Curing Those Winter Blues

Congress and Washington are in gridlock, the Patriots have once again failed in their quest for another Super Bowl, and though it is freezing out the ice caps are melting. It’s winter in New England, that limbo between Thanksgiving and Easter; it is time to keep warm, maybe catch up on some reading, or perhaps working on the house. Most people are too busy to keep up with their household chores: clutter gathers in the closets, there’s expired food in the refrigerator, and that damned basement seems to be filling up with every unwanted article. Home projects can leave many homeowners in paralysis; you take care of the emergencies like the water heater flooding the basement and that broken light by the front door. Painting may be the last thing on your mind.

But there is hope. The days are getting longer. The Red Sox will soon be in spring training. Pick on project at a time. Maybe go through your clothes and throw out anything you haven’t worn in a year. If you can’t do that, then start with everything you haven’t worn in the past five years. Just start somewhere! Maybe it’s the medicine cabinet, where you stuffed all those pills for future ailments. Get rid of those old pills. Don’t worry you can always call a doctor. Move ahead. When you accomplish one task the sense of accomplishment can inspire you to move onto another. Think of the rooms in your house, maybe your favorite room or maybe that office space that you had always wanted to get to. Study the room. Are you happy with the furniture? Are the lampshades tired? How could you imagine making that room better? Make a list.

On average interior paint jobs are good for ten years before the paint loses its luster and gains a lived in look: high traffic walls show signs of wear and woodwork is chipped by the kids or the vacuum cleaner. Exterior painting protects the house as a barrier against moisture and the elements, interior painting is done to preserve beauty and create an inviting living space. Both add tremendous value for resale. People often put their house on the market and after having the decorators in to stage the house and the painters in to touch up the blighted areas they wonder, “Why didn’t we do this while we were living here?” Don’t wait till you sell your house. Start it now!