This morning, I woke up to the kind of weather I love and made plans to pull weeds and cut down the lilies. It now officially feels like fall and that means getting our home prepped for cooler weather.
OUTSIDE
I always start by walking around the house and checking for any siding damage and places where the paint is peeling. We have woodpeckers, so every year there are woodpecker holes to fill. This job is always one of my first fall projects because paint can’t dry properly in freezing weather.
Another job I try to get done before it gets too cold is lawn work. For us that means raking and more raking. You don’t need to get up all the leaves, in fact it isn’t possible most years since leaves continue to fall even after the snow, but you don’t want clumps of leaves that become a slip hazard and don’t allow for any new growth next spring. If you aerate and fertilize your lawn, fall is a good time to do that. Continue to water and help your lawn recover from the summer heat and prepare for winter. And don’t forget to water the trees, too!
Clean the gutter and downspout! You want to get this job done before you put the hoses away for the year.
Make sure all your outdoor lighting is working.
If you have a sprinkler system, have a company blow it out or you can do it yourself with an air compressor. Most likely you will need to do each zone separately. Blowing it out is a balancing act between getting all the water out and not melting the plastic pieces.
While you are winterizing things don’t forget your lawn mower/tractor. Run it till all the gas is gone. If you have had mice in your garage you may want to cover all the openings with plastic wrap or aluminum foil, to ensure they don’t make a winter home inside your machinery.
Mend cracks and gaps in the driveway and sidewalk.
If you are not a winter griller, clean, cover and put your grill in the garage. Disconnect the propane hoses and store the propane tank safely.
Put away your outdoor furniture and bring in any outdoor plants that won’t survive the winter.
Search your garage for things that will freeze. Paint will never be the same if it has frozen over the winter. Clay pots with soil in them will often crack and break during cold months.
Trim the bushes and trees.
The last outdoor item would be to drain your garden hoses. You can use an air compressor to blow the water out or just straighten the hoses out and lay them on some sloped land where the water will naturally drain out. If you have an indoor shut off, open the outside spigot and close off the inside spigot and then when all the water is drained close the outside spigot.
INSIDE
Replace the batteries in the smoke and carbon monoxide detectors. Your home should have at least a smoke and carbon monoxide detector for each level. Most cities require a smoke detector in every bedroom.
Schedule an inspection and cleaning for your heating system. Between heating and cooling systems is the perfect time to schedule that tune up.
Often overlooked, it is important to vacuum out the heat registers and heating vents as well as bathroom and dryer exhaust vents.
If you have and use your wood burning fireplace, it should be cleaned and serviced about every 70 fires.
All done? Now you’re ready for those continually cooling temperatures that lead to w….. (sorry, not ready for that word quite yet!).
Real Estate | Your@HomeTeam 