We are finally seeing the end of the winter and spring is in the air. This is the perfect time for many homeowners to do some neglected DIY jobs to freshen up their homes. We list the eight must-do DIY jobs these coming months to save you money in the longer run.
Fencing
With the strong winter storms of Cristoph and Darcy still fresh in our minds, a lot of fencing has taken some damage. This is not an expensive job with new fence panels going for around £20 and it is a similar price for the posts. It is better to fix that broken fence or hole in the fence than have the neighbour’s dog roaming through your garden.
Roofing
Those same storms can have displaced some roof tiles or in the worst case have blown them away. So go up the ladder and check the roof as it is better to fix it quickly than let some leaks do more internal damage to your house. Small roof repairs will cost around £100 but if you wait it could spread and the costs can go much higher.
Replacing a broken tile is less costly than the damage it can cause.
Gutters And downpipes
Autumn leaves can severely block your gutters and cause damage to the facade of the house if they overflow. If you are scared of heights you can have the gutters professionally cleaned for around £5 per metre. If the gutter needs repair you are looking at a cost of £30 per metre for the replacement, whereas downpipe replacement will set you back £25 a metre. To place the gutters and downpipes together there is a wide range of high quality glue products at your DIY store.
Clean your gutter from the autumn leaves.
Checking the pipes
There is nothing worse than a blocked drain, so while the weather is good why not check your drains and use a pipe cleaning kit? Preventive work beforehand can save you the cost of a professional to clear the blocks which comes at a cost of £100 or more.
When the professionals have to come it gets expensive.
Patio and Decking Area
The wither months with all their rain can leave your patio or decking area full of algae and make them look ugly and leave them slippery. You don’t want to break your leg and spend months with crutches. So it is best you use some special cleaning material and use a high-pressure hose which you can buy or rent. Keeping them clean will prolong the life of your patio or decking area.
Brickwork
Rain and frost can do some serious damage to your brickwork especially the pointing between can degrade. So it is good to check the areas that are in need of repointing. A professional tradesperson can do this for around £20-£30 per square metre.
Paint
Whether it is the paint of your wood frames or the paint on the outside of your house, it is good to check if there are some cracks appearing in the paintwork. These cracks can cause the paint to flake and it will lose its defence against rain and sun. The big costly paint job will be delayed if you keep it up with yearly small repair jobs saving you tons of money.
Garden
We all love our gardens when the sun is shining and spring and eventually summer come. So give your garden a good spring clean for enjoyment later. Gardening is one of the easiest DIY jobs that can save you money instead of hiring professionals, which can come in at a cost of £50 an hour. Gardening is not exclusive to the people that live in the houses, with a couple of easy tips for apartment gardening you can convert your plain apartment balcony into a work of art. Plus gardening can be a fun family affair when done together.
