Fall Maintenance Checklist to Keep Your Home in Tip Top Shape


(StatePoint) Fall is in the air, which means there is a lot to get done around the house before the cold weather comes. From landscaping to insulation, read on for a homeowner’s guide to prepping for the upcoming season.

Fall Furnace Check. Before winter arrives, ensure your heating system is in working condition and safe to use. Turn off the furnace first and then clean the vents, check for cracks or rust and swap out the dirty filter for a clean one. If it’s been a while since your furnace has been maintained, it may be time to schedule a professional visit.

Gutter Clean Out. While the fall foliage is beautiful, it can quickly clog gutters and cause water backups and flooding. Put on heavy-duty work gloves and remove debris near the downspout and work your way to the other end. As you clear away the leaves, easily repair broken or cracked pipes with strong T-Rex Tape. Unlike ordinary duct tapes, this strong tape is built with intense holding power for long-lasting repairs, and its aggressive double-thick adhesive ensures it sticks to rough, dirty surfaces through all weather types and temperatures.

Trim Your Trees. Cut bushes and trees hanging over the driveway or roof to prevent limbs from falling during snowstorms this winter. Focus on trimming any dead or drooping branches, as these are the ones that are most likely to cause damage.

Stop the Drafts. Insulating the home helps you stay warm and save money on energy bills. Identify trouble spots where drafts occur and use weather strip seals, like those from Duck brand, to effectively seal these gaps.

Secure the Perimeter. Slips and falls can occur when steps and walkways are covered with ice and snow. Install proper outdoor lighting to illuminate these areas and to help prevent accidents. If you have steep or uneven wood or concrete steps, apply T-Rex Extreme Tread Tape to improve traction on the surface. This quality tape is made with a multi-layer grit embedding process for long-lasting wear and features a stronger adhesive bond than standard anti-slip tapes.

While fall maintenance can feel daunting, following these tips will simplify the process, so you can feel confident that your house is prepared for changing temperatures.


More Resources


Create a Joyful Home with Living Accessories: Houseplants
Houseplants can be soothing because of their visual impact. Besides being naturally appealing, interior plants can make you feel cooler on hot days, especially when they move softly in the breeze from a ceiling fan.
Replacement or Retrofit Style Frame? Which is Right for You?
Last week I told you how to measure for your vinyl replacement windows when replacing aluminum windows. Now that you're ready to order your new vinyl replacement windows, we need to talk about the different frame style options available.
Pre-Fabricated Steel Buildings
More and more construction is being done with steel in recent years, as more people learn about the many benefits of using steel vs. other construction materials.
Which Type of Radiant Floor Heating is Best For Me?
If you are looking to warm your floors with a radiant heat system, and have typed "radiant heat system" into a search engine, you might find yourself scratching your head at this point. There are dozens of products available to purchase, and there are even more companies telling you that their product is the best.
Planning Permission Tips UK - What To Show And What Not To Show On Your application Drawings
Many successful business deals are the result of being a bit canny with the information that you already know - keeping a tight lip when needed and only letting the other side know just the bare minimum requirement of information and never laying all your cards onto the table. Successful negotiators use this tactic all the time.
10 Tips for Working With a Contractor
This is the year you're going all out. You're going to build a deck, add a porch, erect a gazebo or lay a patio.
Spring Home Projects in Northern New England
As I sit on a plane in route from Chicago to Boston this evening, I realize I have been staring out into the dark abyss contemplating the arrival of spring. Spring is a time of anticipation and renewed life.
Do You Know How To Use Window Coverings?
Window coverings serve an important role in your home,giving you privacy and also protecting your furniture anddécor from the harshness of prolonged, direct sunlight.But the range of choices is so wide, including blinds,shades, shutters and curtains, that some homeowners have ahard time deciding which they prefer, or whether they canmix their window coverings according to the room where theyare installed.
Get Your Home Ready To Sell
Have you been considering selling your home in the near future? If you have, then it wouldn't be a bad idea to take a good long look at your home, using an unbiased eye.After all, a clean, appealing, well maintained home has much better odds of selling, selling for more, and selling faster.
Helpful Kitchen Remodeling Ideas
Functionality and aesthetics are the two main objectives of any kitchen remodeling plan. A kitchen must provide an efficient working place, even while it looks good.
Flooring: Installing Ceramic Tile
Ceramic Tile brings a texture, richness and color to a room that Linoleum has yet to truly mimic. Tile floors can be installed in any room, however they are most frequently seen in Bathrooms and Kitchens.
What To Look For In Persian Rugs
Selecting a Persian rug can be a daunting task for most people. There is a lot of misinformation out there as to what to look for.
The Benefits of Radiant Heat, Comparison
What are the Benefits of Radiant Heating and how do they compare to other heating applications?You maybe be considering radiant heat to install into your existing or your new home but don't quite understand the advantages or the differences between heating applications? Well we would like to inform you of the benefits and the comparisons to other heating applications available.Some of the benefits of radiant heat are:Comfort: Let your bare feet soak up the warmth of soothing heat without the dust and noise associated with other heating sources.
FAQs About Using Stone In Your Home
1. Q.
Replacing Your Sliding Glass Door Rollers
If the sliding glass doors in your home are more than 10 years old, you might notice that they are becoming harder to slide open. This problem is even more common on aluminum frame dual pane doors.
Thinking of Remodeling Your Kitchen?
If you like to cook, or even if you just do it from necessity, having a homely, organized, and modern kitchen is probably important to you. Although, the traditionally kitchens are still out there, there are so many new, modern elements that can add luxury and class and convenience to any home.
Fixer-Uppers: What To Fix
You've bought a house, a fixer-upper you can make some money on. What improvements and repairs should you make? First of all, you need to know this before you buy, as I explained in another article.
Tips on Ladder Safety
PLACEMENT?Ladders should be placed so each side rail is on level and firm footing so the ladder is rigid, stable and secure.?Boxes, loose bricks, or other loose packing should not support the side rails.
Outdoor Ceiling Fans Complement the House
Fans extending from the ceiling have been around for centuries and the modern ceiling fan as we know it today has been used since Victorian times. Savvy homeowners use the ceiling fan in every room imaginable.
Advice on Waterproofing Your Deck
Even if you undertook the task of building your own deck, you understand the large investment (both monetary and in time) that went into the project. Decks add beauty and value to a home, and are often the family's favorite place on lovely afternoons.

