10 Fall Maintenance Tips For Homeowners
October 10th, 2024
Fall Home Maintenance Tips
Do you want to know how to prepare your house for the fall season? Here are ten excellent fall maintenance tips to ensure your home is ready for colder weather.
Fall is best known for its cooler temperatures and the changing colors of leaves, but it is also an excellent time for homeowners to complete home maintenance. Since the moderate weather and comfortable conditions make this the perfect time to work on painting and landscaping, fall is an ideal time to get outdoors and complete important home tasks.
Considered the last chance to prepare your home for winter, fall maintenance completed before the temperature drops can prevent damage and keep your family safe from the cold and snow until spring comes along.
It is recommended that home maintenance be completed on a regular schedule every six months, once in the spring and once in the fall. Homeowners should always check their homes and yards for damage that needs to be repaired or replaced throughout the year.
Whether you just bought your home or have lived in the same house for years, performing regular home maintenance can boost curb appeal and save you money by preventing costly repairs and replacements.
Before conducting home maintenance in the fall, have a plan and keep track of what needs attention. If you have a home in Raleigh, follow these home maintenance tips.
Follow these top ten fall home maintenance tips.
Chapters
1. Clean Gutters
One of the most essential fall maintenance tips for homeowners is cleaning gutters, especially if you live near tall trees. The key to gutter cleaning in the fall is to wait until most of the leaves from nearby trees have fallen, which is usually mid-to-late November, depending on where you live.
Cleaning gutters once all the leaves have fallen helps prepare your home for winter and prevents clogs and water damage. While fall is the perfect time to clean gutters, no matter where you live, it is also reccommended to clean them in the spring to help prevent damage to your home throughout the year.
Since a home's gutter system controls the flow of rainwater, when leaves, sticks, and other debris build up, it can lead to mold growth, roof damage, foundation damage, pest problems, and ice dams.
Professional gutter cleaning services are available for hire, but the best way to clean gutters is to clear large debris by hand and then flush the remaining leaves and dirt with a garden hose or pressure washer.
2. Inspect Your Roof
Early fall is the perfect time to inspect your roof and ensure it is ready for harsher weather once winter arrives. The best way to inspect the roof is by walking around and observing from the outside. Look out for noticeable wear and tear, large piles of debris, and buckled shingles.
It is also a good idea to examine the attic and check for signs of leaks, decay, or discoloration from the inside. The average lifespan of a roof usually ranges around 25 to 50 years, but it varies depending on roofing materials, quality, durability, and environmental conditions.
Regular maintenance can significantly impact a roof's lifespan, and with proper care, it can last a very long time. Roof repairs should be completed before temperatures drop to prevent further damage and ensure the quality of materials. The overall cost of replacing a roof depends on its size, design, and materials.
3. Test Your Detectors
Testing smoke and carbon monoxide detectors in the home should be part of your fall home maintenance checklist and is a great way to keep your kids safe at home. The American Red Cross recommends that you test your detectors at least once a month and again once the clocks are turned back for Daylight Savings Time.
Smoke alarms should be installed on each level of your home and placed inside and outside bedrooms and sleeping areas. Smoke and carbon monoxide detectors should be replaced immediately if they no longer work or are older than ten years.
While home fires can happen any time during the year, they tend to be most common in the fall and winter due to increased cooking in the kitchen, increased use of holiday candles, and faulty heating equipment.
4. Ready Your Fireplace
While it depends on your location, the fall season brings cooler weather. Many homeowners love using a fireplace during autumn to stay warm and create a cozy ambiance.
Whether your home has an electric or gas-burning fireplace, it is essential to prepare it beforehand and follow the necessary precautions before using it for the first time.
There are more than 17.5 million fireplaces nationwide, and one of the most significant contributors to home fires is the failure to clean and prepare a chimney. Before use, remove ash and debris, clean the vents and walls of the fireplace, inspect the chimney for buildup or damage, repair or replace faulty chimney caps, and check for loose or exposed wires in gas fireplaces.
Keep fires small, use freshly cut firewood, and follow all fire safety measures. Once a fire is lit, never leave it unattended.
5. Drain Outdoor Faucets
Before the first freeze of the season, you should drain outdoor faucets to prevent frozen pipes, which can burst and cause damage to your home. Mid to late fall is the perfect time to accomplish this.
Turn off the water supply valve to the outdoor faucet and remove any garden hoses. Allow the water to drain, and leave the faucet open for a few hours to ensure all the water can escape.
Next, install an outdoor faucet cover to protect the faucet from the elements during the colder months. Outdoor faucet covers also help keep out pests and work to trap heat that radiates from indoor plumbing.
6. Seal Air Leaks
Sealing air leaks in your home during the fall months can reduce heating and cooling costs, improve air quality, and make your home more comfortable by reducing drafts.
