Fall is here and while the evenings are chilly there’s still some nice weather during the day to take care of the home improvement and home repair tasks you need to do to your home before winter sets in.
First, let’s look at the home maintenance tasks to be done on the outside of the house.
- Once leaves have fallen, it’s a good idea to clean your gutters and downspouts. Winter snow will need somewhere to go as it melts, and when it backs up due to clogged gutters and downspouts it can cause damage not only to the gutters but to the roof.
- You should make sure exterior faucets are turned off and insulated to keep pipes from bursting in freezing temperatures.
- Drain and put away garden hoses to keep them in good shape for next year.
- Make any exterior repairs. Take a walk around your house and see if anything looks damaged. The roof, foundation, and siding should all be repaired before the bad weather comes.
On the inside of your house, it’s time to get a chimney cleaning before the winter heating season comes. Call a chimney sweep to be sure it’s fully cleared of creosote (a deadly chemical that builds up with chimney use and can lead to house fires).
On a similar note, change out the batteries in your smoke detectors at daylight savings time. Do this twice a year and you’ll always remember to do it and have fresh batteries in the detector to keep you safe.
Fall is also a good time to get windows and doors ready for winter. Check around the edges for leaks and drafts and use weatherstrip and caulk to close up any gaps you may find. You’ll also want to seal around any other small gaps you find to keep creatures such as mice out of the house.
Finally, if you have a snowblower, be sure it’s filled with gas and kept right at the garage door. That way you won’t have to work too hard to get it ready once the snowy weather hits.