Fix Something At Your House This Weekend

Fix Something At Your House This Weekend

HOUMA — Are you wondering if there are a few simple home-improvement projects you can do yourself in a weekend?

Well, the short answer is yes, according to a magazine article printed in Metro Spring Home’s 2011 issue.

Thanks to advances in technology and the vast amount of step-by-step guides out there, even a novice can take on a do-it-yourself project and complete it in a single weekend.

“Today you’ve got not only an amazing selection of tools to help with every project, but they also shorten the time it used to take to complete the project,” said home expert Danny Lipford, host of the TV show, “Today’s Homeowner,” and radio show, “Homefront,” in Metro Spring Home’s 2011 issue. “When you couple that with all the DIY instructions and programming out there, it’s no wonder we have the confidence to do more on our own.”

Examples of projects suitable for weekend warriors is installing base modeling, wood laminate or even a small outdoor deck.

For those looking to spend less time, why not think about painting your exterior doors or pressure washing your home, said Evan Visser, an architectural illustrator based in Michigan.

On his website, www.exterior-home-improvement-ideas.com, Visser lists tons of do-it-yourself projects for people looking to spruce up their home.

“I like to advise people to pick a paint and change up the color of their front door,” Visser said. “What’s great about this project is the quality of paint you buy nowadays makes the job relatively easy. In most instances, you’ll only need one coat of paint to get the job done.”

Although the types of projects people look to do themselves varies, Wayne Marcel of Lowe’s Home Improvement in Houma said painting always tops the list.

“This is something anyone can do, and it is one of the more popular home-improvement projects people come here for,” said Marcel, Lowe’s store manager.

Visser has devised a small list of 10 easy home-improvement projects for weekend warriors.

Besides painting exterior doors, Visser suggests such things as changing your lights, installing a new mailbox or putting out flower boxes.

“My website gives people lots of ideas for things they can do by themselves to increase the value of their home and property,” Visser said.

One of the recent trends Marcel has noticed is people coming to the store wanting to learn more about starting up their own home garden.

“We’re actually planning on having some lawn-care classes and things like that very soon,” he said. “The gardens are big this spring. I had a person just the other day who came to me with a how-to book asking me about squaring it out and what to plant.”

Marcel, who’s worked with Lowe’s for more than 12 years, said he’s seen an overall increase in the amount of do-it-yourselfers over the years thanks in large part to better tools.

“They’re (tools) smaller and easier to handle,” Marcel said. “Something else that’s good is a lot of them are less expensive than they used to be, which makes them more affordable.”

Along with an abundance of online resources, stores like Lowe’s and the Home Depot offer instructional booklets and even free classes for anyone looking to tackle home-improvement projects themselves.