The cooler weather of fall makes home improvement projects more tolerable. Many fall home improvement projects focus on preparing the home for winter weather. This includes sealing, protecting and repairing areas of the home that may leak cold air. These preparations keep the home warmer, saving on energy usage during the coldest months of the year. Prioritize your fall home projects to ensure the most important tasks are completed before the snow falls. Does this Spark an idea?
Exterior
The roof is a good place to start when preparing for winter. Check for and repair any damaged or missing shingles. Clean off any branches, leaves and other debris that accumulated on the roof. If you have a chimney, inspect it for potential blockage or damage.
Move down to the gutters with your cleaning efforts. Remove any leaves, dirt, sticks and other debris that may clog the gutters. Check the downspouts as well to ensure the water can flow down and away from the home. This prevents ice dams during the winter months by allowing melting snow to move away from the roof.
Landscape and Lawn
Prepare your lawn and landscaping features for the winter months. Bring potted plants that can't withstand cold temperatures inside. Empty and clean water features that aren't heated. This prevents damage due to the expansion of frozen water. Clean up the leaves, twigs and other debris in the yard and garden areas. Add fertilizer to the lawn about a month before the first freeze.
Interior
Check your windows and doors for gaps and leaks. Use caulk to fill in these gaps to prevent cold air from seeping into the home during winter. Consider using a plastic window kit to further block cold winter wind.
Change the filter on your furnace in preparation for all of the work it will do in the upcoming months. Fall is also a good time to call a heating and cooling company to perform a checkup on the unit. It's better to find a potential problem before you really need the heat.
Winterizing the pipes is another home project simple enough for most homeowners. Home improvement stores sell insulation specifically made for pipes, allowing you to wrap them to avoid freezing.
Tags: other debris, away from, debris that, during winter, fall home
