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You know it’s funny but it seems like every time I do a Google Hangout On Air (I’ve only done three), I prep and all that prep goes to waste. Maybe I’m too shy to speak up, maybe I get distracted and/or yes – I do inevitably put my foot in my mouth, which maybe trips me up. ha!

I am referring to the April 30th Hangout hosted by HomeAdvisor.com. Maybe you saw me promoting it. It paired me with old friends Mark & Theresa from MyFixitUpLife and a new friend David Silverstein – a roofer and remodeler from just out the way from me. The focus was on Summer, and on the myriad of Spring Projects that lead up to it. It was even featured on the Google Hangouts homepage for a time.

From the Google Hangouts landing page; we were the one in the middle

I didn’t really intend to circle back and give it coverage here, but truthfully, as things are, I don’t have any of my other current “assignments” ready to go today. ha! These assignments too ironically tie in tightly with projects we do in Spring and they also involve video … so please be on the lookout.

You might have seen I posted a video earlier in the week, and it too didn’t really go quite as scripted. I mean – video is hard and it one of the reasons I’m half looking for a videographer to work with in the Baltimore area. Know anyone?

And anyway – watch me, and my really bad hair, as I install a new Pfister 4″ centerset faucet. Oh! and I forgot my backup camera battery too. *facepalm* and the reason for the somewhat weak thumbnail.

Spring Home Projects Are Aflowering 

The Hangout consisted of 5 questions:

1. What is on your home to-do list this spring to prepare for the summer?
2. What projects should be on homeowners to-do list for spring to prepare for summer?
3. What projects would you recommend homeowners do on their own? For example painting or cleaning a deck. And what projects would you recommend homeowners hire someone for?
4. Bathroom remodel is the only extensive project on our list of top home project requests, why do you think bathroom remodeling is a “hot” project and what is the one thing you would put in your dream bathroom remodel?
5. A lot of outdoor projects such as lawn care, lawn clean-up, roofing repair and rebuilding or repairing of a porch or deck top our spring projects list. What is your essential outdoor project to complete in the spring in order to prepare for summer?

Like the Hangout, and here in my follow up – the conversation gets a little liquid (with answers often bridging several questions). It’s ironic that my current home project has me re-working my own front/side porch (we have five) – for which I shot video (ha!) and I hope to post about soon.

As I mentioned in the Hangout and I definitely had this jotted down as a note – the vibe in Spring is to get outside and get your lawn in shape (a topic we’ve posted about a number of times), pressure wash, hop on some landscaping, but I feel in Spring, and as the “Bathroom Question” above points to, you can’t really fully abandon the indoors.

On my list of Spring Indoor Projects and as I mentioned – air conditioner checks and tweaks and maybe even beefing up your insulation (yes Sean – also air sealing and ventilating).  Other items which I had noted but couldn’t quite get out of my mouth: add a ceiling fan and maybe perform a sump pump check. (This is easy enough – Is the sump pit free of debris? Fill it with some water and pull up on the float – is it operating as you’d expect? What does the drainage look like outside?)

While Theresa mentioned decluttering, I might have added (as I had noted) garage, basement and shed organization – places where your lawn and other outdoor equipment lives, and oh make sure you’re tuned up. Is your mower blade, lopper blade, etc. sharp? Is your wheelbarrow tire full of air? and on… You want fast easy access to this stuff and you want it in tip-top working order.

Back to the Bathroom Question too: Yeah, sure I would have loved to have quoted 2014, let alone 1990, cost numbers … I would have liked to have also added that Bathrooms perhaps remain hot because of all the fun products that are being introduced specifically for them (steam, towel warmers, underfloor heat, etc). That and they continue to be topped-shared items on places like Pinterest, Houzz and Hometalk. Plus, really they just seem to get a lot of wear, as evidenced in my vid above … I mean – with the constant attack of water and all.

I loved the discussion we had here about “When to DIY.” I especially liked Mark & Theresa’s take on when you are new at it.

Porch roof jacked up, new counter flashing, new gutter

Anyways, this post really wasn’t so much of a mulligan as it was something I had work done on. Spring Home Project opportunities are regular as the rain. And I know it can be a lot. I mean – I know myself I’ve done small home repairs every day after work this week just so those little items wouldn’t interfere with my bigger weekend plans.

Now, the Side Porch (above). Next, skirting at the Rear Patio (images in my patio lighting post).

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 Wish me luck, and really if you have time I hope you can hop on and watch the full Hangout above. Thanks out to Home Advisor for having me and Happy Weekend all. ~jb