Essential Home Maintenance Tasks To Complete Before Autumn

While our work is generally focused on bespoke stair builds and custom indoor handrails, we do have the opportunity to work with a lot of builders and designers in our day-to-day lives. Since summer is winding down and the “‘Ber Months” are just a few weeks away, we thought it would be helpful to share some tips to keep that beautiful, recently renovated home in tip-top shape all year round. Today’s blog is dedicated to highlighting those end-of-summer and early-autumn tasks for home maintenance.

Here are some essential home maintenance tasks to complete before Autumn:

Inspect and seal air leaks in windows and doors. A good quality weather stripping, appropriate caulking (indoor or outdoor does matter!), or foam tape will get the job done efficiently and easily.  Clear plastic film on older interior windows also helps insulate for the daily temperature drops and incoming windy fall weather.  On older windows, you can reglaze the glass panes as long as its above 50ºF.  On the interior side, swap out your curtains for multi-layer thermal and insulating options or layer thicker solid curtains beneath sheers.

Do a thorough inspection of your roof and the gutters. Keep your eyes peeled for missing shingles, damaged shingles and granule loss, signs of water damage and leaks, algae and moss stains, missing caulking at the flashings, rusted flashing, debris build-up, bent or sagging gutters.  Keep your eyes peeled for nails that are missing or have popped up, too.  Give any skylights a good once-over and check for cracks, broken seals and damaged flashing. Inspect the gutters and downspouts a thorough cleanout while you’re up there, too. 

Pressure washing exterior surfaces such as siding and decking, concrete and asphalt, and outdoor furniture each season can prevent unsightly and damaging mold, fungus, grime, and dirt build-up.  Additionally, it can also reduce the presence of allergens and irritants, and prevent mold and mildew from being exacerbated during wet fall and winter months.  For surfaces like decking and fencing, a thorough powerwashing can remove stain and paint; it’s vital you prep and stain or paint the surfaces ASAP and seal them with weather proof finishes before the weather gets cool and damp.  Late Summer and early fall are the best time to pressure wash and refinish. Clean outdoor furniture and if it’s wood, give it a thorough protective coat of stain and sealant.

When the weather gets cooler and your family loses interest in swimming, closing your pool off properly for the season is crucial to prevent long-term damage.  Cleaning the pool thoroughly, balancing the water chemistry with winterizing products, lowering the water level, and winterizing your equipment will save you issues when opening next season.  Remove all debris, vacuum the pool, clean the filter and the skimmer and pumps, shock the pool to prevent algae and bacteria from wintering over, and purchase a well-fitted, well-sealing cover.

Have the chimney cleaned and maintained by a pro! Chimney’s can accumulate a substance called creosote which is highly flammable and the leading cause of chimney fires!  They should be regularly cleaned by a professional service.  A technician will also inspect the chimney for cracks, blockages, wear and tear, overall structural integrity, and adequate ventilation.  

Clean out the clothes dryer exhaust duck, under, and behind the dryer and remove all lint and dust accumulated.  To clear it, detach the duct from the dryer and get a strong vacuum inside to gather loose lint and debris, and if necessary use a special brush designed for cleaning the lint trap and small spaces.  For difficult to reach places or if you’re not sure you’ve finished the job, you can always hire a professional who will do the job very efficiently and quickly. This should be done annually for maximum fire safety!

Test your carbon monoxide and smoke detectors! Loccate the test button on eah device and press down for a few seconds, and if you hear an alarm sound the device is working properly. If not, consider replacing the batteries and retesting. If that doesn’t solve the issue, you’ll need to replace the detector entirely. Remember to forewarn household members you’re testing the devices to avoid any panic!

Your HVAC filter should be changed monthly for optimal care and at the very least quarterly (every 3 months.)  Choose the filter that best suits your home – special HEPA filters exist for those with severe allergies, and pet-specific filters target dander, allergens, and pet hair from animals in the home.  If you notice any restricted air flow or poor heating/cooling efficiency, start with an inspection of the filter, and consider hiring an HVAC technician for an additional maintenance call to service the unit as needed.

Annual maintenance on your home furnace is vital; schedule a maintenance call before the cooler months hit to ensure consistent heating service and hot water. Likewise you’ll want to regularly drain and flush your water heater around the same time; for those with hard water, you’ll want to do this twice per year.

Wash your home’s windows, clean and replace the window screens and storm window inserts.  They should be washed twice a year for optimal maintenance.  Swap out any screens for storm windows and clean the screen inserts to store aside.

Check the grading around your home to ensure water is running away from the home, not towards it.  Do a thorough walk-around the property and keep your eyes eeled for water pooling after rainstorms; water should flow away from the foundation not towards it.  Any ground around the foundation should slope away and down not up and towards. Any small spots of incorrect grading you can adjust the slope by adding topsoil or removing it to correct, but for large discrepancies you’ll want to hire a professional to assist you.

Order your fall-planted bulbs and shrubbery at the end of summer to ensure big blossom and foliage for spring!  Give all out-of-season or end-of-season plants a thorough pruning and apply the appropriate seasonal fertilizer to help them winter over safely.  

Inspect any fencing and perform repairs on broken areas or peeled, chipping paint or warped vinyl. Have these items replaced or repaired before cold weather hits and the items warp/break further due to humidity and snow/ice cause further issue.