Home Improvement for the Weekend Warrior

We all have a long honey-do list of home improvement wants. But with busy schedules, when is there time to tackle them? Below are a handful of home improvement projects that can be tackled on the weekends.

One month
Landscape. Four weekends with warm weather are more than enough to revamp your backyard. Weed or clear spaces you'd like to add garden beds, dig and add dirt, choose and install your plants, pile on the mulch, and build some simple stone or brick borders.

Finish the basement. For this large-scale project, you'll need a crew to help. First weekend, frame out and install the ceiling. The next, frame the basement walls and take care of electrical needs. Third weekend, the floor. Final weekend, add drywall. While this will only get you the skeleton of a finished space, the rest of the project—painting and furnishing—you can can do solo.

One weekend
Refinish the floors. It typically only takes about two days to refinish hardwood floors with water based polyurethane. If you're unsure of what you're doing, call in a pro.

Paint. Pick a room in your house and spend the weekend painting. Saturday, clear and tape the space in the morning, and spend the afternoon applying coat number one. Sunday, add another coat of paint in the morning, and detail in the afternoon. Voila!

One day
Freshen up fixtures. If you're relatively handy, you can install new detail fixtures like shower heads, faucets and light sconces yourself. Pick a style you like and spend a Saturday upgrading.

Build a fire pit. You can build a simple, classic firepit in just a few hours. Choose your stone, design a pattern or look one up online, clear a space in your yard, and you'll be making S'mores with the family in no time.