Fall Home Maintenance Tips

Everyone loves fall. The seasons brings crisp air, cute sweaters and beautiful leaves.

As the temperature drops and winter approaches, your home needs some tender love and care to avoid costly, and potentially unsafe, damage. Your new home will be at optimal performance for years to come, if you take steps to ensure you are maintaining it.

Make sure your home stays safe with these helpful fall home maintenance tips.

Taking Care of Your Yard in the Fall

Doing a few chores in the garden before the ground freezes helps ensure good spring growth. Clear fallen leaves off your lawn before aerating and fertilizing the lawn. Doing so helps the dormant roots emerge stronger and sooner after the snow melts. According to the National Association of Landscape Professionals (NALP), fall is the perfect time to plant bulbs with peak blooming time in fall and winter, such as like chrysanthemums, boxwood and maples.

“Several classic plantings are also now engineered to be more hardy and long lasting. Expect to see the classics married with modern-day style, with plants arranged in contemporary groupings and landscape designs reflecting clean lines and simple sophistication,” according to a recent NALP news release on fall landscaping trends.

Check the Gutters

Before the bitter cold of winter comes to your area, make sure you clear the gutters. Cleaning the gutters will help prevent damage to the exterior of your home and the cool fall weather is perfect time to do this type of project.

Waiting until winter comes to do this do task means a chance that clogged gutters could push excess water runs onto roofs and that ice dams form. So, it’s time to get those gutters cleared.

Check Your Pipes Before They Freeze

It’s important to protect your pipes during freezing weather, so now’s the time to act. Check outdoor faucets and underground irrigation systems to ensure they are leak free. Frozen water in these systems expands and can cause pipes to burst. To drain underground irrigation systems, look up the manufacture’s guidelines, or hire a professional to drain them for you.

You can also wrap faucets and exposed pipes with insulation made for this task.

Take Care of Your Heating Systems

Chilly fall weather makes people want to crank up the heat, curl up with a good book and get cozy.

Before you really start using your furnaces, fireplaces and gas systems, make sure everything is in working order, especially if you haven’t used it since last season.

Having your furnace inspected by a professional in early fall means a less crowded schedule. Maintaining your furnace and fireplaces will keep your home at optimal performance, but will also keep your family safe this fall and winter season. According to the Chimney Safety Institute, the best way to prevent a chimney fire is to have a certified chimney sweep perform an annual inspection.

Fall is a beautiful time of year. As the leaves turn from green to gold and the weather gets cooler, we come together for hayrides, pumpkin carving and nights by the fire. Maintaining your home before winter sets in ensures you can enjoy everything fall — and winter — has to offer.