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According to the calendar it’s official, fall is finally upon us. To those of you that live in warm weather areas it just means that time of the year when the temperature dulls a few degrees. However, to many of us it is final stepping stone on the way to winter. It also means that time is winding down to get to your home maintenance to-do list. While I wrote here earlier in the year about spring time home maintenance I still consider myself a newbie to home ownership, but I know the key to saving money on costly home maintenance is prevention! Do yourself a favor and check out my suggestions below.
Change Your Filters
This is something I make sure is done before each summer when I run my central air conditioning, and then again before I turn on my furnace for the winter. I’ve seen how dirty those filter systems get after just a few months, and it’s not a pretty sight. Make sure you keep the health of yourself and your family protected this coming season.
Leaky Faucets and Pipes
During the summer a leaky faucet or pipe can certainly be a nuisance, but often ones that we find we can live with. During the winter these pipes can turn into a travesty of repairs. I know less than nothing about plumbing, and hiring out can be quite costly, so do yourself a favor and get those leaks fixed now. A burst pipe during winter is an issue you want to avoid.
Inspect Your Gutters
Your gutters are a magnet for the falling leaves of autumn, as well as various other types of dirt and debris. It’s also wise to make sure the gutters and drained are securely fastened to the house. Snow and water can freeze in the gutters and create a lot of extra weight that can cause them to loosen and come undone.
Sprinkler and Lawn Home Maintenance
You would think that with onset of colder weather, lawn and sprinkler maintenance should be the least of your worries. However, it’s vital that you have professional come out and winterize your sprinkler system so that the lines don’t freeze during the winter. Also, fall is a great time to aerate and fertilize your lawn. This will ensure a healthy lawn come spring. Don’t forget to rake those leaves up as well. Leaves trapped under the snow can cause dead patches of lawn over the winter season.
Inspect Drafts from Windows and Doors
Personally this is an area where I’m lacking. I desperately need to replace my windows, even when they are closed the blinds shutter from a strong wind outside. If the seals, wood around the windows, or caulking is broken, then a great deal of heat can escape this way. If you can’t afford to have them replaced then purchase weather strips and try and repair them to the best of your ability. Well made blinds, and thick drapery can aid in insulation as well.
I wish you all well with your home maintenance checklist. Make sure you enjoy the beautiful autumn days before winter arrives!
What other autumn home maintenance tips do you suggest?
Guest article from Justin who is a 30 year old MBA that works in corporate finance, and has a passionate hobby for personal finance. For more diversified tips on financial management, and other fun stuff, please visit Money is the Root. Today Justin will discuss maintaining a home maintenance schedule.
good tips, also… don’t forget to shut off that outside faucet if you live somewhere where temps drop below freezing. Burst pipes are not fun to deal with :)
Yes- turn that water off from the inside of the house, and, drain the pipe!
I just created a big list of things I have to do. Changing all the filters was on there, but I had forgotten about the gutters. Just wrote it down. Thanks for the reminder!
What else was on your list MB?
Great tips. Checking cracks and leaks is on our list for next week. We also like to make sure our radiators have been blown off of dust so that when we turn them on we don’t push that dust throughout the house.
For us we need to bleed our NG rads.
I’m fortunate that the house I live in is tall without many big trees around at all so I don’t think it is even possible for my gutters to fill up with leaves!
Im fortunate that my house is tall, thus the gutters are pretty high up there. Though with strong winds it is amazing where those leaves and debris will blow.
I would add seal your driveway to the list. The best time to have this service done is before winter. You do not want snow sitting on driveway that is not sealed! fortunately you only have to do this every few years. The service is also significantly cheaper if it is performed in September.
Interesting tip. I do suppose that the driveway pavers do have less work as the winter approaches.
Agreed. I have a cement driveway, fortunately these dont crack as easily as asphalt…if you have asphalt, letting that go even one year can tear up your driveway pretty badly.
We need to inspect our gutters; it did not rain for six months+ here in Houston, but now it’s rained three times in the last month (Hallelujah!!), and I noticed some blogs and waterfalls.
Well summarized Justin. I definitely agree with the filters. When I was in college, my roommates and I failed to clean out the filters for the longest time in our apt (because we thought we were saving money) and it was SO gross when we finally replaced them. I won’t ever make that mistake.
I suggest avoiding those re-usable filters. Yes, buy disposable! The re-use ones are a lot like your dryer filter – you can’t really tell if it is clean.
Thanks! I learned this lesson on day 1 of owning a home. The previous owners apparently didnt change them often enough, and the it left stain on the carpeting around the floor registers.
Good list! You can buy drapes with an insulating liner that help too. They are often on sale in Spring.
editor: removed commercial link
We live in a condo and we don’t have most of these issues BUT filters, doors and windows are VERY importnant for us. I hate drafts and I looove warmth. Gas is expensive, so it is imperative for us to make sure we have good filters and no drafts or we will have to pay for it. Literally! Great post! As usual! :)
Proper caulking and quality windows do wonders!
We are in a pretty chilly time here in Georgia too. We finally hit 46 degrees F. My dad works in HVAC so he always checks the doors and windows for drafts.
Thanks for the reminder, I need to make a trip to Home Depot for some filters. One thing I just did not too long ago was to inspect my roof. Although I have a tile tile roof, the roof over my back patio is lined and I sealed it with a rubberized roofing material that should last another 10 years.
I think I’ve finally completed my “honey-do” list for this season! This is a major accomplishment for me as I am not a natural handyman.
It is really nice tips….thanks for sharing this post.
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