As the temperatures start to cool down, most people are spending more time at home. If you’re a homeowner, then this is the perfect season to tackle meaningful home improvement projects in preparation for the colder season ahead.
If you’re not at home most of the time, you can easily hire a contractor to oversee the project. Let’s discuss some of the home renovations you can do in the fall season:
Table of Contents
Clean The Gutters
While the falling leaves of the season may look beautiful, cleaning them up can often be a hassle. If your gutters are clogged with leaves, then they will have a hard time collecting water and channeling it to the ground as they should.
Additionally, your roof may get backed up with water, or the water will leak into your home, potentially leading to a flood in the basement.
Cleaning out your gutter during the season may be unreasonable, so you may as well wait for the season to end to have it cleaned out. Alternatively, if you still wish to do this, you can install a mesh guard that prevents leaves from clogging it.
Fix the Roof
The roof and gutters have to go hand in hand. Your roof is usually the first defense system that the home occupants have against harsh weather conditions. Simple roof problems like missing a few shingles may not look like a big deal, but if they are not fixed now, they could be detrimental in the future and make you incur even more unplanned costs.
Therefore, it would be wise to get them fixed as early as you can. Get a roof specialist to conduct a thorough roof inspection and repair the weak spots that may cause any damage.
Do a Chimney Sweep
It’s common for soot and creosote to build in the chimney, and if the soot and if these clogs are allowed to build up for extended seasons, they may cause home fire hazards.
Even so, a clogged chimney makes it difficult for you to light up your fireplace, and it can also be dangerous to the home occupants since the poisonous carbon monoxide fumes accumulate with time and enter your home. We all know what these fumes do, right?
Therefore, conducting regular inspections with the use of professionals would be ideal. Doing this will also protect you from doing expensive chimney repairs in the future and help you enjoy your fireplace in the coming colder season.
Seal Off Insulation Leaks
More often than not, we have heard complaints from most homeowners because of the hefty utility bills they have to pay in the cold seasons. If your home is well insulated, it should keep off the cold air and bring in the warm air, thus saving you from digging deeper into your pockets.
Getting your home insulation repaired may sound overwhelming for now, but the repair costs outweigh the utility costs you will need to cover. Therefore, seal all the drafty areas that may interfere with your home insulation, beginning with your attic, door frames, and windows.
If you have problems identifying which areas let the warm air escape from your home, use this simple method; Light a candle and move to your window and door and watch if your candle flickers at any one point.
Check Your AC System
Besides taking care of your home insulation, your AC system should be next in line. If the AC is not too old, it’s unnecessary to upgrade, but professional inspections will be necessary. Your AC and insulation system work hand in hand, and that’s why they should both have frequent maintenance.
If you need an AC upgrade, it would be ideal to purchase those with a digital thermostat attached to them. Smart thermostats don’t require you to control them, and they will automatically activate the AC when the temperature increases. They also shut it off once the house is cooled off.
Another benefit is that If you happen to forget to switch off your AC on your way out, the smart thermostat will still act accordingly.
Replace the Old Windows
This is another ideal alternative to sealing off those cracks in the frames that are poorly insulated. Not only will replacing those old windows boost your home’s appeal, but they will also help control the home’s temperatures as they should.
Luckily, nowadays, more double-paned windows are energy-efficient and will instantly help reduce the hefty utility bills.
Of course, replacing windows is not a cheap affair, but if it’s the last worthy result you must take, start with the crucial rooms like your living room and bedroom as you progress to the rest of the rooms.
Reverse the Ceiling Fan
Flipping the ceiling fan blade to rotate in the anticlockwise direction is another clever way to save on utility bills. It would be wise to reverse the blades to turn in an anticlockwise motion during the colder seasons to push more air downwards to the room.
The fan blades should rotate clockwise in the hotter season since we want more cold air to create a breeze. Luckily, nearly all modern residential ceiling fans have a switch to reverse the blades into whichever direction you need automatically. However, if you own the older ceiling fans, you may replace them with reversible ones.
Clean Out the Garage
Most home garages are usually like the “dumpsite” of everything that broke down or things that are not frequently used. Therefore, a cleanout will be essential to add space to your garage for you to park your car inside it during winter safely.
Doing a cleanout may not be the easiest of jobs, but you can use specialists for junk removal in East Brunswick to help you through the process thoroughly and in much less time.
Often, when we do a cleanout for ourselves, we can’t help but restock the junk that we think is of sentimental value to us, but in essence, we don’t even use them. Therefore, they will not only help you clean out all the junk in your garage, but they will also help you donate or dispose of the items that you no longer need without any biased opinion.
Get Rid of The Seasonal Items
As we get through the decluttering process, it would be practical to reduce the seasonal items. These include clothing, patio furniture, décor, amongst others.
You don’t have to dispose of the furniture, but if you do a thorough declutter process, it should fit in the garage or be taken back into your home, especially in the winter season. Again, junk removal specialists can help you in the whole process.
If wooden furniture is left out in the cold for a long time, it easily splits, metal furniture rusts, and plastic cracks. Therefore, keeping any of them out in the cold may not be a good idea. If possible, create more storage space in the walls or ceiling of your home to store more things and create more floor space.
Fertilize Your Lawn
The grass and young trees may not be growing as expected in this season because of the cold, usually, because the roots are in a “resting” phase. Therefore, this would be the best time to take advantage and fertilize your lawn since they benefit more during this season.
This ensures the roots are strong enough to withstand the harsh cold through the winter and help them sprout back up again in the spring season.
Also, it makes them more drought and disease resistant. All your neighbors will want to take a picture in your compound because of the beauty of the curb. Also, ensure that you also trim off the hanging trees that may be blown off and cause damage to and also trim your lawn to boost growth.
Repaint your Home
Repainting your residence is one of the most beneficial choices you can ever make for your home during the fall. First, the temperatures are very conducive; thus, they are perfect for the paint to dry well. Adding this fresh coat to your home’s exteriors also goes a long way in boosting your home’s curb appeal.
Also, if you need to do the same for the home interiors, you can keep your windows open since the temperatures are a bit mild.
You don’t have to do a complete home paint rework, and a professional painter will help you decide on the best colors if you need a change in the original home colors. Yes, you can mix up the colors, but make sure your home gets the revamped look it needs without looking weird at the end of the day.
Clean The Carpet
It may seem too obvious, but lots of people forget to do it. After all the fall activities, your carpet will indeed have accumulated dirt.
Therefore, it is a good idea to clean it up and let it dry thoroughly from your home or the professional carpet cleaner’s workshop. Take advantage of the bare floor and open the windows to let fresh air into the house before the carpet is spread back.
The fall period is one of the most exciting seasons of the year, mainly because of the important festivities that come with it. Fall may be a busy one for homeowners to ensure that everything is prepared for the colder season. However, any adjustment is not a waste, and they are all worth the time and effort.
About the Author
Jenn Walker is a freelance writer, blogger, dog-enthusiast, and avid beachgoer operating out of Southern New Jersey.
