Quarantined At Home? Here Are 4 Yard Projects to Keep You Busy

Now that the world practices social distancing, more people have a lot of time on their hands. What can they do? One option is to pay more attention to their yard.

The present provides an excellent opportunity to DIY some changes in the home to make sure it’s ready for the next season or even a natural disaster. Here are four yard projects homes can take up while in quarantine:

Photo by Lisa Fotios

4 yard projects for quarantine

1. Fix the Gutter and the Roof

Roof replacement is costly, and at this time, families should avoid excessive spending. The good news is that the saying “Prevention is better than cure” works for roofing as well.

Armed with a reliable (and hopefully) steel or aluminum ladder, the DIYer can repair the leaks or secure torn shingles.

For faster installation and work, they can now use steel stud framing screws. These are already self-drilling, which means users don’t need to bore holes the size of these screws anymore.

Besides the roof, you may also want to inspect the gutter. This often-underrated and ignored part of the home can accumulate debris and organic matter.

Both can wear down the gutters or contaminate the water system. When they cannot hold water properly, water may seep into walls.

How can one clean the gutter?

Here are a few tips and ideas for cleaning the gutter.

This is a task that must be done at least every quarter or more often if you are surrounded by trees. It is best to clean the gutter when it is dry, which makes it much easier to clean.

Now, to the cleaning part, it is best and safer to use a ladder and move it along as you clean. Rather than climbing on top of the roof to clean the gutter, which can be very dangerous.

So, using an expandable ladder, take a look at the condition of the inside of the gutter. Don’t forget to wear rubber gloves.

Use a scoop to remove much of the debris and organic matter. Place them inside a trash bag or for more convenience, you can spread a tarp on the ground to collect the debris.

This should make it easier and you can move the tarp as you move the ladder. Once all the dirt has been removed, flush some water into the gutter using a hose. Clean it until there’s no more trace left of the debris.

Swap your rubber or latex gloves for chemical-resistant nitrile gloves if you need to use a harsh cleanser or other products to clean and polish your gutter. The latter offers better protection against a wide range of chemicals, especially oil-based ones. 

2. Add Some Cladding

Cladding is one of the ways to add an extra layer of protection to the structure of the house, especially the exteriors. With cladding, you cover the walls of the house with another material like metal, wood, stone or synthetic material.

It will help the paint to last longer and reduce the risk of excessive moisture or exposure to the sunlight. It will also strengthen the walls.

This project may be time-consuming and complicated, but with the right tools, it can be simple.

For example, you can use pre-designed and cut weatherboards. You can also utilize the same steel stud framing screws. All these can help speed up the process.

3. Paint the Main Door

Sometimes all one has to do to brighten up a home is to change the color of the door. Repainting it is one of the DIY tasks that may be ideal for beginners. It also has one financial advantage: according to studies, it can significantly increase the property’s resale value.

When painting the door, it’s essential to begin with prep work. It includes sanding it to remove the old paint and then priming it.

When it comes to painting, DIYers have many options. Usually, however, it falls between latex and oil-based. For exteriors, oil-based may be a better choice since it’s more durable.

4. Grow a Garden

Plants can be healing as they can help reduce stress and anxiety this pandemic may be causing. Families can also start growing a food garden composed of vegetables and fruits.

Some types of produce are ready for harvest within a month are, raddish, lettuce, arugula, spinach, bok choy, mizuna

Herbs, like basil and mint, add more fragrance into the garden, not to mention flavor to the dishes.

Also, working in your garden can improve your health as you aren’t cooped up in the house all day. It gets you moving up and down.

Also, you can go to the garden just for relaxation purposes. To get some fresh air or even meditate or do yoga.

Being quarantined and practicing social distancing doesn’t have to mean hibernating inside the house all the time. One may also venture into the yard and do some spruce up and repair while they’re at it.

SEE ALSO:
4 DIY HACKS TO MAKE YOUR PAD LOOK POLISHED
FREE WEEKEND? TIME TO HEAL YOUR HOME

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