Every year your house gets a little older and aged a little more. With our ever-changing temperatures and weather conditions, which can come with some costly repairs. To avoid as many problems in the future and have a home you can continue to enjoy throughout the year.
Fall Home Maintenance Checklist – FREE DOWNLOAD BELOW
That is why we created for you a Fall Home Maintenance Checklist that you can use throughout the year. We hope you use this checklist as a resource to do a thorough check of your home and any repairs you can do yourself in our DIY/Pinterest world. We also want you to give us a call for any repairs you don’t feel comfortable doing yourself and/or would like a service professional to do them for you. Roofing by Design, Inc. is here to help you!
Here are 10 Fall Home Maintenance Tips to avoid costly repairs in the future:
1. Clean Out Your Gutters
Late Summer/Early Fall is the perfect time to clean out your gutters to that they work perfectly and look their best. If there is someone in your home that is confident going up on a ladder, you can clean your own gutters by climbing up to the gutters and scooping out any debris or old leaves that have accumulated. However, if you haven’t cleaned out your gutters since before, say, 2017, it’s about time!
This simple fall home maintenance tip will prevent water flowing over your gutters damaging your siding, roofing, or any potential internal wall damage.
2. Doors and Windows
The hollowing of the wind and the thrashing of the thunderstorm rain against our windows in the summer take a beating, although we haven’t gotten much. Fall is the ideal time to make repairs to window sills to keep out the cold air during the Winter. Check for any decay or rot and seal with caulk, if necessary. Also, check and repair or replace weatherstripping on doors.
3. Exterior Walls
Just like our doors and windows, the walls outside our home have taken a beating and need some TLC. Paint may be peeling from them. Most homes in the South have shutters that may have come loose and need some tightening to them. And before you put those Christmas lights up, look at your brick for cracks and siding for any damage.
4. Check for Loose or Missing Roof Shingles
First of all, let me say that using a roofing professional is recommended to avoid damage to your roof! I think as homeowners what we don’t see, we forget. The roof is one of the main things we forget about because we don’t look up all the time and let’s get honest, we can’t check it that easily.
To prepare for the winter months ahead, it is important to inspect your roof and look for shingles that may be damaged. Look for shingles that may have become loose, curled, or are missing.
Leaves are beginning to fall and with trees everywhere in Tennessee and Kentucky our gutters are a great place that they love to land. When you clean your gutters and you see black or dark granules in them, this is a sign that your shingles are deteriorating and loosing its coating that protects your home from rain and weather conditions. If you don’t feel comfortable getting on your roof, and really who does, call us or a professional in your area to inspect your roof and get the necessary repairs done before the cold weather hits.
5. Interior Surfaces
Head to your local Home Improvement store and grab a couple of tubes of color-matched exterior caulking and make a journey around your home’s interior, sealing up cracks between the tub and floor, sinks and tile, and around your shower. Preventing moisture from getting inside your walls is one of the least expensive — and most important — of your fall home maintenance jobs.
6. Electrical System
With the cold weather coming to Nashville and the Tennessee area, the quicker our hair dries the warmer we get. Most plugs in bathrooms are filled with hair dryers, flat irons, and curling rods which with older homes may switch a breaker. This is the time to check fuses or breaker boxes too.
7. Change the Air Filters
With the cold nights of Winter approaching, the Fall season is a good time to call your heating and cooling professional to have your heater checked and serviced to have you ready for the cold days ahead. Take this time to clean or change your air filters picking some up at your home improvement store. Also, check your water heater for any leaks.
8. Time to Put the Hose Away
It’s time to pack up that garden hose and disconnect it from the outdoor valves. With our Tennessee winters, freezing conditions are almost a given. Winterize by closing the shut-off valve that is used for outside faucets and then open them to drain.
9. Seal Any Outside Patio Decks
If you have a patio deck or fence, fall and spring are a great time to seal and protect from the harsh weather conditions. Wood exposed for a certain amount of time can split and strip paint and debris.
10. Replace Batteries in Smoke Detectors
With increased use of the fireplace, heaters, and kitchen appliances, having reliable smoke detectors is a must for the safety of your family and home. Fall is the perfect time to replace all batteries from the detectors.
FREE Fall Home Maintenance Checklist Form – PDF
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