THIS IS A HAMMER

Home Maintenance in the New Year

Ready for the new year? Me neither. It’s too soon after what’s been a really long and frenetic holiday season, starting with a pre-Halloween snowstorm that had me and my neighbors juggling snow shovels and carved pumpkins, and then moving straight into Thanksgiving and Christmas almost too fast to blink. I’m looking forward to catching my breath this week, however, and putting together my home maintenance plans for next year.

January will be pretty quiet, except for the monthly furnace filter change and making sure ice dams and snow aren’t building up on the roof and gutters. Melting or removing them quickly will prevent much more expensive repairs. February is more of the same, but I’m also laying out what I’ll be planting in the deck garden this year. If there’s no snow on the ground, I’ll be scattering grass seed over bare or thin patches in the lawn and protecting it from the birds with a light layer of straw.

In March I’ll be inspecting the exterior and yard for damage from fallen limbs or wind-blown debris, and if the snow has melted, clearing those debris from the yard. Garden tools will come down from the highest shelf of the garage, ready to be put to use in a few weeks, but the snow shovel will stay near the side door just in case.

April is still iffy for some garden plants, but once there’s no danger of a hard frost, soil can be turned over and, in the meantime, the lawn can be treated and prepared for the growing season. It’s also time to start repairing any exterior damage to the roof, eaves, gutters and downspouts, as well as remove and repair storm windows and put up screens in their place.

That’s the first four months of the year: gradually getting busier, hopefully with no major storms or unplanned home repairs like busted furnaces or hot water heaters. May will bring much warmer temperatures and more maintenance work, but that’s a thought for another quiet day.

HOME TIP: Keep a home maintenance calendar in your workshop with important projects highlighted so that you can plan for them well in advance.

Send your questions or tips to [email protected], or write This Is a Hammer, c/o King Features Weekly Service, P.O. Box 536475, Orlando, FL 32853-6475.

(c) 2011 King Features Synd., Inc.