Fall Weekend Projects
Weekends are great for DIY projects, so use some of yours to tackle fall preparation. Get your home ready for winter and clear time for more recreational autumn activities like crafting your own scents and decorating your home.
Lawn Care
Wherever you are in the world, as the seasons transition, your lawn needs different kinds of attention. In certain areas, fall is the perfect time to aerate. Fertilizing your lawn is best done about a month before the first big frost, which for most of America means September or October. And fall is no time to neglect mowing and raking, even if your grass is growing slower than it did in the summer.
Outdoor Furniture
Your outdoor furniture will need to be winterized or swapped for something more winter-appropriate. If you live in a cold, wet area, swap your porch chairs for water-resistant ones or take your wooden furniture items in for the winter. If you have a metal table and chair set that's likely to rust when it gets wet, get it into a basement, shed, or garage, or cover it with a tarp in preparation for colder, rainier weather.
Make sure to check whether your outdoor pillows are waterproof, or if they too will need to migrate for the winter. While you’re out moving things around, consider adding something new, like cool lighting or new waterproof chairs, to your outdoor decor.
Painting
Fall is a great time to paint your home, especially if you have brick or cedar siding that needs to be touched up. Labor Day brings temperate, transitional weather, so you’ll be painting comfortably.
Check the forecast—if it's clear, head to your nearest hardware store and grab some paint and a house paint sprayer. You’ll need to wash your house beforehand, and you’ll also need a scraper, a ladder, and caulk and primer. Brush up on how to paint the exterior of your home before you tackle this project.
DIY Shopping
Like most holiday weekends in the US, Labor Day ushers in a plethora of sales, discounts, and savings opportunities. Make a list of all of the outstanding DIY projects you need supplies for, and see if you can find them somewhere on sale over the long weekend. Check hardware and craft stores, as well as major online sellers like Amazon.
Seal the Driveway
If you live in an area that gets lots of snow, ice, and rain, it’s a good idea to seal the driveway before winter hits. This project can be a little time consuming, so a three-day weekend is exactly what you need to check it off your list. Driveways need to be resealed at least every three to five years.
Seal on a cloudy day, if possible. Sometimes the heat of the sun can make it difficult to spread a good coat across the problem areas.
Garage Cleaning
You’ve heard of spring cleaning, but have you heard about fall cleaning? Give your garage the love it deserves and clean it out. Organize the space as you go to make room for the cars that'll need to park inside when winter hits.
Depending on where you live, any given fall weekend may be the last good weekend you get to clean out the space before snow hits. Gather organizational tools like bins and totes before you start cleaning, and consider taking your discarded supplies to a second-hand store instead of the dump.
Once you've taken a chunk of the weekend to check a few things off your list, take some time to sit back, relax, and get ready for a great season of fall parties!
