As we head into fall you may be looking to hurry up and finish your fall home checklist so you can enjoy time out in the yard enjoying the cooler weather with your family. So before we head into winter and before the great fall weather passes, make sure to winterize your home with these 6 fall home maintenance tips. Simply, embrace fall by winterizing your home’s exterior.
Winterizing Your Home’s Exterior
Roof Repair
Winter is not the best time for roof work but the fall lends to not only better results but a chance to catch any damage to the exterior of your home before he begins to affect your heating bill. Since very cold weather can cause issues to the roofing materials being installed, it’s best to take advantage of the balmy days of fall to have your roof inspected. Plus if your roof needs a little love and attention, you’ll be able to give it and save money in the end.
Clean and Seal Your Deck
This is the perfect time of year to clean, repair and then seal your deck. The heat of the summer can cause many issues. Before winter hits and causes even more damage, take a few hours to power wash, do repairs to any hardware and then seal your deck. The more time that goes by before doing this, the more of a chance you can see rot or splitting boards.
Winterize Your Driveway, Walkways, and Sidewalks
Most people don’t think about their driveway. Sun, snow, ice, and salt can take its toll on concrete and asphalt surfaces over the year. It’s easy to winterize your driveway but you need to do it in the fall to see the best results.
- Pull all the Weeds: If you see grass or weeds in the cracks take care of them now.
- Repair Cracks: Use concrete caulk to do a patch of all hairline cracks. Then use a concrete sealer to fix the larger gaps. If you see cracks in an asphalt driveway, you’ll need to apply asphalt crack sealer.
- Clean and Seal the Surface: Before the temperatures, it gets into the 40’s use a pressure washer to clean your driveway and then seal it with a concrete or asphalt sealer to prevent damage during the snowy months.
Clean and Inspect Your Fireplace
A proper chimney cleaning is often overlooked. Make sure you do this each year to ensure safety at all times.
Fireplaces can produce small deposits that are highly combustible and can burn at over temps of over 2000 degrees Fahrenheit according to many experts. This means that having a fire could cause damage to the surface area of your chimney and you won’t know it until it’s too late.
Check on Your Home’s Heating and Air
No one likes a broken furnace! Since an older furnace can be up to 50 percent less efficient than a newer model, make sure you replace yours when it’s not functioning as it should. You should also:
- Check Air Filters: Replacing those that are dirty.
- Clean Up Your Outdoor Unit: Double-check for things like leaves and debris in your unit.
- Schedule a Maintenance Check: Just because it is working fine, does not mean that there is a potential problem in the works. A professional can check this and know if there are leaks or other issues.
Clean, Repair and Improve Your Gutters and Downspouts
It might not be your favorite job but it will help your home and special call your roof function better.
Remove any leaves, twigs, and debris that can prevent proper drainage. Also, inspect the joints and tighten the brackets and replace pieces of the gutter if necessary.
While you may be caught up in the beauty of the cooler season, don’t forget to take a little time to prepare for Winter. You’ll save a lot of money in last-minute winter weather repairs if you do! Plus, winterizing your home’s exterior means you can sit back and enjoy it!