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Fall is a great time to take care of home repair projects before shorter days, and soon, snow, ice, and low temperatures in southeastern Wisconsin make outdoor work more difficult. With cold weather coming soon, take some time this fall to boost energy efficiency throughout your home and prevent damage from winter storms. Cross these items off your custom home fall checklist this season, and you can relax more easily, knowing that your home is ready for winter.
Custom Home Fall Checklist
Turn Off Outside Water and Remove the Hoses
If you’re done using your hoses for the year, remove them from exterior faucets and store them. Protect your pipes from freezing temperatures by shutting off water to exterior faucets before the weather dips below freezing. Drain hoses and store them indoors. Drain and winterize the irrigation system if you have one.
- Remove and store outside hoses
- Turn the water off to outside faucets to protect against frozen pipes
- Locate your water shut-off valve in case of a frozen pipe this coming winter
Check Your Roof
The last thing you want in the middle of winter is a leak. Remove moss from shaded areas, clear debris from corners, and look for damaged shingles. Replace or repair them as needed.
- Look for chipped or cracked shingles and replace as needed
- Inspect rubber exhaust flashing for cracks and carefully replace
Check For Outdoor Safety
Make navigating around your home safer by checking that all stairs are in good shape and have sturdy railings and that the driveway is in good repair to make for easier shoveling.
Test outdoor lights and replace bulbs as needed. As the days get shorter, we rely more on exterior lighting, both for safety and ambiance. Test lights on the front and back porch, on the garage, and in the landscape, and replace bulbs as needed.
Clean Your Gutters
Fall means leaves changing and falling off the trees. Ones nearby can fill your gutters with debris. Schedule a time every other week before winter to clean out the gutters. That way, when cold weather does hit, your gutters will be clean and ready for freezing rain, snow, and other weather conditions.
- Make sure water is not going behind your gutters
- Ensure that all gutters are securely attached to the side of your home before they get weighed down by water
Clean Fireplaces and Heating System
Whether you have a forced-air furnace, a heat pump, a wood stove, or a pellet stove, you’ll want to bring in a professional to clean and inspect it. This should include removing soot and creosote accumulation in your chimney. This requires scheduling a chimney cleaning and heating system maintenance. Making sure your chimney and furnace or boiler are cleaned, maintained, and in working order before you need to turn on the heat is an important safety measure. And be sure to add a chimney cap if you don’t already have one — it will stop animals from getting down your chimney.
- Check the fireplace flue for a tight seal when closed
- Replace air filters on furnaces
- Hire a professional to test your system to maximize performance and safety
- Optional: using a vacuum hose, clean the openings of heating ducts to improve efficiency
Check safety devices.
- Test smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors; replace batteries as needed
- Check the expiration date on your fire extinguisher and replace it if expired
- If you haven’t checked your home for radon, fall is a good time to do so — as the weather gets cooler and windows stay shut more often, radon is more likely to become trapped in your home.
Deep Clean
Vacuum radiators, baseboard heaters, and grates. Get ready for heating season by clearing away dust and grime from radiators, baseboard heaters, and heating grates. If your radiators have removable covers, take them off and vacuum beneath the cover before replacing them.
An overall deep cleaning of the entire home is a great idea. In summer and fall, the windows are often open, allowing dust and debris to get into the home. Getting everything cleaned in the fall leaves your home ready for the cold months ahead.
