The leaves are changing colors, the days are cooler and whether you’re ready or not, Fall is upon us. Before it gets too rainy and cold, there are a few things to do around your home and yard to prepare for months ahead. Take the time to prepare your home for Fall and prevent larger issues down the road.
1. Clean Your Gutters
If your home has a tree (or several) that hang over your home, it’s time for a clean! Why now? The leaves have fallen and the rain is coming. It’s extremely important that you have gutters that are working properly and directing water away from your home. The last thing you want is to have a larger project replacing siding that is rotten from downspout/gutter issues OR (even better) start getting water in your crawl space or basement. It is not fun, I promise.
2. Fill Concrete & Asphalt Cracks
Fill these before it rains, freezes and creates more cracks in your concrete/asphalt. Hairline cracks naturally occur overtime from settling. By fillings these smaller cracks in the fall before the ground freezes again, you’ll prevent them from getting larger.
3. Winterize Exterior Faucets
Do not forget to do this: winterize your exterior faucets and hoses! Which simply means drain the lines of water and put an insulated cap over the head of the faucet. That’s it. If you skip this one, your water lines could potentially burst, and that’ll cost you thousands of dollars in repairs. This tip is an important one to prepare your home for fall.
4. Service your Furnace + Fireplace
If you haven’t had your furnace serviced and cleaned, pay the $120 that is costs to get a professional HVAC technician to your house and do it! If you have already done so within the year, simply replace the filter. Do you have a heat pump or A/C unit? If so, it’s best to get these serviced at the tail end of summer or during the warmer months. An A/C unit cannot be used or tested when the temperature is lower than 55 degrees (this varies based on unit and manufacturer).
5. Clean Your Outdoor Furniture & Bring It In!
Outdoor furniture isn’t cheap… Give it a good scrub or pressure wash and bring it into the garage or basement. Ideally, anywhere that maintains relatively low humidity to slow the wear and tear of your outdoor pieces. You’ll probably need to wash it again before setting it up in the spring, but don’t let this be a reason to not clean before putting it inside! You will appreciate not having to scrub so intensely later on.
6. Caulking
Our rainy weather requires us homeowners to do a little more when it comes to exterior maintenance and we HAVE to do it! Or it will create substantially more work (and headache) in our future. Look around the trim on your windows to see if you need a new bead of caulk, if you do, just peel off the existing line and lay down a fresh one. Less is more when it comes to caulking. Personally, I leave this up to my general contractor. It is noticeable when you do a bad job! This activity can single handedly lower your heating bills and make your home more airtight.
7. Reverse the Ceiling Fan
Your fan traditionally runs counter-clockwise, which is what we want in the summer to create a breeze. In the winter however if you flip the switch and run your fan clockwise, warm air will be pushed from the ceiling and circulate the warm air! An easy change to prepare your home for fall.
8. Prune Your Fruit Trees
The trees are now going dormant. The are sucking in nutrients into their roots to prepare to produce fruit or for next season. If you haven’t pruned a tree before, consult with a professional arborist. If you feel confident in doing it yourself, or would like to learn more on how to do it properly, refer to Master Gardeners of WSU! They offer training, guidance and also help answer any plant questions you may have.
Call/Text Realtor Jenny Wetzel (253) 381-9788 or Email – Jenny@JennyWetzelHomes.com