how much garbage floats into the yards and gets stuck in the flowerbeds or near the fence? By picking this up not only do we help the environment but it also makes our yard look much nicer.

2.     Rake up the dead leaves and twigs that were left over from fall clean up. This will allow your grass to have a great start for the season. Don’t forget to sweep off the laneway, front steps and sidewalks.

3.     Wash away the dirt… use the power washer to clean the debris from the sidewalk, driveways and the front of your home. Be careful not to get the water underneath the siding. (sunlight dish soap works really well for this)

4.     Does your driveway need any touch-ups? Now is the time to reseal or fill any cracks that you may have in the laneway. Don’t forget to get those nasty weeds out too.
Refresh the flower beds. Use a pitch fork around the plants to loosen up the dirt, re- edge the sidewalks and the borders of the flowerbed. A fresh layer of mulch gives a clean look as well as helps to keep the weeds down.

5.     Don’t forget the windows… Let’s get all the winter dirt washed off the windows. Do you have any torn screens or broken glass? Now is a good time to get those looked after as well. If you need to paint the windowsills do that before you clean the windows. Be sure that you leave enough time for the paint to dry before washing.  Are you looking for a good cleaner for the windows? A small amount of vinegar and detergent diluted in warm water will give amazing results.

6.     Have a look at the outside light fixtures. Are they in need of some painting? Are the bulbs burnt out?

7.     Brighten up the fences and gates, make sure that gates and fences are clean and maintained. Lube the hinges if necessary

8.     Finish up by adding a few colourful planters on the front step or in the flower bed. These will add colour and curb appeal.
 

Information  authored and courtesy of Terry Beckett SRES, ABR, SRS, Broker, Realtor