SMHRB is a group dedicated to fixing the varied multitude of small (and not-so-small) problems and issues that come with owning any house, with an eye towards intelligent improvement at all times. Even the best ideas of previous home owners can have horrible results if not done correctly, resulting in what we commonly refer to as "Teh Stupid". One of our collective hopes is to not add the list of things that later needs more attention - band-aid solutions are never the best way to go.
And sometimes we just shoot the breeze and try to answer any random questions the best we can. More after coffee and the orange swirly of hope.
Tomorrow being Sunday, I've pretty much cleared the day of any projects. I figure a lazy day now and then is good for the soul, and the back. With the wife off to church with the midget, I have the house all to myself. And I have no idea what to do with myself.
What I WILL be doing, however, is planning. Being February, winter is in full swing; as such, it's the best time to find out which windows need to be re-sealed, what doors need new weather-stripping, and make a list of random "stuff" that could be better. Dead-of-winter is often the worst time to start anything that involves an open door or window, and caulking will never set right - at least not here in New England.
1. Check windows for drafts.
Instead of using smoke to find any poorly applied or worn out caulking, the temperature difference between inside and out makes it fairly easy to feel any drafts coming in. Not to mention the cold air can be described as "refreshing"...as opposed to how cigarette smoke is often described.
2. Check door weatherstripping.
Never do I remember to check this in summer....which leads to swearing at myself come winter. The last thing you want to do is have the door open for an hour while removing old stripping, listening to the heater run continuously. Ten minutes checking the doors and making a list can (if followed through on) make a huge difference in the heating bill next year. And more appropriate language around the mini-me.
The large picture says it best. The previous owner must have only added stripping where he thought it was worst instead of doing the whole door frame. The top-right picture is near the bottom, where felt strip was used sometime last century. This door is right next to where I sit....and swear quietly at night when the wind blows. The agony of defeat is nothing compared to the pain of neglect.
3. Take a fresh look at paint.
Walls, ceiling, plaster....periodically freshening up is always a great thing. Painting with all the doors and windows closed up, not so much. I enjoy a buzz as much as anyone, but I'm really trying to cut back on the brain damage these days. Just one or two rooms or walls you would consider the worst, and there's a weekend job by itself. A few rooms a year, and the next thing you know you've remodeled/updated the whole house without even meaning to.
4. Look at your storage situation.
The holiday ornaments are away, all the outdoor summer-stuff is packed away...and then you trip over something you won't use for months, but have no place to really store. Maybe a small shed, a new cabinet in the basement...figuring out what could be more out of the way during the months the house is closed up can make the winter far more bearable. And the best time to build a place to store stuff is when you aren't trying to store stuff.
5. Think about last summer.
Remember the warm summer night with friends over, the grill going, the drinks flowing? If you really think back, I'll bet at some point you said, "Man, if would be great if we had __ out here." Well, now is a great time to figure out how to build/buy/rearrange the outdoor space and map it out. Surfing Craig's list for an outdoor whatever while it's 80 degrees out (instead of actually being outdoors) is kind of silly when you can do so on a cold winter day. A bit of planning ahead can make the next cookout just that much better.
Make this list, and tack it to the fridge, calender, or where-ever it won't get lost. Additionally, write on the calender to check the list and start planning the projects. At the end of the day, the most important thing for any project is to plan for it. At the time you're re-sealing a window in May, you'll probably rather be outside in the yard or tackling a spring/summer chore...but you'll be glad you spent that May day sealing things up come January.
6:06 AM PT: With 2 feet+ snow, shoveling is a priority. Hopefully I remember to follow my own advice in a day or two, lest the child learn too early what an F-bomb is.
6:13 AM PT:
I swear, there is a 2001 Chevy Malibu under there. Honest.