As the temperature gets colder and sunny days grow shorter, it's time to hit these weekend maintenance projects to make sure your house is ready for cooler months. Creating a seasonal checklist for your home ensures everything is in tip-top shape year around and also can save you money.
1.Clean Your Home's Carpets
While the weather is still warm enough to open the windows for ventilation, vacuum and shampoo your carpets. A steam cleaner is the best choice for tricky odors and stains,
2.Manage Drainage
Southern climates often get more rain than snow, making a French drain the perfect option for keeping a lake from forming in your yard. Dig a 4 feet deep and 4 feet wide hole under your downspot, line it with plastic sheeting and fill with gravel. Cover the gravel with landscape fabric and then add dirt. (Make sure and check to see what your local building code requires.)
3.Lighten Up
To save money and possibly earn you a utility rebate, replace incandescent lightbulbs with high-efficiency compact fluorescent lightbulbs.
4.Find Air Leaks
Air leaks are a huge energy-waster in cooler months. Check the seals and caulking around your home's windows. Weather stripping around your doors to the outside can also help with drafts.
5. Make Roof Repairs
Check your roof for leaks before freezing rain and snow start to fall. Make small repairs, but leave larger leaks located underneath the roofing or at a ridge or valley to the professionals.
6.Schedule a Furnace Check-Up
This is one task that should definitely be left to a professional. Scheduling regular check-ups ensures that your furnace is finely tuned and working efficiently to keep you warm and save you money.
7.Insulate
If the insulation in your attic is level with a floor joist, now is the perfect time to add more and save money on your heating bill. Add just enough insulation to bring your attic to a level of 10-14 inches and don't worry about matching it to the existing insulation.
8.Get Everything Out of the Gutter
To keep water from flowing onto your home in the cooler months, spend an afternoon cleaning out your gutters. To protect your gutters from leaves and debris in future months, consider investing in a mesh guard.
9.Prepare Your Lawn
As the leaves start to fall, begin raking early and fertilize your grass to allow your winter shrubbery to enter the winter slumber in a healthy state. You can also rent an aerator for a day to prevent your greenery from suffocating.
10.Tidy and Inspect
Finally, sweep the chimney, inspect smoke and carbon monoxide detectors, and call a plumber for a quick radiator and boiler check-up.
These can also be great tips to fix up your home to sell! If you are interested in getting your home on the market before colder months, check out our seller's guide to set up a consultation with one of our best-in-class real estate professionals.
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