Last-Minute Home Repairs Before Your Guests Arrive

When friends and family are headed to your home for the holidays, there are a million things you’d like to get done. In August, our honey-do lists are long and ambitious. When weeks remaining turn into days remaining, however, what you can realistically accomplish necessitates a shorter and shorter list. Didn’t get the dining room painted or the kitchen floors refinished? No worries. There are still lots of last-minute home repairs you can complete before your guests arrive, many of them in an hour or less. These last-minute home repairs will go a long way towards making your home look its very best. Here are just a few:

Changing Cabinet Hardware

Sure, new kitchen or bath cabinets would be great, but purchasing and installing new cabinetry is expensive and time consuming. Want to give your cabinetry a fresh look without all the time and expense? Replacing your hardware is one of our simple last-minute home repairs that can really update a space. There is a wide variety of options in terms of cost and style, ensuring that you can make a choice that’s right for your home and budget. What’s more, all you need is a drill or screwdriver and about an hour for even large rooms, and you’ll be done in no time.

Replacing Faucets

Over time, your kitchen or bath faucet can really become a problem. It can drip, leak, or even cause damage and mold growth that is unhealthy for you, your family, and your guests. While almost any faucet can be rebuilt, sometimes the easiest and cheapest solution is to replace it. It may sound like a complex project, but with the right tools and as little as $40, you can pick out and install a faucet that will freshen the style of your home and take care of the leak that’s been frustrating you. Installation usually takes about an hour, and the manufacturer’s instructions should be sufficient to get you from start to finish.

(Note: Be sure to turn off the hot and cold water supply lines to your faucet or you could make the issue much worse. This may seem like an obvious step, but trust us, it’s not. Some last-minute home repairs could become last minute nightmares if the proper steps aren’t taken.)

Changing Weatherstripping

Nothing can make your home feel less cozy and warm than a cold breeze across the dining room table. Drafty windows and doors can cause your guests to get a chill and your furnace to work overtime. This is one of those last-minute home repairs that won’t be visible to your guests, but it will certainly add to their enjoyment of the holiday at your home. Doors should have weather stripping applied on both sides and across the top of the door frame. You may also wish to install a door sweep or use a draft stopper. Windows may need weather stripping along the bottom of the sash to prevent drafts. Other types of insulation, such as felt, may help fill other voids you find in your windows. This will be one of the least expensive quick repairs you can make to your home, and won’t take much time at all.

Replacing a Fan or Light Fixture

Old fans and fixtures can really make a home look outdated. This is a great last-minute home repair because these fans and fixtures come at a variety of price points and they can typically be installed in less than an hour. Whether it’s an old brass chandelier in the dining room or a wobbly old ceiling fan, you can update your home inexpensively with a new fixture here and there.

Remember, electrical work can be dangerous. If you’re planning on taking care of this interior project before the holidays, be sure to use caution. Make sure that breakers are off and that you follow all appropriate wiring diagrams from your product’s manufacturer. If you need help, don’t hesitate to call a professional home repair service like ProMaster.

Replacing Light Bulbs

This may seem like no big deal, but just making sure that all of your lamps and light fixtures have working bulbs can really brighten your home. Whether it’s a ceiling fan, chandelier, recessed lighting, or table lamp, most people have several bulbs in their home that have burned out. Simply walking through your home, making a list of the bulbs you need, and replacing the ones that are out will ensure that your guests arrive to a well lit and welcoming space. It’s also a great time to replace incandescent or fluorescent bulbs with energy-efficient LEDs.

Repairing Hardwood Scratches

Refinishing a hardwood floor can be a costly and time consuming effort. When you’re only dealing with a few scratches here and there, however, touch up kits can be a huge time and money-saver. These kits usually involve a combination of pens and wax that can be used on various colors of wood. Using these pens can make a hardwood scratch virtually invisible to those who aren’t looking for it. While results can vary, it will certainly improve the look of your wood floor for the holidays. It may even tide you over until it’s time to re-sand and stain. This is one last-minute home repair that can be very cost effective for the budget and time-crunched homeowner.

Re-Caulk Shower or Bathtub

Many people are surprised by what a new bead of caulk can do for a shower or bath. If your guest bathroom has cracking or mildewed caulk, now is a great time to replace it. Be sure to remove all previous caulking, and only use silicone, waterproof caulking in your bathroom. We have a great article on how to tackle this project, with helpful tips on how to avoid the mistakes many homeowners make.

Last-Minute Home Repairs Before Your Guests Arrive

These are just some of the last-minute home repairs you can take care of before your guests arrive. Tight on time? Don’t want to spend the days before the holidays working on your home? No problem. Just contact ProMaster Home Repair! Our multi-disciplined craftsmen can handle any of these small projects, as well as the larger ones on your list. Just use the “Reach Out” form at the bottom of this page, or call 513-322-2914!