More Home Improvement Information:

Related Articles


Laminate Flooring Is Attractive And Long Lasting
Laminate flooring is perfect for people who want to install a floor covering that is easy to install and combines the rich look of hardwood with the easy care of a laminate counter top. Laminate floors that have been constantly gaining popularity since their creation a few years ago.
Tips For Buying a Whirlpool Bath Online
So you're building the bath of your dreams but find the prices you have been quoted for the Whirlpool Bath way out of your budget.Don't despair and settle for a Whirlpool Bath you don't want!Go online and save by buying direct from a Whirlpool tub distributor.
Poster, Print or Painting. Where Are You Going To Put It?
If you are redesigning or decorating a room, or house, care has to be taken where your piece of art is to be displayed. Even if you have bought a picture on impulse there are a few tips that will not only enhance the picture but its surroundings.
Designing Great-looking Window Coverings on a Budget
Window coverings are one of the most important focal points in a well-decorated room, but choosing the right ones, at the right price, is a prime consideration for most home decorators. Here are a few tips for creating great-looking window dressings, without breaking your budget in the process:When selecting window coverings, consider the amount of sun exposure the fabrics will receive, and decorate accordingly, if you want to get the longest life out of your window dressings.
Interior Design For Children
Interior design for children is one of the most fun, delightful aspects of the business if you ask me. It is so fun because children are limitless as far as their creativity and imaginations are concerned.
Successful Motor Protection Formulae
As we have discussed before, all overload relays have one major limitation - because they operate on line current, they do not directly sense the motor temperatures.However, with proper heater selection and careful attention to the factors that affect heater performance, the overload relay can work extremely well to protect the motors.
New Tax Breaks for Energy Efficient Home Improvements
If you would like to make your existing home more energy efficient and get some help paying for the improvements, you need to know about the Energy Tax Incentives Act of 2005. The new law provides a $500 lifetime credit against your federal income tax for the cost of certain energy-saving home improvements that you make to your home after December 31, 2005 and before January 1, 2008.
Light Up Your Life
A house or any particular room can be carefully planned, well thought out and perfectly executed but without the proper lighting it never really comes to life. A perfect example is a tile back splash in a kitchen.
Planning Permission UK - Tactics if Appealing to the DOE for a Planning Refusal
Tactics of Appealing to the DOE - There will be times in any Design Agents career when a clients scheme will be refused Planning Permission. Fortunately, our experience is now at a point when we can normally forecast these schemes & steer the client away from that design solution.
How to Install a New Toilet in 5 Easy Steps
If your toilet is old and in need of repairs, it is cheaper to replace it by installing a new one. This is quite easy to do and can be completed in an afternoon.
Here Comes The Sun: Solar Energy is Becoming More Attractive for Mainstream Consumers
The price of a barrel of oil has never been higher ($62.00+ in summer 2005 even before the chaos caused by Katrina).
Homeowners - Here is a Step by Step Guide to Help You Hire a Quality Home Improvement Contractor
Before talking to any contractors the first thing to do is create a budget for the project. Without a budget you will be flying blind and may end up over spending.
The Wireless Home
It was only a few years ago that Real Estate agents and Builders were promoting the "Wired" feature as a must have when buying a new home. Wired meant that the home not only had cable running throughout it, but also Cat-5 wire.
The Simplicity of Gel Fireplaces
Nothing makes your home more welcoming than the warmth and crackle of a fireplace. There is a wide offering selection of Gel fireplaces that will match your needs in size, style and finish.
Are Your Ducts Making You Sick?
If you have a heating or cooling systems that uses air ducts, you could have a problem.There are many duct systems that are poorly designed and installed that have the ability to bring pollutants into your home.
Pre-Fabricated Steel Buildings
More and more construction is being done with steel in recent years, as more people learn about the many benefits of using steel vs. other construction materials.
Planning Your Replacement Windows Installation
Windows are the eyes of a home. From inside, you see the outside world through them.
A Few Simple Facts About Gas And Electric Heating Systems
To make your home more energy efficient, you need to understand the energy efficiency of different types of heating and cooling systems. Many times people are confused by inaccurate information they receive from manufacturers and sellers of heating and cooling equipment.
Complete Home Rehab In 10 Days
This report is about taking a house and restoring it to an aesthetically pleasing dwelling that has reclaimed it's functional utility. In effect, it is the anti-aging medication for bricks and mortar.
Natural Gas vs Charcoal Grills - Which One Is Right For You?
Barbequing outdoors is a pleasure that anyone can partake in and with so many types of grills available you can practically cook anywhere. One exception to the list is a natural gas grill which needs a permanent hook up.