Winter is Coming: Fall Maintenance Tips

With summer well behind us, and winter not too far off it’s important to prepare for the colder days ahead. In between the pumpkin spice lattes, apple picking, and brisk fall hikes, there is work to be done around the house. We’ve provided fall maintenance tips to protect your home from damage during the winter. Taking care of these chores now will save you money later!

Outdoor’s Chores

Making sure that the exterior of your home is in good shape is important because damage to these part such as your roof, siding, windows and gutters can be costly if they’re not cared for and maintained properly.

Take a lap around your house and check for any cracks in the foundation. This can happen easily due to the extreme colds Minnesota winters bringer. Also, check for peeling or blistering paint on your siding. Make sure to scrape off all of the old paint before you prime and re-paint.

The Roof

Next, pull out your ladder because it’s time to head up to the roof! This can be extremely dangerous, so make sure you have someone on the ground stabilizing the ladder for you. While you’re up here, inspect the roof for missing or loose shingles. If you come across any, call a professional to fix these rather than trying to do the job yourself.

Gutters

While the leaves changing colors are beautiful to look at, they can wreak havoc on your gutters and downspouts. Make sure to clean these out when you’re up on the roof. It’s one of the most important fall maintenance tips we can give. Clogged gutters can cause Ice Dams in the winter, which could seriously damage your roof shingles and the interior of your home. Here is more info on how to identify and remove ice dams if they occur.

Windows

We saved the best for last: windows. Make sure to go around your home and caulk windows and weatherstrip your doors. This will prevent heat from escaping in the winter. The next step is to remove, clean and store screens until spring. Removing the screens will increase the solar heat gain in the winter. Finally, make sure to install storm windows and doors to protect your windows from the impending snowfall.

Fall Maintenance Inside Your Home

Here are some tips to make sure the inside of your home is also ready for winter! The main things you want to focus on are your heating system, air filters, windows, and doors.

Before it gets too cold, you want to make sure that your heat is working properly. If you have a fireplace, make sure that this is ready for use. If you’re using a natural wood fireplace, it’s important that you check your smoke detector is working properly. Likewise, if you’re using a gas fireplace, check your carbon monoxide detector is working too.

Finally, go around your house and make sure windows are sealed to prevent drafts. This is especially important if you are removing a window air conditioning unit that has been in place for a few months.

Home Maintenance Checklist

We hope these tips will help guide you as you prepare your home for the winter months. Since Minnesota winters can be especially harsh compared to the rest of the country, it’s important to us that these tips are readily available to our customers. Here’s a printable checklist of fall maintenance tips from Bob Vila that may be of use as you go about your work in the next couple months.

 

Comments are closed.