It’s time for another “ugly design” conversation. We’ve talked about it before, having a home you love is more than paint colors and furniture. It’s taking care of those behind the scenes elements that allow you to spend a lifetime in your home.
Daylight Savings Time is the perfect reminder to check on the systems in your house and get ready for spring. A really important one is your smoke detector. The version most of us are familiar with still have a battery. If you have one of those, it's time to change the battery. Just go ahead and spring for the $3.00 to get a new battery. It gives you the assurance that everything is working correctly and you won’t wake up in the middle of the night to that ear piercing beep. This applies to your carbon monoxide detector as well. Push that test button to be sure they’re working, the best security is knowing.
It’s also about that time to start thinking about your air conditioning. Make sure you’re checking and changing your filters. They need to be changed every month, every 3 months, or 6 months depending on the type of filter you purchased.
An older system like mine, needs a monthly, while a newer system can use the longer life versions. The longer life versions cause the system to draw more and cause a lot of stress on an older system, so be sure to use the correct filter.
Let’s also look at the exterior. It’s time to take a survey of your yard. Winter is about over in some parts of the country, and now is a great time to survey your property. I love to get a glass of wine and walk around my house and look at what’s growing, popping up with the first signs of spring, and how everything weathered the winter. I live in the south so I am almost done with the cold weather. We have had a lot of rain so my gutters have had a work out. Now is the perfect time to walk around your house and look up at your gutters and windows. Check your shutters to be sure they are secure and not pulling away from the house. Look at your siding, if you have siding. Does it need a power washing? Does it have mold? Try to power wash your house before all your flowers and bushes pop into bloom.
Be sure to check out your lawn for weeds and grass growth. We have not had a cold winter so the weeds and bugs are going to be strong this year. Take action now to prevent what you can. Whether that’s weed killer, or natural bug repellents.