Resolve to give your home some TLC in 2015

There are the things we do routinely around the house and garden and then there are the emergencies - repairs and household tasks that get done because something breaks and you’ve got no choice.

But if you’re like most folks, you have a little deferred maintenance. They are those niggling jobs you know you should do, but keep putting off because they don’t seem urgent. Let this be the year you tackle your “should do” list. If you’re ambitious you could pick one a month to knock off. Or, put together a list of one or two projects per season and start whittling down that list. Here are a few suggestions for your Home Maintenance Resolution list.

Winter

Prune Your Trees: Maybe it’s because they appear so strong and indestructible, or maybe it’s because we dread climbing up on a ladder to tend them. Or maybe we’re just afraid we’ll do it wrong. But trees are one of those stalwarts in our landscape that frequently get overlooked. We neglect our trees at our own peril.

“Some people don’t spend any money and they wait until they fall on their homes and then they call us in an emergency,” said Ron Wallace, the owner of TreePro Professional Tree Care in Santa Rosa. “And then it can get very expensive.”

Beyond the potential damage to homes, limbs growing too close to the house can create a welcoming bridge into a home for rodents and other unsavory squatters. Branches not only can fall onto houses and cars, but also onto you if you’re in the wrong place at the wrong time. Repairs are costly and if you make an insurance claim your rates go up. Mature trees also contribute to your property value with beauty and shade. Removing dead branches improves light and air circulation to keep them healthy. Limb failure can damage a tree to the point where it must be removed, which also is costly.

With a good ladder and equipment, you can do it yourself. But it’s a dangerous job. The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration reported that 243 workers nationwide died while engaging in tree trimming and clearing activities in 2012.

Wallace said it might cost about $1,500 to have five or more trees professionally trimmed on the typical small Santa Rosa lot. Common trees prone to limb failure in a storm including flowering pears, coast live oaks, Monterey pines, Monterey cypress, eucalyptus, trees with two trunks of equal size that meet in a V-shaped attachment and long, horizontal branches with heavy end weight.

Fix Your Irrigation System: Home irrigation systems need maintenance, but they are easy to overlook amid the multitude of home maintenance chores on your list. It may be beyond the skills of basic do-it-yourselfers and inspections and repairs aren’t cheap. But if you haven’t tended to yours in a good long while, let this be the year.

Why? Broken or clogged emitters and lines lead to water leakage, bad during a drought and hard on your water bill. It also means that water is not getting to the plants that need it. Plants and trees you may have invested a lot of money and time in planting and growing could die.

Jose Oceguera, owner of Green Oak Landscaping, said sprinkler heads can get stuck in the open position, resulting in a constant flow of water. Or people can kick them or run over them with mowers, breaking them. Roots can break the lines. A diagnostic inspection might run you $600, Oceguera said. Double that if you need repairs.

If you’re game and want to try it yourself, check out this website http://www.familyhandyman.com/landscaping/fixing-sprinkler-systems/view-all.

If you don’t have a sprinkler system, consider installing your own basic drip system, which is more efficient, delivering water directly to the plants that need it. A sprinkler delivers a gallon per minute versus half a gallon per hour, said Chad Griffith, assistant general manager for Harmony Farm Supply in Sebastopol. The easiest method for the beginner is to get a simple system you can screw into your garden hose spigot or hose bib. You can start with a “Y” system that goes out in two directions. A drip system, he explained, is mostly polyethylene tubing that costs about $15 per 20 feet. Assembling is really like “Tinker Toys for adults,” said Griffith. Harmony will be teaching workshops in installing your drip system starting in mid March.

Spring

Give your House a Mini Facelift: I n a perfect world, we would be able to completely repaint our homes every 15 years. But if that isn’t in your budget, freshen up the exterior by repainting the trim or doing the job in phases.

Joel Burkett of Penngrove, who recently stepped away from professional house painting, recommends that if you take on your trim, it’s easiest to go with the same color or a shade that will easily cover in one to two coats to keep the job from killing you and your time. Be sure, he said, to use painter’s tape beneath the trim (but avoid painting on the tape) and protect the side of your house with drop cloth or cardboard. If you know you’re not the tidiest of DIYers, also cover the ground beneath you. He also recommends having a damp sponge or cloth at the ready for mistakes.

If you feel you need some spot touch-ups on the siding, it’s best to just do the whole wall because paint fades over time. Even if you get the right shade or have extra paint sitting around, it might not match.

For any house painting project, begin by power washing. Getting it done professionally would cost up to $300. You might find that the power wash alone will make your house look substantially better, even without a paint job. Burkett figures a power wash will make your house look 40 percent better and should be done every five years anyway.

