7 Weekend Projects to Tackle Before Summer Really Ends

Even though school is beginning and Labor Day weekend is upon us, there it is still technically a little summer weather left before Autumn rolls in. These step-by-step, do-it-yourself projects only require a weekend and will help prep you for fall.

See all of our weekend DIY projects at thisoldhouse.com!



1. Brick Path
When crossing your muddy yard to fetch the daily paper turns into an obstacle course of slips and slides, perhaps it's time to think about an alternative path-literally. Instead of sinking up to your ankles in the name of the morning stock report, take a weekend to lay a brick walkway.

As This Old House senior technical editor Mark Powers shows, in just one weekend you can turn a swath of dirt into a ribbon of elegance, able to withstand anything from a winter gale to a summer lawn mower. See How to Lay a Brick Path to get started.



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2. Garage Floodlight
We hate to be the bearers of bad news, but fall-with her longer evening hours-looms. Your new brick path prepares you for trick-or-treaters and holiday guest traffic; now enhance the safety and security of your home by adding a motion-sensor floodlight to the garage. The dual-lamp model installed here comes on automatically if something-or someone-crosses its field of vision.

If you're hesitant about working with electricity, don't worry. We've greatly simplified the process by safely tapping into an existing garage circuit. This technique speeds the installation by eliminating the need to blindly pull wires through walls and ceilings. Take a look at How to Install a Garage Floodlight to get started.
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3. Mudroom Bench

We'll take it inside this Labor Day weekend for an upgrade that'll prepare you for back-to-school season and wet winters. (Always thinking ahead, right?) Create a stopping area just inside the door where everyone can leave the weather and dirt from their day behind.

In How to Build a Mudroom Bench This Old House senior technical editor Mark Powers shows how to create the perfect catchall, complete with an open top shelf, coat hooks, and flip-top bench storage. This handsome entry hall built-in is sure to make your house more welcoming, even while protecting it from wear and tear.

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4. Fire Pit

Mankind has called the hearth home for the centuries, it's true, but these days people are going ultra-retro and getting their heat from stone-walled pits set into the earth. And, why not? On cool late-summer and fall nights, you can melt marshmallows and nibble s'mores while you lounge in an Adirondack chair, feet propped up on the rock ledge. So if you really want to light up right, do it in style. See How to Build a Fire Pit and take a few days to build your very own ring of fire.





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5. Landscape Lighting

Enhance the nighttime curb appeal of your home-and add a measure of safety and security-by adding low-voltage lanterns. These exterior-grade fixtures are typically placed along walkways and driveways, but they're also ideal for illuminating steps, trees, stonewalls, fences and other prominent garden features. And because the system operates on only 12 volts of electricity, it's completely safe for do-it-yourself installation. See How to Put in Landscape Lighting to get started.





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6. Lamppost

Want to brighten your yard even more? How to Install a Lamppost can help you shed at least enough light for people to see what treacherous terrain might lie underfoot as they approach your home. Adding one is simpler than you might think. A hole filled with concrete keeps the post straight, and a narrow trench from the house carries the wiring-and you could do that all in a day.






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7. Seed the Lawn

If you've spent the summer lamenting your tattered yard or wishing that your patch of dirt were a blanket of soft blades, How to Seed a Lawn can help. "Seeding is the easiest thing for a homeowner to do," says This Old House landscape contractor Roger Cook. "It just takes a little soil preparation, the right mix of seed, and lots of watering." We should warn you: It won't get any better this year, but next spring could be a whole other story if you seed this fall-the perfect time to start a new lawn.





See all of our summer weekend DIY projects on thisoldhouse.com!


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