You never want any distractions during the holiday season, so tackling any and all home improvement projects on the agenda beforehand is recommended. Take a major sweep of your home and think of what could go very wrong in those yuletide moments. Would you be able to survive an HVAC breakdown or a faulty refrigerator? It is unlikely, so you could have your work cut out for you. Make sure you have the following five home improvement checks out of the way so the holidays will play out in style.
1. HVAC gut checks. If you don’t know the status of your heating and cooling center by the time Santa is warming up his crew, you are playing with fire. Make sure there aren’t any surprises when you settle in for the winter. Can you imagine what it would be like dealing with a broken system while everyone is gathering around the tree? Needless to say, it would not be a big hit with the in-laws or any other guests you might have.
2. Kitchen renovation. You should also head down to the center of cooking and cleaning to see where you stand as the holidays approach. A problem with your stove could very well spell disaster when you are about to cook one of the big feasts with which we associate the holidays. Pull out a thermometer and see how your oven is performing, while seeing just how cold your refrigerator is as well. These things don’t fix their own problems, so you should know where you stand.
3. Insulation cleanup. The type and quality of insulation you have is directly related to the amount of comfort you are feeling when you sit down to your holiday dinners. Is it going to fly if you have a draft coming from the front or back door? Absolutely not: you don’t want to tempt fate on any level, so have an expert clean up the insulation in all of your main rooms. In fact, have him or her head to the attic, one of the big problem spots.
4. Fireplace setup. Is there anything that says ‘holiday tranquility’ quite like everyone gathering around the fireplace? It’s tough to top. Forget about the marshmallows; make sure you have your pokers ready and the logs ready to be burned in style. Don’t opt for those creepy chemical logs. Go for the real thing only. The aromas are natural and have a far different nose than the artificial options.
5. Window replacement. Going hand in hand with items like insulation are the actual windows in your home. If they no longer can keep out the cold, with or without insulation, they have to be replaced. Check out the different options from window companies, as you might be able to get the same exact model, whether or not your windows are antique or much newer. In only rare cases are exact matches impossible.
