Home maintenance isn't the first thing you think about as you plan your summer activities. Summer is for fun things like family barbeques, long weekends and vacation. Why not get all your home maintenance chores done in June, and then you can enjoy your gardening and landscaping (or hire a lawn care service). Once you've completed your summer home maintenance checklist, you can relax during long summer evenings and take fun excursions on the weekends..
A number of our summer home maintenance tasks address how your house interacts with your landscaping and local critters that live in your neighborhood. The idea is you want to protect your home from damage by insuring that the exterior envelope remains water and airtight. This will also help you save money with lower utility bills.
This summer home maintenance checklist is one of a series of seasonal checklists (click to access other checklists) to help you quickly inspect and make required repairs. The tasks are organized to 1. inspect; 2. repair and 3. update many home features to reduce or eliminate the amount of time you need to invest in ongoing maintenance. You can print our one page version of the checklist to keep track of your progress completing these tasks.
Keep Your Family Safe
The heavy lifting for exterior home maintenance should have occurred during the spring. Summer safety focuses on cleaning up after summer storm damage and chores related to landscaping, outdoor barbeques and it's the ideal time to handle routine maintenance of your well and septic system.
Inspect | Maintain | Update | Homeowner Tasks to Keep Your Family Safe |
Every Quarter (or more often)
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Prevent Storm Damage
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Driveway, Patio & Walkways
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Lawn Mowers, Outdoor Grills & More
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Well Water
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Septic System
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Preventing Water Damage with Your Summer Home Maintenance Checklist
As we're focused on your home's exterior, summer is a great time to look for problems stemming from excess water, moisture and the pests that are attracted to these moist environments. Where moisture levels approach 20% and there is a source of food like wood, the chances of finding mold, carpenter ants or other problems increases. You want to address these problems quickly as they can continue for years undetected, that result in costly repairs.
Inspect | Maintain | Update | Homeowner Tasks to Keep Your Family Safe |
Pests: Termites, Carpenter Ants, Bees, Woodpeckers, Squirrels & Other Critters
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Foundation Plants & Mulch
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Standing Water
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Mold, Mildew & Musty Odors
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Satellite Dishes & Antenna
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Summer Home Maintenance Checklist & the Environment
With higher heating and cooling costs, you want to reduce the energy used to keep your home comfortable. You don't always have to replace all the windows in your home – it's okay to change windows in 1 or 2 rooms where you spend the most time. There are also less expensive solutions to reducing sunlight entering your home like shades or window tinting. You should make sure your cooling system is operating efficiently and make small, incremental changes to improve overall cooling and comfort.
Inspect | Maintain | Update | Homeowner Tasks to Keep Your Family Safe |
Central Air Conditioner
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Doors & Windows
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Window Coverings
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Awnings & Shade from Trees
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For those who want to do some dreaming while completing your summer home maintenance checklist, here are some ideas for you to consider:
- Turning Your Backyard Ideas into Reality
- Backyard Lighting for Relaxing Nights
- 8 Ideas for Dog Friendly Backyards
- Outdoor Living Ideas: Courtyards Another Option
Thanks for sharing such a great tips!
I really loved the tips you’ve provided. Definitely a nice, in-depth article on summer home maintenance tips. I have jotted down some notes found here. Thank you! 🙂
Thanks Artice, and I like the concept behind your website too!
Hi Tina,
You’re welcome and thank you as well. It has been a good 6 year labor of love project. 🙂