Preparing Your Property for Fall

While spring may mark the season of home cleaning, fall spells property preparation for homeowners. As fall approaches quickly (of course, here in Northern Colorado, we’ve already had our first snow!), we shift from opening the windows on hot summer nights to turning on the furnace for the coming season of cold. And these temperature changes mark the ideal time to perform a number of tasks, repairs, and maintenance around the ol’ abode. Today, we’re going to highlight a few of the fall todos that you might want to put on your list. And as always, we’re here to provide you with premier painting services to protect your home, regardless of the season!

Furnace Maintenance

It’s best to turn on your furnace before you need it. Have an HVAC technician to your house to perform yearly maintenance. If you’d like to tackle this year’s maintenance yourself, you can turn your furnace on at the thermostat, make sure the burners come on, and the blower fan starts whirring. If you have the tools and know-how, you can use oil to lubricate the blower fan motor (electric motor oil is sufficient), and you can check the electrical components of your furnace to ensure that you don’t get any loose ends anytime soon — be sure the furnace is off and the power is shut off at the breaker before fiddling with the blower motor or the electrical components of your furnace. You can also clean your furnace burners if they’re gunked up with debris — consult the owner’s manual for your furnace before doing so.

While you’re at it, be sure to check the filter of your HVAC system (it should be located near the blower fan of your system). If you have a furnace that’s collected plenty of dust and fuzz, it’s time to replace it (or clean it, if you have a permanent filter), to keep your furnace running efficiently and your home’s air clean. You can also check the vents throughout your home, and make sure the appropriate vents are open to keep your living spaces cozy and comfy.

Landscaping

Next, it’s time to head to the great outdoors of your backyard. Cut dead limbs from trees and bushes throughout your property. These limbs can pose a hazard when heavy snowfall comes, so it is best to remove them before they can snap and fall.

You can also put away any seasonal patio furniture, or cover your furniture if you have waterproof covers. If you have an outdoor propane fire pit, now’s the time to clean the burners, ensure the propane tank is securely connected, and run a test run. Of course, you should have the propane tank valve turned off completely when cleaning the burners.

If you have a green thumb, you can do some work in the garden. You can remove dead or dying plants, as well as plants that have already produced their fruit for the season, unless you want them to go to seed. Feel free to compost plants if you have a heep or a bin to do so. In addition, springtime flowers that are bulb plants can be planted in the fall to give them time to settle into the soil and germinate the coming year. Go ahead and plant bulbs if you have the foresight.

As for your lawn, you can get in a final aeration, and add a fertilizer which will have plenty of time to seep into the soil over the coming winter. You can also begin to taper watering, and eventually you’ll want to blow out your sprinklers (or at least drain them), before the first freeze comes. Continue mowing to keep leaves from smothering your grass. You should mow throughout fall, until frost is on the horizon. Then, taper mowing off, and leave your grass a couple of inches tall as it goes dormant for the winter (a bit of extra length helps grass to protect itself from harsh colds and fungus that can grow beneath snow).

Gutter Cleaning

Have your gutters cleaned, or clean them yourself if you’re comfortable on top of a ladder. Fall is the most likely time for your gutters to get clogged, since leaves and debris can easily pile up. Keep an eye out for water pouring over the edges of your gutters during a storm (which means that there’s a blockage), and be sure to give your gutters a final cleaning after most of the leaves have fallen from nearby trees. Double check your downspouts to ensure that they remain attached and free from clogs, and make sure the bottom of the downspout directs water away from your home.

Check Caulking and Weatherstripping

You may not notice, but our homes expand and contract as temperatures change. That can create gaps around your windows and doors and other protrusions around your home’s exterior. In addition, weatherstripping and caulking eventually age, becoming brittle and cracking. Take a keen look around your home for bad caulking and weatherstripping, or cracks and holes. Replace weatherstripping, and apply new caulking as necessary. If you’re having your home painted by the crew here at Horner Painting, we’d be happy to apply fresh caulking to keep your home insulated from the coming cold. Now’s also a good time to add insulation to your attic, and to have your home inspected with a thermal imager, so that you can tell where warm air will leak out of your home this coming cold season.

Protect Your Home With Horner Painting

With fall in the air, we’re here to help you prepare your home. You can count on the team here at Horner to provide you with exterior painting services to protect your home’s siding from the wear and tear of the coming winter. Plus, we provide interior painting services, so you can update your home all in one fell swoop. We work across the Front Range, providing service throughout Fort Collins, Loveland, Greeley, Windsor, Johnstown, Wellington, Severance, and Timnath. If you’re ready to prepare your home this fall with a fresh coat of paint, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us today!