Start Planning Your Fall Projects Now

Another long weekend is on the books, and even though most of the country can look forward to another month or two of temperate weather, fall will be here soon. That’s why everyone should start planning — or doing — their fall projects now.

While spring and summer tend to be the busiest times of year for home improvement and renovation, fall offers relatively mild and consistent weather for DIY projects. In other words, it’s less likely you’ll be withering under the oppressive heat or dodging heavy rainstorms.

If you need to hire some help, you’re in luck: Business starts to slow down for most contractors in the fall, so you will probably have an easier time finding a qualified professional and the materials you need for a project. You may even get a price break!

Work from the outside in, Thumbtack’s Dave Steckel told The Spruce, winterizing your home and garden for the first freeze, then turning attention to interior projects. “The idea is to get ready for winter in the fall, because we never know when the weather will change,” he said.

Depending on your situation, painting, tuckpointing, roofing, gutter cleaning and HVAC maintenance may be on the list of exterior to-dos. All are essential to protecting the home and its occupants against the elements, so get them on the calendar now.

Once you have these handled, turn your attention to the interior of the home. Common projects include interior painting, floor and tile installation, lighting installation, bathroom remodeling, and home #cleaning and #organizing.

The Organizing Blog recommends a thorough #decluttering of any spaces you’ll be fixing up. Not only will it make completing your fall projects easier, reducing #clutter can beautify the space long after those projects are complete. #Donate any extra #stuff that you don’t need to ClothingDonations.org.

You’ll be spending more time indoors when fall and winter roll around; make your space more livable and efficient before the temperatures start to drop.

Decluttering on Labor Day Weekend

If you have a lot of #stuff laying around that goes unused, Labor Day weekend is a great time to weed some of it out. Pick one of the three days and get to work: Go room to room with boxes, bins and a garbage can, selecting things to give away, sell and trash. You’ll likely be able to fill those bins with #junk you don’t want or need in just a few minutes or hours. Take that stuff and throw a #garage sale to make some extra cash, or simply contact ClothingDonations.org for a free #donation pickup to get it out of your sight quickly and help fund programs that help the nation’s many #veterans. #LaborDay

Shop the Thrift for Back-to-School Items

One way to save on back-to-school #clothing and supplies is to shop the #thrift and #secondhand stores supplied by your generous donations to ClothingDonations.org. When readers decide to #declutter and take advantage of a #free #clothing #donation #pickup, they often #donate lightly used but stylish garments that can have second lives outfitting the entire family. Thrifts are also a great place to look for inexpensive craft supplies, knickknacks and books, so if your student has a diorama to build or a costume to create for the school play, check the local thrifts first. #BackToSchool

Streamline the Storage in Your Garage

Chances are that you are underutilizing your #garage space, making it look more #cluttered than it has to be. If you’ve already #decluttered and #cleaned the garage yet still have #stuff to store, Family Handyman offers multiple ways to get the remaining essentials off the floor and make them easily accessible. Ceiling tracks, flexible shelving, rollout shelves and “throw-and-go” bins can help #organize everything from yardwork implements, automotive supplies and sporting goods to tools, camping gear and holiday decorations. Bonus: Keep putting things in their proper places, and it will be easy to find what you need when you want it.

Declutter the Garage and Have a Sale

August may give you an extra day to #declutter, the chance to sell some of your extra #stuff and the warm, sunny weather necessary to do both. But before you have a #garage sale, you’ll likely need to clear out the #garage! The first thing to do is take everything out, says Budget Dumpster. Not only will you be able to sweep and wash the floors or repaint the walls, if necessary, you will also be able to make a realistic assessment of your #storage needs and add #shelves, hooks and other #organizational aids. Then, you can sort the things you want to keep — maybe even your car — back into a freshly #decluttered and #organized space.