Kids are back in school and leaves are starting to change colour.
Football season just started and Hockey season is just around the corner.
Sorry for being the bearer of bad news, but it looks like Fall is already on its way here.
For some, this is a good thing. We can start wearing our warm comfy clothes and don’t need to run our air conditioning anymore. Others, can’t stand the fact that the beach is no longer a tantalizing temptation and the Winter is officially closer than Summer.
It takes us some time to adjust and get acclimated to the change in weather and temperature, and our home is no different. Fall is a great time to start pre–preparing your home, inside and out, for the colder conditions it will be facing for the next 4-5 months. ( Geesh! That seems like a long time. ) Taking some time now while the weather is cooperating, will save you aggravation and stress in the future.
Here are a few ways to start preparing your home, on the interior and exterior:
Interior Home Maintenance
- Have your furnace inspectedWith the colder months approaching your furnace is going to be working overtime to keep yourself and family warm and comfortable. Its recommended that you call a professional to check and see if there are issues with leaks and efficiency. This will ensure you and your family are warm and comfortable during the cold months ahead.
- Replace Air FiltersWith all the dust, pollen and air born particles in the air in Fall, it’s a great idea to replace your air filter in your furnace. This will allow the air in your home to be clean and fresh.
- Change setting on ThermostatMake sure to adjust the setting on your thermostat to make sure, the furnace is running when people are home and off or at a lower setting, when the home is vacant or you’re sleeping. Adjusting the thermostat, will result in cost savings on your hydro bills.
Exterior Home Maintenance
- Clean your eavestroughsBy cleaning your eavestrough of all debris, can turn out to be the best thing you can do for your home. When the weather turns cold, the junk in your eavestroughs will freeze adding more weight and stress. Also, water and snow will build up onto of the debris, creating pressure against shingles. This can cause the shingles to lift allowing water to penetrate the roof which can lead to rot and excessive water damage. For more information; check out an earlier blog about how Eavestrough Maintenance Can Save You a Ton of Money.
- Turn off Outdoor water sourcesPreparing Your HomeIt’s very easy to do, but if often overlooked and forgotten about. The cold weather can freeze exterior pipes which can cause them to crack of even explode. By turning them off, you eliminate the possibility of unannounced water entering your home.
- Inspect the Exterior of your HomeWalk around your home and check from blown seals around your windows, cracks in the foundation and brick and holes in your siding. Anywhere you notice water can penetrate your home, you should have re sealed or fixed. Sometimes, its as easy and doing the minor repair yourself, but if you’re uncomfortable doing them I suggest calling a professional and fix the minor issues before they become big problems.
- Store Seasonal FurniturePreparing Your HomeIt’s time to bring in your outdoor loungers, couches, chairs, …….. And store them inside for the cold months. Most of them aren’t built or made to withstand cold temperatures for months on end. If you bring them inside, it will allow them to stay protected and ensure they will be in working order to bring back outside come next Spring and Summer.
- Get equipment ready for WinterYou may look and feel a little strange, taking your snow blower out and getting it running when the leaves are still on the trees and there is no snow on the ground; but this is the perfect time to do so. If there are any issues with the equipment you can fix it yourself, or bring it to be fixed before you need it. So when an unexpected snow fall comes, you and your equipment will be ready.
- Clean out your garageSimilar to a Spring Cleaning, you should tidy and organize your garage putting the gardening and lawn maintenance equipment, baseball equipment and beach loungers to the back where is not needed and bring shovels, salt, snow blower, sleds, skates and anything else you and your family will be using in the winter to the front where it is easily accessible.