Fall brings many changes. School starts, the leaves turn color and fall to the ground, the days get shorter and cooler. When you start thinking about getting jackets and coats out of the closet, it's also time to plan your fall home maintenance chores.
In the same way a coat keeps you warm and dry, your home's envelope (roof, siding, windows, etc) protects you from the elements, keeping you warm and dry. When you follow a schedule of routine maintenance, you're saving money with lower utility bills and protecting your home's value.
Our seasonal checklists help you quickly inspect and make the appropriate repairs. The table offers suggestions for how to inspect many home features, the most common repairs for problems and ways to update your home to eliminate/minimize problems. You can print our one page version of the checklist to keep track of your progress completing these tasks.
Keep Your Family Safe with Fall Home Maintenance
With inclement weather, there are more chances for injury around the home. Make sure that all entrance doors are well lit, handrails secure and walkways and steps in good repair. Indoors, it is a good idea to have seating for people to remove and put on boots.
Inspect | Maintain | Update | Homeowner Tasks to Keep Your Family Safe |
Every Quarter (or more often)
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Exterior Lights
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Exterior Walkways
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Handrails, Inside and Outside Your Home
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Gutters and Downspouts
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Smoke and CO Detectors
Hint: A good way to remember to change your batteries is to do it every year when the clocks change. |
Fall Home Maintenance & Water Damage
With more extreme weather from extreme heat to high winds, heavy rains and flooding, it's even more important to make sure your home is safe from water leaks. Why? Where moisture levels approach 20% and there is a source of food like wood, you are likely to find mold, carpenter ants or some other problem and the worst part, most of this can continue for years before it becomes visible. That means repairs can be costly when you don't prevent or find and repair leaks quickly.
Inspect | Maintain | Update | Homeowner Tasks to Keep Your Family Safe |
Roofing, Vent Pipes, Chimney and More
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Skylights
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Siding and More
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Windows and Doors
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Exterior Faucets
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Decks, Porches and Stairs
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Foundation
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Save Energy, Money and the Environment
With higher heating and cooling costs, it's important to reduce the energy used to keep your home comfortable. Tackle small projects each year, focusing on rooms where you spend the most time, i.e. a few replacement windows versus the entire house. While we will continue to offer suggestions via our website, here are some of the most important ways to save and when updating your home for energy efficiency, always check for state and federal incentives:
- Visit State Incentives for Renewables & Efficiency.
- Look for Approved Energy Efficient Appliance Rebate Programs.
- Changes annually, so be sure to check the Federal Tax Credits for Consumer Energy Efficiency.
Inspect | Maintain | Update | Homeowner Tasks to Keep Your Family Safe |
Programmable Thermostat(s)
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Heating System
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Insulation and Ventilation
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Window Energy Efficiency
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Winterize Air Conditioners
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We hope you find this Fall Home Maintenance Checklist helpful. We're also providing a one page summary checklist to save ink and paper. Good luck maintaining your home and please, share your input as to how we can improve this checklist.
I always see to it that my family is prepared before fall comes in with the cold. We always set a time to do this, and we also make a checklist like this to keep track of the things we have to do. Anyway, this one is very helpful! I will definitely apply the things you said here in preparation for next fall. Thanks! 😀
Alejamuel, I would love to see what your checklist looks like as I’m always trying to improve mine. You can fax to me at 866-433-0966 or some feedback on my 1 page list (https://1pkrq4o1weu3bz9n92dj4dyq-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/Fall-Home-Maintenance-1Page-Checklist-4-Walls-1-Roof.pdf) meant for you to print off & keep track of what you’ve completed … would be really helpful.
Excellent post! This is one of the highly attractive, informatics and well-written that has been explained in fabulous manner to help out reader and visitors. Thanks for explaining such a great tips for home maintenance. In my opinion vinyl siding is the best, most cost-effective exterior, maintenance-free siding material that can be used for stylish window siding.