A Checklist for Preparing Your Home for Fall in Rio Grande Valley
As yellow leaves become a common sight on the roads and streets, it clearly indicates the fall season. Piles of dried leaves also remind you to prepare your home for the fall in RGV.
If you are looking for new homes for sale in Edinburg, this checklist is vital to inspect the home before you choose to move in. And if you are already a proud owner of one, this checklist will help you prepare your home for the fall, inside and out.
Preparing Your Home Exteriors for the Fall
Before the fall, it is essential to devote full attention to your home’s exterior, including your lawn and roof drainage pipes. The exteriors, in fact, are more susceptible to damage during the fall as they face the direct wrath of the weather.
In this regard, here is how you can prepare your exteriors for the fall season:
1. Inspect the roof
Let’s start with the roof of the house. Inspecting the roof for the fall would include looking for signs of wear and tear and missing shingles, conducting a chimney inspection, inspecting the furnace, checking for blocked drainage pipes around the roof, and anything else that needs attention.
Preparing your roof for a fall is vital, as a single error can make your entire plan go haywire. Along with the fall comes the possibility of storms, snowfall, hailstorms, and strong winds that can cause havoc on the damaged roof. This, in turn, can cause leaks and cracks that could also damage the home’s interiors.
2. Clean the drainage pipes and gutters
Once the roof is inspected and taken care of, it’s time to clean the pipes and gutters. They should be free from any debris, like foliage and fallen leaves. The dried leaves during the fall can block the pipes and gutters. The blocked water in the pipes can freeze. Due to the variations in the inside and outside temperatures, the frozen pipes can burst, causing a lot of trouble.
Therefore, it is advisable to clean the gutters and drainage pipes. You can do it yourself using gloves and other equipment or with the help of a professional.
3. Trim the trees and bushes
One of the best ways to minimize the blockage of gutters is to trim your trees and bushes beforehand. Trimming the overgrown bushes and trees reduces the shedding of leaves.
However, follow the homeowner’s association’s (HOA) rules before trimming the bushes around your home. You need to abide by the community rules to maintain the aesthetics of the community before doing so.
4. Rake the leaves
Raking leaves is an everyday task during the fall. Skip raking leaves for a day, and you will find your yard full of yellow and red leaves. It’s better to rake them daily to keep them within the limits. This will also prevent them from getting further blown away here and there.
You can also use the dry leaves for composting. Layering brown and dried leaves with your kitchen waste is the best way to create bio-compost that can be later added to the soil in your yard. If you follow sustainable living, there cannot be a better opportunity than fall. The waste takes a month or two to decompose, and the resulting compost is rich in nutrients that act as the best fertilizer for plants and trees.
Preparing Your Home Interiors for the Fall
Once your home exteriors are ready for the fall, it’s time to focus on the interiors. Here is what to do:
1. Check seals and weather stripping
It’s important to keep your home energy efficient during the winter to allow heat to stay trapped inside. This also results in reduced power bills. To ensure the same, fall is the time to check and get the weather stripping around doors and windows replaced.
If you see dried and cracked weather stripping around the windows and doors, it’s time to replace them. You can scrape and replace the weather stripping yourself with the help of online tutorials or with the help of a professional.
Similarly, you can also check for cracked seals on floors, walls, and ceilings. Even small cracks on walls and ceilings may interfere with your HVAC’s ability to maintain the temperatures. Getting any of the cracks covered with chalk and putty is therefore advisable.
2. Get your heating systems serviced
It’s ideal to get your heating system serviced twice a year. The heating system should be serviced in the fall to prepare it for the winter months. On the other hand, your air conditioning system should be serviced in the spring to prepare it for the summer.
The efficiency of your heating system can be compromised by the buildup of dirt and debris on air filters. Additionally, if left uncleaned, your HVAC system may circulate contaminated air. Getting your HVAC serviced professionally ensures filters are cleaned or replaced to ensure the system works to its full potential.
3. Check and replace batteries
Winter home fires are common due to space heaters, furnaces, candles used around Christmas, electric heaters, and other similar events.
Therefore, fall is the time to replace the batteries on smoke detectors. This should be done twice a year, once during the spring and another during the fall mandatorily. If the smoke detectors are not battery-operated but hard-wired, it is advisable to call a professional and check the electrical connections.
4. Get your fireplace checked up
If your home has a fireplace mantle, it’s a good idea to give it some attention. Get it checked before you start using it after the off-season.
- Check the chimney for the accumulation of burning wood. Get it inspected for creosote buildup and get it cleaned.
- Check the chimney for other damages caused by wear and tear, flue blockage, etc.
- Check the top of the chimney for bird nests and other blockages.
- Get the fireplace mantle renovated for better heat dissipation around the house.
Prepare Your Home for the Fall Now!
If you are moving to a new home in McAllen during the fall or already own a community home in McAllen, fall preparation is important. Take the help of professional services or kickstart a DIY project.
That said, Villanueva Construction is always here to help you build custom homes in RGV. To learn more about us and our services, contact us today.