3. Clear and caulk gutters.

On a dry day, climb up on a ladder and clear all the debris out of the gutters so water can flow freely. While you're up there, re-caulk the gutter end caps. Seamless gutters are finished at the ends with a cap that's crimped and caulked. Aging caulk allows leaks to drain water down your home's siding.

3. Clear and caulk gutters.

On a dry day, climb up on a ladder and clear all the debris out of the gutters so water can flow freely. While you're up there, re-caulk the gutter end caps. Seamless gutters are finished at the ends with a cap that's crimped and caulked. Aging caulk allows leaks to drain water down your home's siding.

Use flexible butyl caulk made for outdoor conditions. Its color doesn't matter, since you're caulking inside the gutter. Squeeze out a generous amount and use your finger to smear the stuff around inside the gutter cap seams. Don't worry about appearances, since no one will see your work. Make sure the area to be caulked is clean and dry before doing this.

4. Patch nail holes and repaint.

Moving inside the house, you'll want to patch up nail holes in the walls. Ask at a hardware store for lightweight putty. Apply it with a putty knife and fill in each hole, scraping the excess off the wall. Following directions on the package, wait for it to dry. Then sand the putty until it's smooth and flush with the wall. Paint the repaired spots with primer. Call a handyman for anything bigger than a nail hole. If the repair is small take a paint brush and just get tip of the bristles wet with paint, then dab the bristles on a cloth or paper towel to dry them a bit. Take the brush an tap the bristles against the repair area this will help blend the new paint into the existing paint.

5. Replace damaged vinyl flooring.

Inspect the vinyl flooring in your bathrooms. If it has discolored spots or is loose, moisture may be damaging the floor. You'll probably want a professional to lay the actual flooring, which could cost $400 or more. But you can save as much as half of the cost by preparing the floor yourself.

Remove the baseboards by pulling them away from the walls with a small pry bar. Next, pull up the flooring using a larger pry bar -- it will be glued and nailed or stapled. Also remove the next layer, called the under-layment, made of particleboard or layered plywood. While your new floor is being installed, you can sand and repaint the baseboards so the whole job will look terrific when it's finished. Another good choice for flooring material is linoleum, a green product made from linseed oil, pine resin, sawdust and other natural binders. It can add 30% or 40% to the cost of a $400 job.