Whether you are selling your home, are in need of a front yard spruce up, or want to feign an organized home without even working on the inside, this list of quick weekend fixes is sure to have you breathing easy come Monday. In order to provide your home with an all out makeover while keeping it short and sweet, it is important to make certain you pay just as much attention to cleaning as you do on décor. Since you are short on time, let’s hop right into it.
1. Pressure’s On
Pressure washing your walkway and driveway can turn back the clock on the overall look of your home. Even if you don’t see it, your guests will notice the difference between a well maintained and poorly kept drive and walkway. This project, done by yourself, is time consuming but does not require a professional’s hand unless desired. If you decide to pressure wash it yourself, you will need to purchase or rent a pressure washer from your local hardware store and have the reachability from your garden hose to complete every inch of the concrete. On the other hand, hiring a local trained professional would be hassle free and give you those hours back for you to accomplish another task.
2. Gutters Done
It’s no secret that cleaning out the gutters is a less than desirable task. However, if this task is left undone, the foundation of your house can be infiltrated by water, decreasing the value and curb appeal of your home with every drop. If you catch it early enough, it is possible to prevent this with a specialty cleaning liquid, a scrub brush, and a gutter full of elbow grease. If that is not your cup of tea though, don’t worry. This is a quick fix with the help of a trained professional who is just a call away.
3. Through the Window Glass
Wiping down your windows inside and out can brighten and liven up your home in just an hour or two. When tackling picture or bay windows, the only requirement for a thorough clean is to have paper towels or cloths, a window cleaning solution you trust, and the height to reach the top of the window pane. However, a couple of standard window designs need more attention. For double and single-hung windows, it is best to begin by unlatching all moveable panes and resting them on a soft surface. You will need to clean the framing sash as well as the inside of the panes and their frames, ensuring that they are streak free. Once both panes are secured into the rail, you will finish off by cleaning the entire front side. Always make sure to work from the top down. Hassle free and quick results? Yes please.
4. Revive Your Flowerbed
Planting flowers that thrive in cooler weather are guaranteed to perk up the liveliness of your front garden or to spruce up the base of your mundane mailbox. Certain flowers, such as pansies, sweet alyssum, petunias, and Shasta daisies, are ideal for maintaining that bright and flower adorned yard even through those harsh colder months. Make certain to call up local experts to find out whether a particular flower is right for your home and to know how to properly care for the plant.
5. Let There Be Light
Adding or upgrading lighting on your front porch can increase the value of your home and provide a warm welcome for your guests. By installing an iron corbel in the nook of your entry way or to the upper siding by your newly cleaned gutters, you can hang a lighting fixture by using the wiring or an iron hook to secure it to the center brace of the corbel.
6. Any Way You Pave It
This is where your creative freedom can truly begin to shine in the revamping process. By putting down a pathway of pavers, you are able to interweave a style all your own into your home without permanently changing your house. The path can lead wherever you choose, such as around your now flourishing garden or as a walkway to guide your guests along your haven of a front yard. From Victorian style tiling to natural stone pavers, there are endless choices to find the one that fits you and complements your home.
7. With the Touch of a Paint Brush
Touching up or completely re-painting the front door, door trim, or accent boards at your entranceway is the perfect way to make a quick and easy transformation. When it comes down to it, revamping a place is little about adding new items and a lot about restoring and transforming the old to be new again. In addition to restoration, a perfect accompaniment to that simplistic paint job would be to add some interest by creating painted designs along your railings or above your front door. From a chevron to an imperial trellis pattern, your imagination and personal style determine the pattern you go with. This can be done by yourself with a few hours to spare for a more rustic look. If you’re imagining a more polished look, though, contacting local professionals can save you time and the trepidation of that one brush stroke that always gets out of hand.
8. Wreath and Soul
Wreaths have always marked a time of Christmas celebration; however, why is it that we only decorate our homes specially during that holiday season? Every season is something to celebrate, so show your excitement for the new beginnings that are the change of seasons. These days, there are countless ways to adorn your home with a personalized wreath. If you are pressed for either time or creative capacity, your hardware or craft shop is likely to have a wide variety of styles to choose from. Describe the idea that you are going for, and the employees can guide you from there. Now, I know those artistic geniuses out there will probably not be satisfied with anything less than their own vision. In that case, you’re already in the right place. Simply ask to be shown where the wreath wiring is and take it from there. Using ribbon, flowers, and knick knacks, there’s no limit to the elaboration of your creation and the beauty of your perfectly revamped home.
Above all, you know your house and what it needs to spark that something more and best reflect you. Most importantly, take the washing seriously to provide your home with a clean look so that you can enjoy the decorating and stylizing. Now, with all of that taken care of, you can get to the final task—taking a breath and basking in your accomplishment. 
Hailey Marston
Home & Yard Magazine
