We know you would probably rather be preparing for pumpkin carving, pumpkin spicing, and maybe even punkin chunkin but when your home is your biggest investment, as it is for many of us, we just don’t have that luxury until everything is checked off the home maintenance list.
Here’s our Honey-Do Checklist of important fall home maintenance tasks to do every year:
- Clean your gutters and rain spouts. Regular maintenance and cleaning helps remove debris or clogs that could prevent water from moving away from your home and therefore preventing potential water damage. If you’re not comfortable on a ladder or don’t have a ladder buddy, call a professional.
- Inspect your roof. While you – or they – are up, look at the roof for signs of potential problems such as missing or damaged shingles. This will give you time to have any issues repaired and protect your home from winter roof leaks.
- Clean and store your lawn equipment.Those in the cooler regions will want to make sure the equipment is cleaned and dried to prevent rusting while in storage over the winter. Items like lawnmowers and weed whackers may need fuel and sparkplugs removed. See This Old House for winterizing a lawn mower.
- Turn off exterior faucets. If the temperature goes below freezing, water left in hoses and pipes could freeze causing the hoses and pipes to burst. If your outside faucets have a shut-off valve, turn that off, as well. Don’t forget the sprinkler system!
- Have your heating system cleaned and inspected.Call your technician to take care of your heater so you don’t run the risk of being without heat when you need it most. If you have a chimney, get that cleaned, too.
- Inspect your home fire prevention tools. Make sure that you have a working fire extinguisher and replace the batteries in your smoke detectors.
Because there is always more to do when you’re a homeowner please check out The Annual Home Maintenance Checklist from the New York Times.
Remember, failure to maintain is like planning an uncovered claim.