We all know that we are safer at home, but that doesn’t make being in isolation any easier. Fortunately, if you’re willing to roll up your sleeves, you can stave off boredom while making your home a safer and more serene place both for lockdown and after. Here are three great projects to get started that will help you emerge from the COVID-19 crisis with a healthy and harmonious home.
Step Up Safety
There are many ways to improve your home’s safety. You can start by trimming the bushes around ground-floor windows. Then, remove valuables from street-level sight, if possible. Another suggestion is to contact your local police station to ask if they offer home security checks. Some will be happy to send an officer out to point out weaknesses.
Once your home is secure, now may be a good time to focus your efforts on making sure you have everything you need in case of stricter shelter in place orders or a natural disaster. Make a point to identify your safe spot if Mother Nature gets cranky. This should be an interior room or closet or, if you have a basement, wherever is most underground. If it’s within budget, you may also consider investing in a generator. While installing a generator in your home could cost up to $9,500, a more affordable solution is to pick up a portable generator.
Make the Outside Your Personal Retreat
No matter how strict social distancing orders get, you likely won’t be told you can’t spend time in your own backyard. Why not get a jump on making it a personal retreat, which will come in handy through spring, summer, and fall? Like enhancing home security, your first task is to trim and shape any unruly shrubbery. Then, clean things up. This should include washing your patio furniture and scrubbing any algae off your house or walkways.
If you are handy and have access to tools and materials, get creative. You might, for example, build an outdoor bed for lazy days lounging. When privacy is a concern, you can section off a part of your patio or lawn using decorative shower curtains, tall trees, or fencing. One inexpensive way to add beauty and privacy is to add a bamboo fence, which, according to Forever Bamboo, is easy to customize and versatile.
Rearrange the Furniture
While there are many safe outdoor activities to engage in during the pandemic, you do have to spend some time indoors. But since your entire family is now home most of the time, your house may start to feel tiny no matter how many square feet are under the roof. Another great project is to rearrange your furniture so that your space feels more open.
Elle Decor recommends planning your layout before you start moving sofas and coffee tables. Do a simple sketch of the rooms you wish to transform. Prioritize large pieces of furniture, such as your sofa or bed. It’s always best to get good measurements so that you aren’t constantly moving pieces around because they overlap. And, even though you can’t go shopping right now, you can always order new accent pieces online or relocate things like curtains, pillows, and artwork from room to room. If nothing else, your space will feel refreshed, which can help you conquer stress.
Don’t feel bad if you can’t find the motivation to begin these or any other projects. This is a difficult time and a situation that none of us have ever faced before. But, if you do find yourself looking for ways to occupy your time while being productive, you can’t go wrong with any of the ideas above.