With the return of summer Fridays and a stockpile of unused vacation days, you might be ready to jet off to anywhere but home. But before you pack your bags, think about the long-term advantages of a staycation. Twelve, 24, or 48 hours of extra free time in a long weekend provides all you need to re-energize, refuel, and recommit to those straggler projects on your to-do list. The truth is, devoting your time off to tackling a very anticipated home upgrade or a lengthier maintenance project can pay off all summer long. Squeeze any one of these summer projects into your time off, and each and every weekend to come will feel more relaxing.
A few Projects You Can Finish During Your Staycation
Painting interior trim
While the weather is nice enough to air out paint fumes through open windows, breathe life into spaces that have grown stale with fresh color.
One way to get a whole-room update for just a fraction of the effort: Focus on the trim. Painting baseboards, chair rail, window trim, and crown molding in either complementary or contrasting tones to your walls really wakes up ordinary rooms and hallways. Before you brush on your new color, cut the sheen with the old enamel using a liquid sanding product in order for the new paint adheres well.
Apply two or three light coats of interior latex enamel paint, allowing an entire day of drying time in between each. For an ultra-smooth finish, buff lightly with micro-grit sandpaper and follow with tack cloth before each successive coat.
Building a backyard fireplace
A landscaping addition that extends outdoor hours by providing light and heat well into the evening is one you won’t regret – especially when it’s too easy to skip. Your backyard fireplace doesn’t need to be a large, lavish model picked from a catalog to be entertaining. The truth is, you are able to assemble a stylish one in just a day from a kit with no-cut blocks from your home improvement store.
Set the blocks end-to-end to form a perfect circle, then stack them two or three high and put on an iron fire pit ring. All that’s left to accomplish is check your s’mores kit and round up spare seating. Ensure every guest gets a front-row spot by placing chairs at least four feet away from the pit.
Resurfacing the concrete driveway
Concrete driveways are known for their durability, but years of use and exposure to the weather can leave them looking worse for all that wear. If your driveway flakes or shows fine cracks, one sunny, 80-degree weekend spent resurfacing could help you avoid the cost and labor of completely replacing the hardscaping. The most time-consuming part is the preparation, which includes a thorough pressure-washing and patching large cracks and holes.
Afterward, you’ll mix a resurfacing product to a semi-liquid form, apply with large squeegees, and after that brush it for a consistent finish. Containing a polymer-based cement, a resurfacer forms a strong bond with the existing driveway and adds a layer of protection against future damage. Just 24 hours later, you are able to pull cars back into your now like-new driveway.
Organizing the garage
Install ceiling hooks to hang bicycles.
Suspend shelves from above to keep scrap project lumber and larger plastic bins.
Wherever there’s a blank wall, hang pegboard and a slew of hooks to sort out your small hand tools.
Most importantly, think in sections. Designate one area for gardening items, another for mechanic’s tools, and additional zones for various hobbies. This way, when you need something, you’ll be able to find it – and, after use, put it back – quickly, leaving plenty of floor space open to park your vehicle.
Replacing worn window screens
If you’re replacing screens on windows that face south or west, consider an upgrade while you’re at it: Choosing solar screen fabric filters out the sun’s rays, controlling heat and glare as well as providing UV protection.