While winter may not seem like an ideal time to renovate your building, you will find many reasons that the coldest months of the year work well for the indoor projects you have meant to work on for a while. Your resources and workforce are more available, and your tenants’ travel plans during the holiday season often leave their apartments open for work.
So what projects are best to hire someone to complete this winter? Read on to find out.
Seal Up Cracks
Every window, door, and vent has the potential to turn into an air leak, and apartment buildings have numerous opportunities to lose the energy your residents are using. Higher bills make for unhappy renters, so by fixing any cracks you discover, you will help your tenants feel more secure and satisfied in their homes. Hiring a contractor for a couple of hours to seal in the heat will go a long way toward keeping people content.
Pad the Walls
Along the lines of keeping your renters warm and cozy, you’ll need to keep up with the insulation in each apartment, and there’s no better time than the winter to see where it works and where you need to reinforce.
You can also hire a contractor to add an insulating glaze to each apartment’s windows and doors, which will help seal up spots you may not see right away and add more security to your insulation.
Add Some Paint
While you work on walls and windows, add some cosmetic appeal as well. Paint is already inexpensive, but manufacturers often have special deals on their products in the fall and winter — of which you can take advantage. Contractors usually have less work to do this time of year, which will give them more availability and save you even more money, making paint projects a perfect off-season renovation.
Check Safety Features
When your building is full of tenants running heaters, the air quality changes significantly, which can be dangerous. The possibility of fires and carbon dioxide levels both go up when the air gets drier, so your safety features will need to be up to date to keep your tenants safe.
Check all of the smoke and carbon monoxide detectors, and continue to test them monthly. Replace any that no longer meet the safety standards of your area.
Renovate the Kitchen
Each apartment’s kitchen is the heart of their home, where they can find warmth and comfort in the cold winters. Renovations in the kitchen require expertise that can be challenging to discover in the busy seasons, but in the winter, you are more likely to find the contractors with whom you would want to work. Again, the slow season is on your side and may help you negotiate a good deal for your building.
Upgrade Light Fixtures
When natural light does not come for more than a few hours at a time, your tenants will likely appreciate all of the lighting fixtures you can give them — which is why responding to even small requests for a lightbulb change is crucial for good relations between you and your renters.
If any of the apartments need their lighting fixtures updated, performing the service in winter will help bring some cheer to their darkened rooms.
If you need any of these updates, building services, or maintenance, look no further than Trend, a one-stop solution to all of your property’s needs. Whether you need cosmetic work, renovations, apartment turn services, or other general upgrades, Trend has the team that can make it happen.
Get in touch today and let Trend take the thinking out of your property upkeep.