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


Repairing Your Faulty uPVC Double Glazed Windows And Doors
It is an amazing fact that uPVC double glazing was sold by the industry as a maintenance free product. While it is true the uPVC frame will last approximately 10,000 years before degrading, the mild steal and cast Zink moving hardware parts will last an average of 10 years before they start to fail.
Cleaning House and the 80-20 Rule
Cleaning house is one of those things that needs doing again..
Apartment Inspection Checklist
You have found an apartment you like and you are eager to move in this lovely place. Hold on! Before you sign the lease with the landlord, some inspection is necessary and it might save you a lot of trouble.
How to Keep Your Tools Useful for Every Season
You don't want to keep your useless tools in your storage right? You will only fill up the room with broken tools, so you feel you want to throw everything out. Wow, that's really a good way to throw out money.
What You Should Know About Steam Showers
"Steam" and "Steam Bath" Health Benefits:"Steam" and "Steam baths" in you own home. Why not? Researchers have found that steam not only is a benefit for skin, but also helps with the elimination of toxins within the body.
Creating Your Joyful Home: Inspiration to Make a Home Planning Journal
If you are planning a home makeover or remodeling project, here are some ideas to help you.Inspiration to make a home planning journal from "Joy to the Home Planner:""Always design a thing by considering it in its next larger context -- a chair in a room, a room in a house, a house in an environment, an environment in a city plan.
Installing a Home Theater System
Thinking about installing a home theater system? You're not alone. Home theater is one of the fastest growing areas areas in home entertainment and the advent of DVD recorders and HDTV means your set-up can now be entirely digital, without an inch of video tape in site.
Kitchen Design - No Need to Do It Alone
You can't opt out of the process altogether, though, because you need to decide what equipment you want in the kitchen, the type of units, fitted or freestanding, the flooring, lighting ? the list goes on.The size and shape of your kitchen will, to some extent, dictate the equipment you have and where you put it.
Why Double Glazing?
Why replace your single-glazed windows with double glazing ? For most, the precipitating factor for looking into double glazing is a need for new construction (or renovation) to conform to modern energy standards. Others decide to replace their windows as an energy saving measure.
New Trends in Design & Comfortable Living
For the past several years I have seen the emergence of a new trend called 'Lifestyling'. Lifestyling encompasses many elements on gracious living, extravagant and memorable entertaining, architecture, home design, and tips on where to live comfortably in spaces large and small, with less effort or clutter than you can imagine.
Planning For a New Deck
Part of the fun of a new deck is the planning! When you plan your deck, you can let your imagination run wild and add all kinds of fun features. As your planning process moves forward, you can whittle down your design to a more practical (and buildable) plan.
The Benefits of Small Dehumidifiers
So it's too humid in your 10' X 10' bedroom. Or perhaps the steam in your bathroom is starting to make the wallpaper peel.
Log Homes - Whats Different About Log Homes?
Newcomers to the world of log homes will notice that log homes look different than conventional "stick-built" homes. But are log homes really different, other than in appearance? If so, how?Let's take a look at some of the ways in which log homes differ from conventional homes.
Creating Your Joyful Home: Dawning of Your Emotions
"I keep the subject of my inquiry constantly before me, and wait till the first dawning opens gradually, by little and little, into a full and clear light."-Isaac Newton (1642 - 1727)Creating a joyful home requires careful planning in order to choose the perfect interior design details.
You Say Jacuzzi and I Say Whirlpool
What's in a name? Whirlpool baths have been around forever, right? If it weren't for the Jacuzzi brothers in 1956, we wouldn't have the fantastic whirlpool baths of today. According to the Jacuzzi Company, the brothers invented the first pump that could be placed in a bathtub, circulating the water to aid arthritic aches and pains.
Is It Time For Solar Energy to Get Hot?
Solar energy has been around for quite a while and most people don't think about it much except for the ones who are already into renewable sources of energy. Environmentalists have always loved the idea of solar energy but what has kept it from going more mainstream, being more widely used and looked upon as something someone wants to spend money to install on their property? There have been improvements in the technology of solar energy, but has there been enough? Isn't the war on terror and the desire to be independent of foreign energy sources enough to persuade people to use solar energy? At what point will solar energy become the great and never ending source of energy many of envisioned many years ago?Well, I, for one, think that the time has just about come for solar energy to really take off because of one reason: it will be economically the right and smart thing to do.
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.
Soy Candles? What Will They Think of Next?
Quick: What comes to mind when you think of soy candles? Before my formal introduction to soy candles, I thought organic (read expensive) and BEIGE! And not just the color beige, but beige as an overall description for soy candles-blah like baby food, ground chick peas, and a pale winter pallor. I had no idea why it would even occur to anyone to purchase a soy candle.
Deck Decorating
On my blog, I once wrote about life on the Veranda - a favorite Southern, summer pastime.Picture a Charleston side-porch house, facing the obligatory magnolia tree, refreshing gin and tonics or the standard mint julep.
Bathroom Remodeling Ideas
Bathroom remodeling is often a popular home improvement project for both new and old homeowners. This may include painting, using new countertops, vanities, windows, retiling, floors, appliances, vents or better lighting.

