It feels like we’re constantly preparing for guests for a wide variety of occasions. From Christmas gatherings to “big game” parties to Memorial Day barbecues, many of us find ourselves playing host to large groups of family and friends several times a year.
If you’re anything like, well, almost everyone in the United States, you may feel a bit stressed out over the holiday season – Thanksgiving and Christmas – and any other time where we have to make a big impression on guests. Between the meal-planning, invitations and clean-up, the last thing you need to worry about is how your home will appear to the seemingly endless stream of friends and family.
There’s no shortage of tasks to get your home ready for guests. You certainly want to put your best foot forward, but it’s hard to prioritize the right tasks during that short, busy timeframe before the first family and friends come trotting through the door. With the help of a reliable local handyman, you can tackle smaller projects which will spruce up your space in a matter of days.
Which types of projects are worth tackling before hosting a gathering?
When getting your home ready for guests, you want to take speed, efficacy and relevance into account.
Speed: There’s not a lot of time to spend fixing up everything before guests arrive, so you need to prioritize. Even if your bathroom or kitchen is in desperate need of remodeling, such a project runs a risk of not being completed by the time the event rolls around. Concentrate on projects which take only a few days to complete.
Efficacy: There’s certainly no shortage of quick projects to complete, but not all of them will make a big splash or even be seen by your guests. While reviewing what needs to be done, select the tasks which will have the biggest impact on the space in which you plan to entertain guests. Don’t forget about the tasks which will save you time, too.
Relevance: You may be longing to refinish the floors in your home office, but your guests probably won’t see them. Focus your improvements on areas which will be highly-trafficked and well-used, such as a dining room, kitchen, family room or bathroom.
Finding that perfect cross-section narrows down which tasks are best suited for the pre-party rush.
Consider these pre-holiday handyman fixes
- Paint a dull room, entryway or hallway. A fresh coat of paint transforms a room from old and tired to vibrant and welcoming. Whether you stick with a tried-and-true favorite or pick a color which makes the room look bigger, your guests are sure to notice the extra effort you put into your entertaining space. Best of all, painting a room – even a highly-trafficked one like the kitchen or the living room – won’t take more than two days between the prepping, painting and drying.
- Spruce up the kitchen cabinets. In many homes, the kitchen is the gathering point for your friends and family. Unfortunately, your cabinets are magnets for something totally different: food grease, dust and fingerprints. Before your guests arrive, and way before you begin prepping dinner, you can bring in a handyman to complete cabinet refinishing throughout your kitchen. Depending on the type of work your cabinets need, the process only takes three to five days and the end result will be as visually appealing as the picture-perfect turkey you just pulled out of the oven.
- Get some help with the decorations. Nearly three out of four Americans decorate their homes inside and out for the holidays and other occasions, but the process can be time-consuming – time better spent menu-planning, gift-shopping or just plain old relaxing. A licensed and insured handyman can safely swap out your decorations, including hanging new and putting away old.
HomeSquare’s team of licensed, insured, experienced and highly-rated home maintenance professionals are ready to help your home get guest-ready. Contact us today for a free phone consultation and to make an appointment for a free estimate!
