Outdoor Springtime Clean Up

I love spring time and the prospect of what is just around the corner – summer! With summer fun in mind, I wanted to focus this week’s article on sprucing up the outside of your house. If you are planning to sell your home, or already have it on the market, you will want to review my article, “Outdoor Home Staging” that will help you get the outside staged for sale. Let’s open the windows, get some fresh air flowing and the sun in, get outside and see what we have to do to be summer ready!

Entryway Springtime Checklist:

1. Clean your entryway of all debris.
2. Check your porch light(s); it’s the easiest thing to change out and offer a fresh look.
3. Paint your front door, click here for instructions on the best techniques. If your house has shutters, do they need a new coat of paint as well? Keep in mind that your front door and shutter paint color do not have to match, but they should complement each other and go with the style of your home (and observe any Homeowners’ Association rules that may apply.)
4. Do you need new hardware on your front door? If you plan to paint your door, this is a perfect time to remove and replace any hardware.
5. Add a spotlight to illuminate a walkway, or add a featured focal point.
6. Add a new and inviting Welcome mat.
7. Add a lovely spring wreath to your front door.
8. Clean your windows, click here for tips.

Backyard Springtime Checklist:

1. Let’s move to the backyard and porch or deck area of your home. Again, you will want to clean everything, and the first thing to decide is if you have wood decking does it need to be re-sealed? If you plan to tackle this job yourself, click here for how-to instructions. Once you have surveyed your entertaining area, let’s talk about decorating ideas and get planning.
2. Clean your outdoor furniture and decide if it is in need of paint so it is entertainment ready. My decorating article, “Prepare Outdoor Furniture for Spring” offers tips on the best way to spruce up outdoor furniture.
3. Plan out your plant containers and decide how many plants you will need to fill your pots. I have found that we are not safe here in the Northeast to put out annuals and fill containers until after Mother’s Day. I can’t tell you how many plants I’ve lost due to planting too early and a frost! Now is a good time to look at your pots and see if they need fresh paint before planting. If you are interested in creating custom concrete containers, click here for a DIY project.
4. After checking your patio furniture, how about the fabric? This time of year offers many options for replacing your cushions and pillows, if you have shopped for them, you will find that they are not inexpensive to replace. Another idea would be to create new covers for your old pillows and use them as the insert.

By Debbie Correale, Redesign Right, LLC. Stay connected on Facebook, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Houzz. Feature photo from Pixabay.