Getting your home ready for the holiday season
With the Holiday season fast approaching, many of us are left with a very long “to-do list ” of household chores and maintenance issues to button up before family members and guests start arriving for the traditional gatherings.
Coming out of the winter months straight into the busy holiday season is an inconvenience to say the least. We all want our home’s to be looking and functioning the absolute best they can around this time of year. Finding the time to make this all happen is the tricky part. Our current working situations and lifestyles leave little room for extra curricular activities, projects and tasks around the home. Finding the time to complete all works needed may be near impossible for most families and households.
Make a list and check it twice
There may be some projects that are just out of your realm of capabilities, things that are going to need the experience and expertise of a qualified professional. Your best bet will be to start by prioritising everything that needs to be done and then breaking the tasks down into a few seperate lists.
One list should contain all of the things you and your household members can easily accomplish yourself, things like a big push of spring cleaning, inside and out. Getting deep in there tackling all of the things that seem to go a mis and get the pass during the regular tidy ups and cleaning sessions. Giving your lawn and gardening tools and equipment a good once over if they have been sitting for the past months. You will know best what is inside your scope of capabilities our advice is to be realistic and don’t try and take on too much as it will only cause unnecessary stress and angst. The last thing you want is to make a space unusable because you were feeling proactive and decided you were going to tackle that little bathroom renovation yourself, or install that new sink and tap in the kitchen with out any real knowledge of how to do this or even the tools needed to get the job done.
** DIY tip : Create a brief safety checklist that ensures you have everything you need to keep yourself, your home and your guests safe. You’ll want to make sure you check and, if necessary, change your smoke detector and carbon monoxide detector batteries, for instance. You should also have a fire extinguisher near the stove so you can quickly get a handle on any kitchen fires that break out while cooking. If you have family member that have young children, make sure your home is kid friendly and safe for the little ones. Install gates at tops and bottoms of stairs and make sure there is nothing in reach of kids that will potentially cause them harm. When the adults are visiting and getting in to the holiday cheer its nice to know there are no avoidable incidents looming around your home.
Another list should contain a few of the things you may need a contractor or professional tradesmen’s skills to accomplish. Again the key is to be realistic! You might not have enough time to get the home extension you have been thinking of fully completed before guests start arriving, but you may possibly still have time to get a few other projects done and dusted that will have a positive impact on your guests stay. Being around a month and a half out of the start of holidays lets use that timeline to go over a few things you will be able to get finished in that time.
Bathroom and Ensuite Renovations
This may be pushing the envelope a little bit with the 2 month timeline. If you are gong to undertake a bathroom or ensuite reno you should have a lot of your design and layout done as well as lighting, flooring, fittings, fixtures and material selections sorted already as there can be a lot of decisions that take consideration. You want to create a space that is timeless and you are going to love for years to come. If your at this stage and your bathroom is a reasonable size your contractor should be able to have the works completed. Your guests will really appreciate and be impressed by a clean and beautifully renovated bathroom space. Talk to the experts and project managers at M.J. Harris Group to discuss your bathroom renovation project.
Upgrade your lighting
Upgrading and adding lights to your home can have a big impact in turning dim and dark spaces into a light and bright welcoming home. With so many fixture options and lighting design it also gives the ability to really change the look and feel of a space. Give it a modern touch with all new fixtures, switches and conveniently placed outlets. Add some wow with a eye catching and stylish feature lights such as a chandler, pendants or a handmade, custom one of a kind custom piece. See M.J. Harris Design for more information and services regarding lighting design for your home.
Outdoor Area’s
Consider focusing some efforts on your outdoor space. In most cases a majority of you and your guests time will be spent outside enjoying the sunshine and fresh air. There is really nothing better then having a few beverages with family and friends in a beautifully manicured outdoor space with lush plants or relaxing on a new, or improved decking area.
Interior, Exterior Painting
Painting for the holidays, inside and out, is one of the best ways to see major results in terms of the look and feel of your home. Many people make the assumption that painting is simple and they can do it themselves. It is easy to underestimate the time and effort that actually goes into painting your space but you can trust us that this is no easy task, especially to have it done properly.
** DIY tip : When having works done at your home it is essential to do everything you can to help out the contractors you have hired. You may think well I am paying them so they can move my furniture, clean out vanities etc, but it will be in your favour to have everything clean cleared and as ready for works to begin as possible. Its going to save you time and money and your contractor will really appreciate it.