3 Outdoor Projects You Want to Avoid as a Homeowner

It’s May, and that means some lovely weather in many regions around the country. The weather is not terribly hot yet in the Midwest and on the East Coast, and now’s the perfect time for the DIY outdoor project you’ve thought about during the winter. You might feel ready to tackle a few of them on the weekend so you can cross them off your list.

However, just because you’ve watched a few YouTube videos, that does not necessarily mean that you’re suddenly Bob Vila. Unless you have some special training, there are certain outdoor projects you’ll probably want to avoid since you can hurt yourself or mess things up worse than they already are.

Let’s talk about just a few of those right now.

Cleaning Out Your Gutters

You might know that your gutters are not draining as well as they could be these days. This often happens if you have some overhanging trees that drop leaves, acorns, pine cones, and other shrapnel onto your roof during summer or autumn storms.

It may seem like an easy matter to set up a ladder or some sort of rigging device, put on some heavy-duty work gloves, and climb up there to scoop out all the detritus. You might be able to do the job successfully, but then again, you may severely injure yourself if you decide to handle this on your own.

It’s often better to hire a professional gutter cleaner if you want to rid your gutters of all the gunk that accumulates in there. If you fall off a ladder, you can kill yourself or break a limb, which happens to many people every year. Don’t let pride stop you from contacting someone who can handle potentially dangerous tasks.

Also, you can look into how much it will cost to install gutter guards. These will prevent any future blockage, so you won’t need to go through this process every year.

Sawing Down Tree Limbs

You could also decide to hire a professional landscaper if you have some wayward branches growing out of control. Maybe you have several trees on your property, and you like them for the shade they provide. However, you’ve noticed that some of the branches have grown to the point where they’re overhanging your house.

That’s dangerous since a lightning strike or high winds can take down that branch. It could end up on your roof or even falling through it if it’s big and heavy enough.

You can hire someone to cut down those branches so that they don’t fall on your house in the process. Having trees on your property can make it look nice and increase your home’s resale value, but you also need to keep those trees neat and orderly if you’re going to allow them to stay there.

Pulling Out Huge Weeds

If you enjoy gardening, then you know the spring and summer months are the times when your planting beds can really shine. You can show the neighbors all the flowers you have carefully planted and cultivated.

You also know that weeding your flower beds and yard can be an annoying chore. It’s one that most homeowners can handle with weed killer, or you can put on your gardening gloves, get a trowel, and tackle those nasty weeds yourself.

Every once in a while, though, you’ll discover a monster weed that no amount of pulling can dislodge. Sometimes you have weeds that are the size of bushes or small trees. They might grow on your house’s side, and you know the roots are deep down in the foundation.

That’s when you need to bring in an expert. These enormous weeds are too much to pull, but you can hire a landscaper to use a chainsaw and cut them down to size. They might cut the thing down to a tiny nub if they can’t get to the roots because they have grown under your home’s foundation.

Make sure to tell the landscaper to spray paint the remaining nub, or the weed will eventually grow back. If they use spray paint on what’s left of it, that prevents future growth, even if the root system remains behind.

Try to use common sense as you take care of your outdoor tasks this spring. It’s fine to mow your lawn or plant some flowers, but any time you’re doing something that potentially puts your life in danger, it’s best to use a pro.