Plenty of projects at home

Press, 6 October 1987, Page 43

Plenty of projects at home

After the relative inactivity of the winter months homeowners will find that there is an abundance of tasks to tackle in and outside the home.

While the winter months tend to reduce much of living to a civilised survival level the arrival of spring brings the opportunity to make progress before summer fully arrives.

For homeowners the focal point of much of this forward-planning will be in the area of maintenance.

Older weatherboard homes in particular may have reached the stage again when a new coat of paint is required.

To the “new” homeowner the warning signs to look for are first visibly paintless areas, then blistering or cracks in the existing paintwork. It is well worth making a thorough job of painting home exteriors the first time this task is tackled.

There are no magical “short-cuts’* to this area of home maintenance, short of total re-cladding. Fortunately the modern paints and primers

are highly efficient and providing the surface is properly prepared, easy to apply. One of the fastestgrowing areas in the retail sector lies in catering for the expanding do-it-yourself market This is the result of a variety of factors. Escalating property prices have made it more worth while to improve and maintain properties as an on-going investment. As a result of the prevailing high interest rates on mortgages owners are also more inclined to improve their properties than move to a new one. There is also the fairly high cost of much of the labour required around the home which also makes homeowners more inclined to carry out many projects themselves. As with other areas of the trading environment it pays the consumer to shop around for prices. The continued strength of the New Zealand dollar has produced a benefit for local consumers in the form of a very competitive timber selling climate. Local retailers have

trimmed profit margins substantially in an effort to move the stock that has accumulated. The lifting of many of the restrictions on imported goods has also resulted in a deluge of new products reaching the consumer. It is also the ideal time

for the more skilled home handyperson to commence work on patios, decks, barbecue areas, and other recreational niches around the home. Make sure that any planned projects conform to local bylaws before commencing.