With homeownership comes home maintenance, and with each season comes a new set of chores to complete. Keeping your home well-maintained not only ensures the safety of your family and friends, but also helps preserve your home’s value. We’ve compiled a seasonal breakdown of the top items to complete each year. Please ensure your safety with all home repairs and maintenance by hiring a professional for any jobs you cannot manage on your own.
Fall
As the seasons begin to change, your home needs to be prepared for cooler weather. You can ward off issues later in the season by tackling a few of these home maintenance items:
- Inspect your roof, gutters and chimney: Get ahead of potential leaks or any blockages in your gutters or chimney by inspecting your roof, checking ridge shingles for cracks, looking for damage around vents and chimneys and checking for missing, curled or damaged shingles. You’ll want to keep your gutters clear from debris throughout the season, especially as winter approaches!
- Furnace check: Ensure you are consistently replacing filters. Additionally, it’s always smart to schedule an annual HVAC system inspection and cleaning with a licensed professional.
Winter
As the winter chill arrives, here’s a breakdown of winter maintenance items:
- Protect your pipes: Insulate exposed exterior pipes and keep a slow trickle of water flowing during extreme cold to prevent pipes from bursting.
- Trim trees and shrubs: Keep branches trimmed away from your roof; be prepared to cover plants and shrubs to protect them during freeze warnings.
- Check doors and windows: To keep the warm air in, carefully inspect the caulking around windows for gaps and check that any outward facing doors don’t have space between the door bottom and the sill.
Spring
As the grass begins to peek through the slush and wet leaves, spring cleaning is calling your name, but where do you begin?
- Inspect trees and shrubs: Walk your property and inspect trees damaged by winter storms, lightning strikes, pests, diseases or decay. Address any damaged or dying trees to avoid potential property damage.
- Remove freezeproofing from pipes: Remove any faucet insulation from the winter proofing.
- Clean windows and screens: Test that all windows function; wipe down windows and sills. Check for small holes in screens to prevent bugs from making their way inside.
Summer
Once summer has arrived, ensure these simple chores are completed so you’ll have plenty of time for fun in the sun.
- HVAC maintenance: To ensure you’re ready for hot days to come, inspect your HVAC system for smooth operations. If you smell smoke, or feel dust and debris coming from your vents, call a professional immediately.
- Grill upkeep: Ensure your barbeque equipment is clean. Use a grill brush to scrub the grates before and after each use to remove debris and food. If you have a gas grill, don’t forget to check your propane tank and refill or replace as necessary.
- Siding inspection: Check your siding for any damage and consider hiring a contractor for any necessary repairs. Power wash the siding to clean up and refresh your home’s appearance.
- Exterior painting: A new paint job on your home’s exterior, outward facing doors and window trim is another ideal project for the summer months.
Beyond maintenance, it’s important to be properly insured to protect your home. Looking to switch or update your home insurance? We’ve teamed up with Covered Insurance to provide you with the simplest way to shop. Start today by getting a quote or calling a Covered advisor at 844-287-7108.