Whether you are considering a large-scale project with contractors, DIY projects, or just some regular home maintenance, the phases of your projects can be more suited to one time of year than another. Understanding these seasons can help you better accomplish your project goals. In this post, I’ve created an overview with key tasks for each season. Prep Season: March to May ![]() Large Projects Prep season is most important if you’re planning on hiring professionals for your project. Contractors will be difficult to schedule during the high season, so these are the months to get your plans finalized with designers and architects, as well as to find and schedule your contractor.
TIP: Depending on how quickly you are moving on your project, or how much of the high season the project will take, March Break can offer a good time to get the family out of the house for demolition
High Season: May to September ![]() Schedules fill up fast in the high season, and it can be very difficult to find a contractor during this time. In particular, if you haven’t scheduled a professional outdoor painter by now, you may not get one this season. Don’t let this discourage you… but know your project might take a little longer if it’s not scheduled by now. Most indoor painting can be done anytime, but I recommend painting radiators in the summer months when the heat is off. This avoids stronger paint odours and ensures that the paint cures properly. How fast the paint cures can have an impact on the finish and in some cases, the quality of the final result. Tip: There are lots of good deals to be had in the High Season!
Low Season: October to February ![]() This is the easiest period to schedule contractors, but the sorts of jobs they can do are more limited. And of course, if you’ve got a big reno in mind, this can be a good time to start planning. Designers will also have more availability in these months, and starting early can maximize your opportunities to get deals on necessary items, and have them assembled or delivered before the reno starts. The low season is one of the best seasons for painting indoors (with the exception of radiators!), for a few reasons.
![]() Last Thoughts If your project is in the works and cannot follow this schedule, think of this post as a way to set realistic expectations. Things may not happen on the schedule you originally had anticipated: perhaps your contractor will have a cancellation and be able to fit your project in during the high season with little notice, perhaps you'll be waiting for an October start instead of July one. Many things beyond the season can effect the timing of a project - back orders happen constantly and can really throw expectations out the window. In view of that, my last tip is to plan plan plan! Have your orders in and confirm stock of items before you book that hotel to stay in during the renovation. Talk to your contractor and designer to get a clear picture of their timing expectations and any potential snags. Finalize the design details as early as you can, confirm when things are locked in and cannot be changed. Open communication and advanced planning can really take a lot of the stress out of what is generally a very stressful time. Things will go wrong - the important things are to remember that the timing of the project will fluctuate, have competent people helping you, and contingency plans in place for the worst case scenarios. I’d love to hear what you are doing over the course of the year. Have you got projects you’re planning? Questions about how to phase them, or what you need to get started? Let me know in the comments!
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The most common repair that walls need before repainting is the fixing of small holes made by pictures or shelves. Whether you’re redecorating or staging, there are some easy DIY steps you can take to make sure that your wall looks smooth and gorgeous when you’re done. To illustrate these steps, I’m using a personal redecorating project I did a few years ago. We had a large picture wall collage (also called a gallery wall) against a vibrant colour, but with the addition of some new furniture and the changing use of the space as a place to put on boots and shoes, we needed to rethink both colour and style. This looked, at the outset, to be a big project that I was dreading getting started on. Just looking at all the repairs I needed to make felt exhausting. However it went much faster then I anticipated and was actually kind of fun once I got started. Using the following method made the actual filling of the holes less fussy than usual which had the added benefit of improving my mood as well as cutting down on the time it took to sand them all. The Original Picture Wall: So, here is a step-by-step guide to help you get the best results: First, prepare the wall
Next, repair the holes You will need: a hammer, trowel, spackle, sand paper, paint brush or roller. When you remove a nail, a small lip will form in the wall. If you fill it at this point, there will be a bump on the wall. It will be difficult to smooth the spackle around the hole, and there will be a lot of sanding in your future to make it appear to be smooth. Instead, Use a hammer, tap the hole to create a small dent or crater. Do not hit hard enough to break the wall. The goal is to create a small indent where there may previously have been a slight protrusion around the hole. Like this: Not like this: Fill the dent with spackle. Once the compound is in the hole, smooth it with the trowel. This should be quick and easy as you are filling in the dent only. Try not to spread spackle onto the surrounding area very thickly - some is going to happen, but smooth it as best you can with the trowel while wet. Once the spackle is dry, sand it smooth with the sandpaper (about 150-220 grit) or a fine sanding sponge. It will end up looking like this: Now you’re ready to prime and paint! If you skip the priming step the finish of the spackled spots will be a duller sheen from the rest of the wall. Primer seals the spackle evenly so that the paint is absorbed evenly and maintains the original sheen. If you do not have access to primer, an extra coat or two of the finish colour will create enough of a even film over the spackle that the sheen will match very well. The shinier the paint, the more coats you will need to maintain the desired sheen without primer. If you are using a flat or eggshell paint, usually three coats will be enough. If the paint is semi gloss or gloss, expect four coats to maintain the same sheen levels.
Another way to ensure a seamless invisible repair is to use the same tool to paint as the original. That means if the repair is in a place where a roller was used (this is 95% of the time) use a roller to apply the new coats of paint instead of a paint brush. Paint brushes and rollers make a different physical textures on the wall and this can lead to visible repairs as it effects both the sheen of the paint and how the light bounces off it. By taking the time to indent and fill the holes, your freshly painted wall will look great! What a daunting challenge to create the perfect home office. Does my office above look perfect? It is for me, but it probably isn't for you. That's the real issue with these types of planning posts - what works for one person is totally out of sync with another. What if your office is in your car? Or your dining room table? What if you hate white, or need a whole room dedicated to your work? Don't worry, I have you covered.
Painting a wall is a fairly straight forward thing to do. But there are several mistakes that can make it a nightmare task. In this post I'll talk about my top three painting mistakes, and how to avoid them.
I know so many awesome knitters, and if there’s one thing that unites them, it’s “the stash.” Yarn for upcoming projects, yarn they loved and just had to have, leftover yarn, gifted and inherited yarn… stashes can quickly grow out of control. In fact, when I needed a picture of a stash for the cover photo, I texted my knitting friend and the co-owner of Fleece to Fabric and said “are you near some yarn right now?” Her response was “Always” and she sent me a picture of what was next to her at that moment!
Spring is always a good time to update and refresh décor. After the cozy dark winter months, I’m ready for fresh spring air and sunlight, and I get full on spring fever. Here are several ways to do a refresh for spring!
Wasps are usually an outdoor problem, of course, but it’s almost summer! A time when interiors and exteriors are far more open to one another. Perhaps surprisingly, wasps are actually a beneficial insect. They eat virtually all pest insects and larva in your garden and lawn, and like bees, they are pollinators. But unlike bees, they are far more aggressive, and they can make a mess of your outdoor wood furniture, decks and fences, plus I'm really allergic to them.
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AuthorI'm Lenore, a Designer, a Teacher and a Mom Archives
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