Plug your money leaks
You don't need to spend big bucks to tackle sorely needed home-improvement projects. These smart short-term fixes can do the job.
Siding
Cheap fix: Rent a power washer at your local home center (cost: $75 to $100 a day) and blast away. If the siding looks really terrible, though, call a pro. He can deploy a more high-powered machine that uses heat and possibly chemicals, as well as pressure. Cost: $300 to $500.
Slightly less cheap fix: If your siding is wood and there's only minimal flaking, you can probably get away with patch painting the trouble spots (cost: about $1,000 to $2,000 if you hire a pro). That's far cheaper than repainting the whole house.
Make the fix last longer: Trim back those monster "foundation" plants that were lovingly installed in the Eisenhower administration. No foliage should be closer than three feet from your siding.
NEXT: Floors
