The air is crisp and the leaves will soon start to change colors. Fall is a beautiful time of the year and a time where spending time outdoors is most enjoyable, but after the leaves are raked and yard work slows down for the year it’s time to focus on preparing your home for the colder days ahead. My House Painter is one of the best services as they can help you in preparing your home with excellent quality and designs. Here are a few important tasks to get you started:
- Paint the exterior of your home. Fall provides the best weather for painting the outside of your home. Whether you do it yourself or hire a professional you can rest assured that you will not have the blazing hot sun or humidity to ruin your perfect paint job.
- Paint the interior of your home. There isn’t a better time to paint the inside of your home. The fall weather offers the best time to open your windows and ventilate the paint fumes.
- Take a peek at your roof. Winter provides extra stress on your roof with heavy snowfalls, ice and much colder weather. If you have weak spots, missing shingles, loose or corroded flashing on your roof the extra stress could cause leaks or even cave-ins. Take a peek at the fascia and soffits to see if you can find any gaps or holes that need repair.
- Clean your gutters. The fall is beautiful; however, all those beautiful leaves can clog up your gutters causing headaches down the road. A clogged gutter doesn’t move the water from rainfall and snow away from the house and can lead to water damage to your home.
- Check your insulation in the attic. Insulation is like a winter coat for your house. Good insulation will help hold in the heat resulting in lower heating bills and fewer drafts.
- Seal windows and doors. The smallest cracks can let in cold air and let heat escape. Use caulk and weather stripping to seal up those cracks.
- Ready your fireplace. Nothing is better than settling in by a warm fire in the chilly fall and winter days ahead. But, before you light your first fire be sure to hire a chimney sweep to clean and inspect the fireplace. You should also check the chimney cap to ensure you can keep any unwanted pests out; chimneys are inviting spaces for birds and squirrels.
- Drain and turn off water spouts. Turn off the water to your outdoor water spouts and then drain the resting water from lines and hoses to avoid freezing over the colder months.
- Install a fire pit. Outdoor fire pits are among one of the most popular additions to any yard. As suggested by the experts from FireLink Direct, make sure you choose a flat spot in your yard and grab your marshmallows for roasting.
- Change your batteries. Check the batteries and replace them if needed in your smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors. Verify the expiration date on your fire extinguisher is still good, if not, replace it!
- Go outside and look up. Take a look at the trees around your home. Inspect each for weak branches or illness. Hire a tree service or learn how to properly prune the trees yourself to avoid any falling limbs this winter when the snow and ice weigh down the branches.
- Talk a walk around. Look at the exterior of your home with a fine-tooth comb. Look for any cracks or holes that need repair. Rodents and other small pests will be getting cold and looking for the warmth of your home, it only takes a small hole for them to sneak in and take up residence. Plug the holes and cracks to keep them outside.
As with any home projects, be safe while inspecting and tackling your fall to-do list. If a whole home, bathroom or kitchen renovation is on your honey-do list, give us a call at 314.352.0507.