More Home Improvement Information:

Related Articles


Repairing Your Faulty uPVC Double Glazed Windows And Doors
It is an amazing fact that uPVC double glazing was sold by the industry as a maintenance free product. While it is true the uPVC frame will last approximately 10,000 years before degrading, the mild steal and cast Zink moving hardware parts will last an average of 10 years before they start to fail.
Cleaning House and the 80-20 Rule
Cleaning house is one of those things that needs doing again..
Apartment Inspection Checklist
You have found an apartment you like and you are eager to move in this lovely place. Hold on! Before you sign the lease with the landlord, some inspection is necessary and it might save you a lot of trouble.
How to Keep Your Tools Useful for Every Season
You don't want to keep your useless tools in your storage right? You will only fill up the room with broken tools, so you feel you want to throw everything out. Wow, that's really a good way to throw out money.
What You Should Know About Steam Showers
"Steam" and "Steam Bath" Health Benefits:"Steam" and "Steam baths" in you own home. Why not? Researchers have found that steam not only is a benefit for skin, but also helps with the elimination of toxins within the body.
Creating Your Joyful Home: Inspiration to Make a Home Planning Journal
If you are planning a home makeover or remodeling project, here are some ideas to help you.Inspiration to make a home planning journal from "Joy to the Home Planner:""Always design a thing by considering it in its next larger context -- a chair in a room, a room in a house, a house in an environment, an environment in a city plan.
Installing a Home Theater System
Thinking about installing a home theater system? You're not alone. Home theater is one of the fastest growing areas areas in home entertainment and the advent of DVD recorders and HDTV means your set-up can now be entirely digital, without an inch of video tape in site.
Kitchen Design - No Need to Do It Alone
You can't opt out of the process altogether, though, because you need to decide what equipment you want in the kitchen, the type of units, fitted or freestanding, the flooring, lighting ? the list goes on.The size and shape of your kitchen will, to some extent, dictate the equipment you have and where you put it.
Why Double Glazing?
Why replace your single-glazed windows with double glazing ? For most, the precipitating factor for looking into double glazing is a need for new construction (or renovation) to conform to modern energy standards. Others decide to replace their windows as an energy saving measure.
New Trends in Design & Comfortable Living
For the past several years I have seen the emergence of a new trend called 'Lifestyling'. Lifestyling encompasses many elements on gracious living, extravagant and memorable entertaining, architecture, home design, and tips on where to live comfortably in spaces large and small, with less effort or clutter than you can imagine.
Planning For a New Deck
Part of the fun of a new deck is the planning! When you plan your deck, you can let your imagination run wild and add all kinds of fun features. As your planning process moves forward, you can whittle down your design to a more practical (and buildable) plan.
The Benefits of Small Dehumidifiers
So it's too humid in your 10' X 10' bedroom. Or perhaps the steam in your bathroom is starting to make the wallpaper peel.
Log Homes - Whats Different About Log Homes?
Newcomers to the world of log homes will notice that log homes look different than conventional "stick-built" homes. But are log homes really different, other than in appearance? If so, how?Let's take a look at some of the ways in which log homes differ from conventional homes.
Creating Your Joyful Home: Dawning of Your Emotions
"I keep the subject of my inquiry constantly before me, and wait till the first dawning opens gradually, by little and little, into a full and clear light."-Isaac Newton (1642 - 1727)Creating a joyful home requires careful planning in order to choose the perfect interior design details.
You Say Jacuzzi and I Say Whirlpool
What's in a name? Whirlpool baths have been around forever, right? If it weren't for the Jacuzzi brothers in 1956, we wouldn't have the fantastic whirlpool baths of today. According to the Jacuzzi Company, the brothers invented the first pump that could be placed in a bathtub, circulating the water to aid arthritic aches and pains.
Is It Time For Solar Energy to Get Hot?
Solar energy has been around for quite a while and most people don't think about it much except for the ones who are already into renewable sources of energy. Environmentalists have always loved the idea of solar energy but what has kept it from going more mainstream, being more widely used and looked upon as something someone wants to spend money to install on their property? There have been improvements in the technology of solar energy, but has there been enough? Isn't the war on terror and the desire to be independent of foreign energy sources enough to persuade people to use solar energy? At what point will solar energy become the great and never ending source of energy many of envisioned many years ago?Well, I, for one, think that the time has just about come for solar energy to really take off because of one reason: it will be economically the right and smart thing to do.
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.
Soy Candles? What Will They Think of Next?
Quick: What comes to mind when you think of soy candles? Before my formal introduction to soy candles, I thought organic (read expensive) and BEIGE! And not just the color beige, but beige as an overall description for soy candles-blah like baby food, ground chick peas, and a pale winter pallor. I had no idea why it would even occur to anyone to purchase a soy candle.
Deck Decorating
On my blog, I once wrote about life on the Veranda - a favorite Southern, summer pastime.Picture a Charleston side-porch house, facing the obligatory magnolia tree, refreshing gin and tonics or the standard mint julep.
Bathroom Remodeling Ideas
Bathroom remodeling is often a popular home improvement project for both new and old homeowners. This may include painting, using new countertops, vanities, windows, retiling, floors, appliances, vents or better lighting.