Home Improvement

The Top 5 Easiest Outdoor Home Improvements

Your outdoors can be a great source of comfort and value. However, no one said that you need to go for the most expensive options when you want to improve it. Here are the top 5 easiest outdoor home improvements that will impact your home the most!

Repaint garden furniture

As the warmer months are near, sitting in your garden whenever you have a spare minute will be among your top priorities. However, your old table and chairs could use a fresh coat of paint after having been exposed to all kinds of weather conditions for years. And doing so can make the whole place much more inviting and visually appealing before the warmer months return. The good news is that it is a quick, cheap and easy DIY project. All you need to do is to spray paint your furniture and give them proper time to dry, and you’re good to go!

Now, the secret to a job well done is always in the effort it takes to prepare the wood before painting it. Ensure you pick a great quality exterior wood or metal paint and allow adequate time between each coat. You can pick among a variety of paints that offer weatherproof, UV, and rust-resistant properties, which can make the whole process not only efficient but also cost-effective in the long run. And not only that, but the results will guarantee that sunbathing or just reading your book outdoors this summer will be a much more pleasant experience.

Define your lawn edges

Edging can be a pretty simple and effective job too. It will improve the tidiness of your garden or lawn and help create some distinct shapes, which can make a space look fantastic. You can either trim the grass where it meets the patio or opt for some sort of physical edging like stone borders or metal sheeting.

The ideal time for doing so is spring, when the grass’s growing steadily and the soil hasn’t dried out due to summer heat. If the lawn is not growing as densely or green as you like, try aerating your soil. You can easily define the edges by using a half-moon edging tool too. However, if the grass has grown into the paths, you might need a sharp knife instead. Just cut the turf along the path’s edge and then trim the grass that grows over the path with grass shears regularly. That’s it!

Clean your patio and decks

Patios and decks are indeed the most ignored aspect of any garden. Alas, that is why they get covered with grime, dirt and algae and why they also lose their colours. This makes regular cleaning a must, yet many people put it off for as long as possible.

For example, your deck is a perfect addition to your garden, but its longevity will be seriously impacted if you don’t regularly clean it.  If you don’t have the time for that, you can easily hire a lincensed professional to jet wash it this year. That will not only breathe new life into it, but it will also help preserve the integrity of your wood.

Your patio can also become quite a health hazard if you ignore cleaning it regularly. For example, moss and algae can grow in the cracks between its tiles and make the surface really slippery during rainy weather. So, taking the time for regular maintenance and cleaning can go a long way toward ensuring the safety of little children and the elderly.

If you’re renovating your patio soon, consider using flagstone, as it’s one of the most durable, low-maintenance and easy to install decking materials. Not to mention that a clean patio is a delightful sight, while the opposite can quickly turn into an eye sore, especially when there are unsightly oil spills and bird droppings.

You can easily clean your patio by jet washing it or using a 1:1 vinegar and water mixture to clean it. And when there’s lots of dirt, you can wash it using bleach and water solution with a 1:5 ratio. Ensure the mixture doesn’t get to any plants, which will kill them. Of course, power washing remains one of the most effective techniques for cleaning your patio. It’s one of the best ways to remove stubborn dirt and help add value to your property.

Improve exterior lighting

Another great idea to improve your outdoor space that will have an immediate and enormous impact is if you install some light sources. For example, installing string lights is a cheap way to create a magical atmosphere on the patio, balcony railing or garden wall.

Not only that but there are plenty of budget-friendly options: from the plugin kind to battery or solar powered kinds. You can easily install string lights, even if you don’t have any appropriate locations: use metal or wood poles instead. Pick the ideal spot, measure the strings on the ground first to ensure they’re long enough, and proceed to installation. Another thing that makes installing string lights easier is to screw the bulbs after the strands have already been hooked.

Get rid of weeds

You don’t need fancy equipment to carry out this task, just a pair of tough gloves and some free time.  That might not be among the most pleasant tasks, but your garden will look much better when you’re done. Not to mention that your plants will be thankful for all the extra nutrients, sunlight and water, and as a result, you will have a much bigger yield.

Also, when you’re done weeding, don’t pile up the weeds somewhere and leave them to rot there. That can quickly lead to bug problems a rodent infestation since they’re always on the lookout for ample nesting areas. And dealing with that sort of problem will not only be time-consuming but quite costly too. That’s why, to avoid pest problems, it’s essential to dispose of the weeds properly and keep a neat gardening space.

Conclusion

So, there you have it, the top 5 easiest outdoor home improvements. While not all tips apply to your situation, you can significantly improve the exterior of your home if you apply the ones you do (and at almost no cost, too)!. Now, all that is left for you to do is pick something, apply it, and then enjoy the excellent results of your work!

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