7 Winter Projects and Ideas to Keep Busy With

Winter Projects and Ideas – For many people, winter is a challenging time of year. Some outdoor hobbies are laid to rest until spring, and the cold weather makes it tempting to stay inside. Indeed, that doesn’t mean you have to put your DIY projects on pause.

Take advantage of the winter months by tackling some home improvement tasks that are simple yet make a huge difference to how you enjoy our living space.

These seven winter projects and ideas will keep you busy until the snow melts.

1.      Retile the Bathroom or Kitchen

Tiles are a durable, weather-resistant option for walls and floors. They are also easy to clean, making them an excellent low-maintenance choice to cope with icy, muddy winter boots. Tiles also come in a huge variety of gorgeous colors and patterns.

Therefore, you can find the perfect match for your home’s decor. Tiling or retiling your home can be a time-consuming job, but you can ensure you get professional-looking results with the right tile tools.

Always make sure your floor is completely flat before starting. You may need to pour a self-leveling compound on the substrate before applying the mortar and tiles. Ensure you use a high-quality tile cutter to get precise lines. You can choose either a manual snipper for small tiles or an electric cutter for larger tiles.

2.      Seal Cracks and Gaps – Winter projects and ideas

Cracks and gaps in your doors, windows, walls, and vents can significantly impact your utility bills. Sealing leaks that let in drafts can save approximately 15% on your heating and cooling costs. You can seal leaks yourself using caulk, putty, or silicone. I

f you want a better result, you should hire a contractor to do an energy and airflow audit of your home to determine where the leaks are occurring.

You can also perform a preliminary assessment of your home’s leaks by switching on the outdoor light at dusk and checking for light around the door frames and windows.

3.      Upgrade Your Windows – Winter projects and Ideas

Your home’s walls, attic, and basement aren’t the only areas that need insulation. Heat gain and loss from windows account for 25-30% of the heating and cooling costs in your home. Switching from single-pane glass windows to double- or triple-layered panes can significantly reduce energy loss.

You can also replace the weather stripping to keep out drafts and change your window treatments. Heavy drapes and blinds can block heat transfer to keep your home cozy during the winter.

4.      Improve Your Home’s Insulation

During the winter, you may find that the heat generated inside your home is escaping through the top of the house. This results in your HVAC system working harder to compensate for the losses, increasing your utility bills and wasting energy.

You can prevent this from happening by upgrading your home’s insulation, particularly in the attic. It may sound like a big job but actually, you can add blown-in insulation to your attic relatively easily. You only need to fill in the space between wall studs and ceiling joists.

5.      Finish the Basement

The winter months are the perfect time for nesting, so why not create a brand new cozy space to enjoy indoors? Finishing your basement is not a small undertaking, but if you’ve got the budget for this project, you’ll be occupied all season. Once you decide what you want to use the finished basement space for and draft a design, the next step is to check your basement for signs of water penetration. This is critical to ensuring your renovation won’t be ruined by leaks or flooding in the spring. If you turn up moisture issues in the basement, you can either reinforce the foundation walls and flooring yourself if you have the necessary concrete tools or bring in a professional. It’s essential to make sure this job is done correctly.

When the basement is prepped, you’ll need to insulate the exterior walls, install framing and drywall, apply drywall joint compound, and paint them. Once the hard work is complete, the fun of decorating your newfound living space begins.

6.      Get Organized

When you’re cooped up indoors to escape the cold, it’s the ideal time to declutter and organize your interior storage spaces. Whether that’s your garage, laundry room, linen closets, or your pantry, dedicating a few days to creating a tidy space is extremely rewarding.

If you’re switching out your summer wardrobe for winter items or rearranging your linens, consider building cedar drawer liners. Rough cedar naturally deters moths and other pests, protecting your clothes and sheets even when they’re sitting untouched for long periods.

To build your cedar drawer liners, you’ll need sandpaper, wood glue, cedar boards, a chop saw, and a cordless drill. After measuring your drawers, you’ll cut the boards to size, keeping the rough side of the wood facing outward to ensure it won’t snag fabrics placed in the drawer. 

Assemble the drawer liner with your drill and screws, and add a bit of wood glue for extra security. Then insert the completed drawer liner into your wardrobe, and you’ve got beautiful custom-made dividers to protect and organize your belongings.

7.      Change the Lighting

External view of stylish and modern house with outdoor lights at night

As the days get shorter and natural light more scarce, 5% of American adults are impacted by Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), which lasts roughly 40% of the year.

Symptoms of SAD include lack of energy, changes in appetite and sleep habits, difficulty concentrating or making decisions, and other challenging effects.

Changing the lighting in your home is a great way to improve your mood and combat the effects of seasonal depression. You can add mirrors to reflect existing light, install new exterior doors with windows, wash your windows, or repaint your walls a lighter color to improve your natural lighting.

Adding warm, practical lighting to your living areas can also enhance your experience during the darker months of the year. Studies show that cozy, ambient lighting can help reduce anxiety and improve your mood.

Incorporating this principle into your home is as simple as placing a lamp that emits a warm, orange hue on your bedside table or lighting candles in the living room when you settle down to watch a movie.

Keep Busy This Winter While Improving Your Home

Make the most of the winter season by taking on some home improvement projects that benefit your living space and your mood throughout the colder months of the year.

When you invest your time in bettering your property throughout the winter, you’ll be able to relax and enjoy it more fully in the spring and summer. If big projects like refinishing the basement are too daunting, you can start small by decluttering and enhancing the atmosphere of your house with some cozy ambient lighting.

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