This is your first year as a home owner. You’re now a pro at mowing the lawn, landscaping and planting flowers.
There’s a change of seasons on the horizon and you may wonder what you should do to prepare your home for the Fall and Winter. Here are seven home projects to do before Fall to insure an easy transition from the hot summer months to the freezing cold of Winter.
Clean Your Gutters
We are so used to our gutters doing their job and working properly that we don’t even think about the volume of water that travels through them each year. If the gutters get clogged with twigs, branches and leaves, they can not do their job properly. Water blockages cause flooding and water damage to the interior and exterior of your home. Cleaning the gutters should be high on your priority list before Fall.
Change Your Furnace Filter
If you do not change your furnace filter every few months, the filter will become clogged and dirty. A dirty filter makes your furnace work harder, prevents it from warming your home efficiently and increases your heating bills. If you change your filter regularly, you won’t experience these issues.
Drain Your Outside Faucets
Drain and disconnect all the garden hoses from outside spigots to prevent water from freezing inside the faucet and pipes. If you forget or do not do this, your pipes may freeze and burst during the extreme cold of winter. When pipes freeze and break, a flood in the interior of the home is probable and costly.
Fertilize Your Lawn
If you enjoy a green yard in early Spring, it is crucial to fertilize your lawn in the late Fall and/or close to Winter. Although you do not think your yard is growing in the cold weather months, the roots are still active and require nutrients.
Clean Your Chimney
The fireplace becomes a popular home feature when the temperature begins to drop outside. Therefore, it is important to hire a professional chimney sweep to inspect and clean the chimney of any built-up chemicals or nests that animals may have built inside your chimney. If there is a build-up in the chimney, the result may be a dangerous house fire.
Store Patio Furniture
Your outdoor furniture should be moved into your garage, basement or a well-insulated shed before bad weather commences. Storage prevents the furniture from being damaged during the cold and rainy seasons. You should also considering m0ving your outdoor potted plants inside once the temperature drops below fifty degrees.
Change Your Batteries
The batteries in smoke detectors and carbon monoxide devices should be changed at lease once a year to keep them in working condition. You want these devices to work when they are needed.
As a smart home owner, you should prepare your home for the change in seasons. These steps will help you to avoid damages that could occur if you were not prepared.
