Winter holds a lot of joy for many. But once the excitement of the holiday season slows down, the dull, gray energy that midwinter in the Puget Sound brings starts to creep in. Along with January, February and March comes darkness by 5 p.m., freezing temperatures and a lot of time spent indoors. So why not make use of the extra time spent inside this winter with home improvements and DIY projects? In this article we have gathered five home DIY projects to help beat the blahs during midwinter in the Puget Sound.
- Fix Loose Drawers & Squeaky Doors
Fixing a squeaky door hinge is an easy way to get into the world of DIY.
If you don’t have a lot of experience with home DIY projects, this is the perfect place to start. To fix a squeaky door, simply remove each hinge pin one at a time. You can do this if the hinge is open by inserting a nail and tapping it upward with a hammer. If it is closed, insert a putty knife right below the point where the hinge cap connects to the hinge knuckle. Tapping the knife upward should free the pin. Now, wipe the pin with WD40, or if you don’t have any around, petroleum jelly or olive oil should work as well! Put the pins back in and they should be squeak-free. This is an easy and quick DIY that can save a lot of headaches.
If you are looking for a bigger project and want to replace your doors altogether, check out our partners at Doors Unlimited. They are a local family-owned business that provides all Rob Rice Homes’ interior and exterior doors and hardware.
For those wanting to fix loose drawers, all you need is a small white pine block and hot glue. Remove the drawer, insert the block in the corner between the loose parts and fix it into position with hot glue on each side. Fast, efficient and it will make your life a lot easier.
Can’t fix it yourself? Perhaps the whole cabinet needs to be replaced? We recommend contacting local business Canyon Creek Cabinets. They have partnered with us at Rob Rice Homes for many years, and every one of our homes have cabinets from Canyon Creek Cabinets.
- Organize Your Pantry
Midwinter in the Puget Sound is a wonderful time to organize. With more time spent inside it’s important to live in an environment you feel comfortable in. The idea of
Put your pantry staples in clear containers for a cleaner look.
organizing your entire house can be overwhelming, so take it one room or area at a time. We suggest starting with the kitchen, and more specifically, the pantry. No matter the size of your pantry, we know it can get out of control quickly. We have linked a helpful step-by-step process to go through to make pantry organization manageable, but here is a brief overview:
- Start with a clean slate by emptying your entire pantry. Toss anything that is expired.
- Take inventory! See what you have and what you need. Make a pantry staple’s list to take to the grocery store.
- Categorize your products in a way that makes sense to you. Figure out what storage works best for your space. HGTV recommends emptying packaging into clear containers to limit the look of clutter. Label containers so you know where everything is.
- If your pantry has doors, utilize the extra space with hanging organizers.
- Schedule a quick cleaning once or twice a month as needed so you don’t have to do a huge clean-out as often!
As we mentioned earlier, our partners at Canyon Creek Cabinets are a great resource if you are looking to make bigger kitchen pantry updates.
- Update Light Fixtures
Transform a room in your house with a unique and cost-effective lighting DIY.
Lighting can completely transform a room, especially in the midwinter in the Puget Sound when we don’t get as much natural light. Check out the links below for DIY lighting projects to transform your house this winter.
- DIY wall sconce: Get the look of a delicate Japanese lantern without the hefty price tag!
- Here is a list of 16 inexpensive lighting fixture DIYs.
- Create a unique lampshade out of an old book.
If you are looking to professionally replace the light fixtures in your home, Olympia Lighting Center makes it easy! They have been lighting homes since 1970 and we are proud to partner with them.
We have also linked our past blog for more inspiration on how to light up your home during the midwinter in the Puget Sound, including lighting trends, energy efficiency and more.
- Change Your Home’s Air Filter
If you own a home with an HVAC system, you know the importance of fresh air, especially amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. That is why changing your filter is an essential project to do this midwinter. This past Rob Rice blog includes the steps to change your filter, including a helpful video from our partners at Sunset Air.
- Add Accent Wallpaper To Your Bathroom!
Now that most of us are used to the idea that we will be spending more time at home, especially during winter, make your living area fun to be in with wallpaper! In particular, a trend we expect to see more of in 2022 is standout accent walls, specifically in bathrooms.
This article gives a step-by-step guide to help you wallpaper your bathrooms effectively.
If you are looking for a new house to complete DIY projects in, become a part of our waitlist at Rob Rice Homes by visiting our website robricehomes.com. Locate the community you are interested in, then email the community agent and you will be added to the list. We look forward to hearing from you soon!