Caulking and weatherstripping are two easy and effective air-sealing techniques that many homeowners can use. Caulk and weatherstrip any doors and windows that leak air, and pay special attention to leaks around plumbing, ducting, or electrical wiring that passes through the walls, floors, or ceilings.
7. Prepare Your Lawn and Trees
You should prepare your lawn and trees by following essential lawn care practices before winter sets in. One of the first steps is to rake up leaves. Excessive leaf matter can smother grass and inhibit its growth in the spring.
This is also a great time to aerate and fertilize the lawn, especially for cool-season grasses. Aeration is essential before seeding and fertilizing since it loosens the soil and helps nutrients reach the roots.
Remove weeds, mulch around trees and in garden beds, remove dead or diseased branches from trees and plants, and continue to mow the lawn until the first frost when growth stops for the season.
Keeping up lawn maintenance in the fall is one of the best ways to improve fall curb appeal and ensure that your home exterior remains in top condition throughout the winter.
8. Check On Your Heating System
Fall mornings and evenings in Raleigh can reach into the 40s. While fall temperatures depend on where you live, lower temperatures in Raleigh and its surrounding suburbs during this cooler season will require you to turn on your home heater.
Before turning on the heater for the season, it is a good idea to schedule regular maintenance on your home HVAC system, once in the fall for the furnace and once in the spring for the air conditioning.
Test the thermostat to ensure it works properly, and change air filters regularly to provide good air quality. I'm checking on your heating system before turning it on for the season to ensure it is safe, reliable, and running as efficiently as possible.
Identifying minor issues before they become more significant concerns will save you money in the long run and can extend the heater's lifespan. Consider investing in an ENERGY STAR smart thermostat to help save money on energy bills and regulate your home's temperature efficiently.
9. Touch Up Exterior Paint
Weather conditions in the fall are perfect for painting the exterior of your home. Not only are humidity levels low in the fall, but cooler temperatures mean that the paint will dry faster, and there will be a reduced risk of uneven drying, peeling, or blistering.
The optimal painting temperature is in the 70s with little to no humidity, so early fall is the best time to paint outdoors. Not to mention that cooler temperatures are more comfortable for working outdoors.
When painting the exterior of your home, first remove dirt with a pressure washer, repair any damaged surfaces, caulk trim, protect doors, windows, and lighting fixtures with tape and plastic sheeting, and paint by working from the top down. This is also a great time to paint your front door.
10. Repair Driveway and Sidewalks
Asphalt cracks and potholes only get bigger over time and can lead to costly repairs if not dealt with right away. Not only are they safety hazards for drivers and pedestrians, but cracks and potholes can widen in the winter if water seeps into the cracks and damaged areas and freezes.
Repairing damaged driveways and sidewalks in the fall before snow, ice, and freezing temperatures arrive will reduce stress and save you a lot of money. Before winter, power wash your driveway and sidewalks to remove debris, dirt, and oils and patch or repave them.
FAQs
Why is fall home maintenance important?
Fall home maintenance is essential since it ensures that your home is in top condition for the season ahead and can withstand cold and harsh winter weather.
How do I keep track of home maintenance?
The best way to manage home maintenance is to plan ahead and make a schedule. You can also set reminders on your phone and schedule tasks to repeat weekly, monthly, or yearly.
How often should home maintenance tasks be performed?
Home maintenance should be completed regularly to prevent further damage and decrease costs. Identifying items that need maintenance and repairs at least every six months is recommended.
Methodology
To determine the best fall maintenance tips for homeowners, data and information were sourced from the American Red Cross, Benjamin Moore, the United States Department of Energy, Home Depot, Architectural Digest, and Better Homes and Gardens.
Fall Maintenance Tips For Homeowners - Final Thoughts
Fall maintenance is an essential part of homeownership. It prevents costly repairs and ensures the safety of your home and everyone living in it. Consider what needs to be done and determine whether or not you are hiring professionals to complete each task.
Once you complete the necessary home maintenance in Raleigh, you can spend the rest of the fall season exploring a pumpkin patch or visiting a haunted house. The autumn season is beautiful in Raleigh, and the experts at Raleigh Realty are here to help you with your buying or selling needs.
Ryan Fitzgerald
Hi there! Nice to 'meet' you and thanks for visiting our Raleigh Real Estate Blog! My name is Ryan Fitzgerald, and I'm a REALTOR® in Raleigh-Durham, NC, the owner of Raleigh Realty. I work alongside some of the best Realtors in Raleigh. You can find more of my real estate content on Forbes, Wall Street Journal, U.S. News and more. Realtor Magazine named me a top 30 under 30 Realtor in the country (it was a long time ago haha). Any way, that's enough about me. I'd love to learn more about you if you'd like to connect with me on Facebook and Instagram or connect with our team at Raleigh Realty. Looking forward to connecting!
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