10 Great Home Projects for Spring

By
Lee Wallender
Lee Wallender
Lee Wallender

Lee has over two decades of hands-on experience remodeling, fixing, and improving homes, and has been providing home improvement advice for over 13 years.

Learn more about The Spruce's Editorial Process
Updated on 03/02/21
playhouse in the backyard

 

Ingunn B. Haslekaas / Getty Images

When spring is in the air, it's the perfect time to take on some of those home projects you've always been meaning to do. After you clean up the yard from winter, take advantage of the warm, dry weather to build a pond, refurbish the outdoor furniture, screen in the porch, or create a fun and fantastic playhouse for the kids.

How to Update Your Home for Spring
  • 01 of 10

    Build a Concrete Patio

    Concrete Patio

    Chuckcollier / Getty Images 

    Your dirt or grass patio is muddy and unsuitable for chairs and tables. How should you cover it? From decking and gravel to brick and natural stone, you have a host of options. But the best option in terms of performance is usually a concrete patio. Concrete is smooth, easy to clean, durable, long-lasting, and it returns favorable resale value when you decide to sell your home. Because concrete cures best in warmer, drier weather, spring is the perfect time to build a concrete patio in your yard.

  • 02 of 10

    Build a Garden Pond

    Building Your Own Garden Pond

    Lee Wallender

    Imagine serene mornings with a cup of coffee while watching fish dart around in your own garden pond. Or dip your feet into the cool water on a hot summer day. Now that the freezing temperatures are gone, you can finally break through the frost line and build a garden pond. If you can wield a shovel, you can have a pond. Use a rigid plastic liner for small ponds or lay out a thick EPDM rubber liner for larger ponds. Add a pump and some rocks to create a small waterfall.

  • 03 of 10

    Build an Outdoor Kitchen

    Build an Outdoor Kitchen

    Jennifer Cheung / Getty Images 

    Eliminate endless shuttling of kitchen items from the house to the patio by building your own outdoor kitchen. With a stove, mini-fridge, wine cooler, barbecue grille, and even more amenities, an outdoor kitchen will let you and your friends enjoy cooking, eating, and socializing in the great outdoors.

  • 04 of 10

    Clean Outdoor Cushions and Fabric Furniture

    How to Clean Outdoor Furniture

    Dave Papazian / Getty Images

    Outdoor furniture and fabric cushions take a hard beating throughout the summer and especially during fall and winter if you forget to bring them in. Learn how to safely clean tree sap, sunscreen, grass, bird droppings, mildew, and more from your outdoor furniture. Low-cost ingredients such as enzyme-based stain remover, warm water, and chlorine bleach can work wonders on dingy outdoor cushions and fabric.

    Continue to 5 of 10 below.
  • 05 of 10

    Make Your Yard a Private Paradise

    Make a Private Backyard

    Catherine Ledner / Getty Images

    If your yard is feeling a bit too public, find out how to dial up the privacy and turn it into a quiet paradise that you'll love. You'll have no need for imposing fences with more sensitive measures such as screening plants or privacy screens that integrate with the architecture of your home.

  • 06 of 10

    Build a Compost Box

    Build a Compost Box

    Annalovisa / Getty Images

    Create black gold, as landscapers like to say, with little more than household kitchen waste and even uncoated paper. These are a few of the ingredients that you can add when you build your own compost box. Composting produces a nutrient-rich material for plants and flowers. Even if you aren't a gardener, composting is an eco-friendly way to dispose of many organic materials without sending them off to the landfill.

  • 07 of 10

    Screen in Your Porch

    Luxury sun porch
    Robert Daly / Getty Images

    Entertain guests and family at your next porch party without mosquitoes and other insects joining in. Learn how to screen in your porch and keep those unwanted guests out. The secret is to first build separate screened frames, then add the frames to the porch. Spring is the perfect time for this project.

  • 08 of 10

    Replace Your Home's Front Door

    Exterior Door

    Leverstock / Getty Images

    Your front door may have leaked air like a sieve all winter, prompting you to consider replacing it with an entirely new door. Spring is the best time to take on this project since doing this during cooler months would chill your house. With this project, the doorway must be open for several hours, so you'll need spring's warmer temperatures for this. Door replacement is a tough job, but patience and a competent work partner will make the going much easier.

    Continue to 9 of 10 below.
  • 09 of 10

    Build a Birdhouse

    Build a Birdhouse

    Francois DeHeel / Getty Images

    When spring rolls around and temperatures warm up, birds tend to come out in the open and stay out for longer periods. Birds will flock to your yard when they catch sight of your upcycled mailbox birdhouse. This is a super-simple project that requires little more than an old mailbox and a couple of basic tools.

  • 10 of 10

    Build a Backyard Playhouse

    Build a Playhouse

    Christoffer Askman / Getty Images

    When your yard has a charming playhouse, everyone will want to join in, children and adults alike. Old-school plywood playhouses are out and themed playhouses are definitely in. Find out how to build a playhouse in the form of a pirate ship, a castle, a shingle-style cottage, a Malaysian home, and even a mid-century modern A-frame house.

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