Plus, a printable four-week plan to help you get it all done.
The days are a little shorter, the nights are a little cooler and the kids are back at school — fall is here, and you know what that means if you’re a homeowner: It’s time to get your house in shape for the coming cold weather. Here’s our handy fall home maintenance checklist. It will help you get some important tasks done while the weather is mild to get your house and yard ready to ride out the winter.
1. Clean your gutters
Yes, we know, this is the most hated of homeowner tasks. But unfortunately, the falling leaves of autumn are as inevitable as death and taxes. As the trees in your yard drop their leaves, your gutters will get choked with dead foliage. And clogged gutters won’t funnel rainwater away from your house as they’re designed to do. Clean them out to prevent water from overflowing and damaging your home’s foundation, exterior or even the interior. If you have a lot of trees, you’ll have a lot of dead leaves, so you may need to clean your gutters a couple of times throughout the season.
Pro tip: Hire a pro to do this dirty work. Consider it a treat to yourself, like a spa day.
2. Rake the leaves
Raking leaves is about more than making your lawn look tidy. Removing fallen leaves from the lawn keeps your grass healthy. A thick layer of fallen leaves can deprive turf grass of oxygen and sunlight, weakening it and possibly killing it. However, you don’t need to get every leaf off the lawn. Leave some leaves on the grass and chop them up with your lawnmower. They’ll decompose into the soil and provide your grass with nutrients. And don’t bag up the leaves you do rake. Start a compost pile and let those dead leaves turn into rich, organic material you can sprinkle on your lawn and garden next year.
3. Plant bulbs in your garden for spring flowers
Want tulips, irises and daffodils in your garden next spring? Plant them now. These flowers grow from bulbs that need several months of chilly temperatures to bloom, so plant them in the late summer or early fall, depending on your climate, and you’ll have flowers galore in about six months. Not all fall home maintenance involves unflashy but necessary repairs. This one will bring you flowers for a little more work than digging some small holes.
4. Plant grass seed
The cooler temperatures and less intense fall sun are ideal conditions for sowing grass seed. In the South, you can overseed lawns with cool season grass so your yard will stay green all winter. In the North, fall is a good time to start a lawn because it’s the optimum time for grass to grow healthy roots. Just be sure to put your seed out at least 45 days before the first frost date in your area.
5. Clean and store outdoor furniture
If you live where winters are too cold for sitting out on the patio, it’s time to pack up the patio furniture. Power wash it to remove grime and mildew, and store it in a garage, shed or basement. If you live in a temperate zone where a fire pit or chiminea is all you need to keep using your patio, powerwash the summertime grime from your outdoor furniture so it’s clean and ready for marshmallow roasting season.
6. Clean your fireplace and chimney
Get ready for cozy winter nights by the fire. Call a professional chimney sweep to inspect and clean your chimney. They’ll clean creosote — the flammable residue from smoke, gases and particles from last winter’s fires — from the chimney and look for any obstructions like leaves, sticks or debris that will prevent harmful fumes from venting properly out of the chimney. They’ll also look for any damage to the chimney which could cause it to malfunction. Don’t DIY this job. Despite what you read on the internet about this being easy peasy, a pro will spot issues you’ll miss.
7. Prep your heating system
Get your heating system checked out by a licensed HVAC tech. It will run better and last longer if you have it serviced twice a year. Plus, you don’t want to turn it on the first night the temperatures dip into the 50s only to find out it’s not working. Got a radiator? If it’s a steam radiator, clear its air hole with a small wire or needle. Hot water radiators need to be bled, which involves opening a valve at the top of the unit and releasing trapped air and water. Is draining a radiator or opening pin-hole-sized air vents out of your DIY comfort zone? Call a radiator specialist who can make sure your unit is winter-ready.
Pro tip: You’ll want to consider reversing your ceiling fans to turn clockwise, to recirculate heated air, rather than blow cool air as the temperature drops.
8. Check batteries in smoke and carbon monoxide detectors
If you do only one fall home maintenance task, make sure it’s this one. Since you’re entering fireplace and space heater season, it’s a good time to ensure your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors are working properly. They’re your first line of defense if your fireplace isn’t venting correctly or you have a kerosene heater, gas heater or wood stove that’s malfunctioning and leaking harmful carbon monoxide into your home.
9. Turn off outdoor water
This includes your sprinkler system and any outdoor water valves. Any water left in exterior pipes and faucets can freeze and break the pipes, costing you lots of money. Drain your garden hoses and bring them indoors. If you don’t, the residual water in the hoses will freeze and split the hose, and you’ll be buying new ones next spring.
10. Re-caulk window and door casings
Air leaks from windows and doors can let cold air inside and a lot of your expensive heated air outside. Sealing your windows and doors with caulk as part of your fall home maintenance to-do list can save up to 20% on your heating bills. This is a super simple fix you can do yourself.
11. Repair cracks in driveways and walkways
If you think those cracks are big now, wait till water gets into them over the winter, then freezes and expands. Those cracks will open up like a fault line. Use an asphalt or concrete patch compound to fill cracks now.
