If you’re a snowbird who’s just arrived at your winter residence for the next few months, hoping to escape cold weather, you may be looking around at your home and seeing a list of unfinished house projects.

We’ve teamed up with several of our sister brands to share what sorts of home improvement projects are best to tackle during this season of your life!

  1. Seal up your house. Having cracks in your home’s walls, doors, vents, or other locations means air escapes all the time. In fact, the EPA says, “homeowners can save an average of 15% on heating and cooling costs (or an average of 11% on total energy costs) by air sealing their homes and adding insulation in attics, floors over crawl spaces, and accessible basement rim joists.” Ductwork in particular can pose a problem. The experts at One Hour Heating & Air Conditioning say that if your ductwork isn’t sealed, it can leak a significant amount of air into the crawlspaces of your home, leading to increased energy bills and a majorly reduced amount of airflow in your home. If your ducts aren’t sealed properly, it’s time to call the team at One Hour Heating & Air Conditioning.
  2. Give your house a new paint job. Not only is painting your home a cheap way to give it a facelift, you can also find a lot of good deals on paint during the winter. Color World Painting has some good advice on how to pick out paint for your home, particularly if it’s a new home! If you need a professional painting company to help with any interior or exterior painting needs, contact your nearby Color World.
  3. Take care of your lawn. If your winter home is in a warm climate, that means lawn maintenance is likely a year-round task. Many homeowners have turned to professional irrigation systems to keep things lush without dragging out the hose and watering can every other day. If you haven’t been in your second residence since last spring, now is the time to inspect and recharge your sprinkler system. Your local Benjamin Franklin Plumbing can help you with that – contact us online or give us a call at 1-877-BEN-1776!
  4. Perform maintenance on your trees. When you arrive at your winter home, survey the trees in your yard and see if there are any that are in need of deadwooding, which means trimming dead branches off your trees. According to Monster Tree Service, deadwood can spread into your tree trunk and kill it. Plus, dead branches are more likely to fall off the tree and potentially harm your property – or someone walking nearby. Contact your local Monster Tree Service for a complimentary tree inspection, and recommendations on next steps.
  5. Replace existing incandescent light bulbs with LED light bulbs. The Department of Energy says LED lightbulbs use around 75% less energy than incandescent lighting, and they last about 25 times longer, too. With modern technology, you can find LEDs in nearly any color and lighting profile, and many of them work with dimmers. Many of the new models are also designed to work with smart technology, making it easy for you to control them from a phone or an iPad.

LEDs are easy to install yourself, but if you want some tips on how use them to best illuminate your home, contact your local Mister Sparky Electric today!

We hope you enjoy the winter months!