How do I prepare my home for fall? Experts offer their home maintenance tips for the colder months

Aug 11

Original Article Published by Homes and Gardens

As we transition out of the warmer summer months, it is important to prepare our home for the colder season ahead. While we prepare ourselves by pulling out our long stored jumpers, prepare your home for fall by performing some important maintenance.

Although it would be nice to leave fall home prep at fall decor ideas and making the best fall wreath ideas, more important matters such as cleaning out your home guttering, preparing winter insulation, and cleaning the more neglected areas of your home should also be tended to before the temperatures begin to drop.

Here, a range of experts have provided their top tips for preparing your home for fall so that you can go into the holiday seasons and start decorating for fall with peace of mind.

How Do I Prepare My Home For Fall?

As the months get colder and then nights get darker, it is important to prepare your home for the seasonal changes. By completing big home maintenance tasks in the brief period between the end of summer and the beginning of fall your home will be better prepared for the drastic weather changes such as heavy rain, frosts, and possible high winds coming its way.

Early maintenance and preparation are proven to prevent major damages and save you money in the long run, so it is more than worth investing your time so that your property can look its best come the following summer.

1. Repair Your Lawn After The Summer Heat

‘Over the summer, soils have become very hard, dry, and compacted, preventing moisture from penetrating and slowing down recovery,’ explains David Truby, managing director at Greensleves. ‘The best way to combat this is with an aeration treatment. Two great remedies to tackle these issues are hollow tine aeration or spiking. These will both help water, nutrients, and air get to penetrate the soil and get to the grass root, ultimately leading to a luscious green lawn in the fall.’

Fall is also the ideal time to overseed your lawn to get a thick and green lawn the following summer. ‘It also repairs bare patches and makes the lawn hardier by increasingshade, drought tolerance, and resistance to disease,’ adds David.

2. Plant Fresh Bulbs For Next Spring

Fall is the ideal time to plant many bulbs ready for the following spring and summer. Many flowers and plants, such as planting tulips, benefit from the colder temperatures to help their germination period

Learning what to plant in September, and what to plant in October can help you prepare your home and garden ideas for beautiful blooms in the summer.

3. Improve Your Home Security For Darker Days

The fall months often see an increase in break-ins as the nights get darker. Because of this, it is important to protect your home and consider upgrading your home security with some of the best home security systems.

‘The garden should be the first line of defense for your home,’ explains Kevin Spencer, head of product management at Yale. ‘Burglars use the cover of darkness and overgrown trees and shrubs to move around a garden undetected, so it’s worth ensuring the exterior of your property is up to scratch to beat the burglars this autumn. Firstly, check your fence panels and replace any loose slats and board up any holes. Double-check that gates are secure and invest in high-quality weatherproof padlocks for peace of mind, such as a Yale Maximum Security Weatherproof Padlock.

4. Clean Up And Prepare Decking Areas

Maintaining your deck ideas is easy when you prepare in advance. ‘Start to get on top of sweeping fallen leaves, especially on the decking as they can stain and discolor it,’ advises Nathan Gamba, director at Protea Gardens. ‘However, leave them in flower beds as they keep the roots of plants warm as the weather gets milder and provide shelter for insects,’ he adds.

Knowing how to paint a deck and how to stain a deck is a useful home maintenance skill in the fall months, although knowing when to prepare your deck for fall is equally important. ‘‘It is very important to take into account weather conditions when decorating, not only whilst doing the job but also during drying/curing times,’ warns Matthew Brown of Sadolin & Sandtex Technical. ‘For example, during early fall, the mornings can be damp and the evenings see dramatic temperature drops increasing humidity levels which at best will slow down drying times but at worst and can allow moisture to get trapped in the coating film

5. Clear Out Gutters

Gutters can be forgotten about however it is important to check that they are not blocked or clogged before the rains set in over fall. Gutters can drain approximately thousands of gallons of water from your roof annually (depending on where you live) and, should they become clogged, you may end up with both interior and exterior water damage.

‘As long as you have the correct equipment, and importantly, you can keep safe, cleaning the gutters is a relatively easy task,’ says Jack Knight, category manager at Drainage Superstore. ‘Wait for a dry day as this will not only make the surroundings safer, but it will also be easier to gather debris that isn’t saturated in water.

6. Consider Extra Insulation For Your Home

Keeping your home warm is important to save money at home and cut energy bills. One way to prepare your home for the fall months is to improve your home insulation, whether through long-term investments such as insulating materials, or simple, quick fixes such as new blinds and curtains.

A survey by BlindsbyPost found that, In fall, windows can be a large source of heat loss with up to 30% of a home’s heating energy lost through windows. Choosing the right window coverings for each room, can provide a great insulation solution and help keep your home warm.

7. Check Your Boiler And Radiators

If your home has central heating, it is wise to check the system before turning it back on after summer.

‘Once fall arrives and the nights draw in, it’s tempting to turn the heating on. To be sure that your heating system is ready to jump into life when you need it, book an annual service before the weather changes,’ recommends Simon Morris, marketing manager at The Radiator Company. ‘A good plumber will keep everything running smoothly and efficiently, including bleeding radiators and topping up the inhibitor in your system to prevent the build-up of damaging sludge.’

8. Prepare Your Exterior Woodwork

‘Time spent now properly protecting it means exterior woodwork will be shielded from the worst weather of those seasons, saving you repair time and money in the long run,’ says Richard Bradley, marketing manager at V33. ‘Particularly important is making sure external woodwork is waterproof and protected from mold, mildew, and those pests that cause rot. In addition, the timber should be shielded from the effects of repeated exposure to sunlight, which can damage it.

Glaizza Del Mundo