If your house really needs a full paint job but you don’t have the money or time, you could do it in phases, one side at a time. If you’re confident, start with the front to put your best face forward. If you need a little practice, start with the back. For a good how-to on painting your own house for under $500 check out http://www.thisoldhouse.com/toh/photos/0,,20180479,00.html.

Clean Your Blinds: In the dark months, it’s easier to be in denial about your blinds. But now is the time to open your house to light. It may not be pretty. Blinds are one of those common blind spots when it comes to regular cleaning. Resolve to dust and de-grime them. One easy solution is to create a mixture of 50 percent vinegar and 50 percent water. Take a sock, dip in the solution and run carefully along each slat, lengthwise. For good how-to instructions check out http://www.hgtv.com/design/decorating/clean-and-organize/how-to-clean-blinds.

Summer

Update a Light Fixture: Houses over time can look dated. Small changes can go a long way toward updating your look. Update the look of your interior by changing out an old light fixture, like the chandelier over your dining room table, the ceiling fixture in your kitchen or your bathroom light. Glass pendants, linen hanging drum lights, antique mercury glass and crystal chandeliers are trending at Pottery Barn. A decent new overhead fixture for the dining room can start at about $139 at Home Depot. Installing a simple light fixture can be done by a handyman like “Bob the Handyman” Lieberman of Santa Rosa. His hourly rate is only $50 and the job could be done in an hour or two.

Clean Your Solar Panels: Solar is becoming more and more common, even in the most ordinary of subdivisions. But a lot of people aren’t aware that they need to be cleaned, said Bob Lieberman. He oversees maintenance for The Children’s Village for foster kids in Santa Rosa, which has a solar panel system.

“It reduces their effectiveness if they get a bunch of dust on them,” he said.

If you don’t like getting on the roof, you might want to hire someone to do it for you. But if you are confident with heights or have panels lower to the ground, it’s not hard. Lieberman cleans the panels at the Children’s Village with dish soap and water and a sponge or window scrubber with a long handle. He just rinses with water. For good instructions visit http://www.energymatters.com.au/panels-modules/cleaning-solar-panels/.

Fall

Frame Your Photos: Anyone who is old enough to have operated a camera in the age of film likely has boxes or bins of photos and negatives. Or what about the historic family photos, the photo shop portraits, the school pictures, the diplomas and certificates or the art posters you bought at museums? Framing is one of those things we “keep meaning to do.”

Let this be the year we get at least one of these treasures framed and placed on the wall and autumn, that slow time between summer and the holidays, is a good time. Also, framed photos and keepsakes make great Christmas gifts.

“People come in with something and say they’ve had this under the bed for years. It’s always under the bed,” said Maureen Baumgartner, the owner of Fine Art and Frame in Petaluma.

What to frame? Everything from kids’ art to flags to memorabilia you want to keep under glass. Baumgartner recently framed an elderly man’s precious union buttons, collected over a lifetime.

Why frame?

For one thing, you’re preserving an item by sparing it from gathering dust and debris. Professional framers like Baumgartner will frame it with acid-free mattes and special glass to preserve it from “foxing” or browning, and other damage. Beyond that, you actually get to enjoy your new gallery.

Baumgartner, one of the last framers who cuts her own framers, said she can frame small items with leftover materials starting at $20, ready-made starting at $50 and custom starting at $75.

“When it’s done and it’s finished people come in to pick it up and they’re really happy to see it. They can get pretty emotional,” Baumgartner said. “It’s like they’ve been honored and now they can hang it and see it every day. You can’t see it when it’s under the bed or in a photo album or stuffed in the closet.”

Clean your Carpet: M any people are inspired to clean their carpets only when they see spots and stains. But it’s what you can’t see that can hurt you, said Scott Mayer of North Coast Carpet Care in Cotati. All kinds of tiny particulates can gather in the fibers of your carpet, diminishing the air quality in your house. Not to mention the fact that a dirty carpet makes your house look dingy.

Fall is a good time to take on this task. You don’t have as many dirty feet running in and out from the yard as you do in summer. And if you do it now, your carpets will be fresh for the holidays and be clean during a time when you’re stuck inside breathing indoor air.

Mayer said he charges $160 for five rooms and a hallway, including pre-conditioning and pre-spotting. If you need only several rooms done, figure about $90.

Tile floors and countertops and wood floors also need upkeep. Professionally cleaning your floors will cost $75 to $150 per room, said Mayer. Grout and tile runs $75 to $200 per room, depending on how much area you have to cover. Expect to pay a bit more for natural stone, which takes longer.

It’s always an option to clean your own carpet. Many places rent rug cleaners. CalWest Rentals in Petaluma rents a commercial quality carpet cleaner for $75 a day or $40 for a regular cold-water carpet cleaner. A steam washer for tile rent for $60 for three hours or $90 for the day.