Yes, the calendar just turned to August. However, the first day of fall lurks around the corner. While September 23rd is over a month away from now, you may start getting distracted with getting your kid(s) ready for school again.
If you don’t want the next season of the year to hit you like a bag of bricks, keep these home improvement ideas from House Beautiful in the back of your mind.
Those Gutters Gotta Go This Fall
For some houses, a change of gutters is long overdue. It’s one of the easiest home maintenance aspects to forget about, as they’re all the way up on your roof. Although you may want to think about them now because clogged gutters can earn you “a flooded interior and damaged exterior.”
If you want to avoid the frustration and price tag of future repairs, at least clean them out. If more work is needed, replace them sooner than later.
Urgent Draft Alert
The urgency pertains to your wallet, as the U.S. Department of Energy reports, “Heat loss through windows is responsible for 25-30 percent of heating energy use.”
Think about that; over a quarter of your heat bill stems from those pesky drafts that no one likes in the first place. If you want to lower that expense, get that weatherstripping started before the cold weather creeps up.
Empty Outdoor Faucets
It’s simple. All you need to do is, “Drain and disconnect all garden hoses from outside spigots to prevent any water freezing.”
But why put in all that effort, you may be wondering. Well, if you don’t, your pipes can burst and you can say goodbye to part of your paycheck. Unless you’re plotting your pipes’ downfall, take care of this, please.
Outdoor Furniture Becomes Indoor Furniture
No, you don’t have to bring your summer couches and chairs into the living room, but maybe the garage instead?
If you don’t have that extra storage space, consider using “a waterproof furniture cover,” which can easily be bought online.
Stop Putting off those Driveway Repairs
If there was a now-or-never time for filling those minor cracks in your driveway, it’s now.
This natural process can lead to a lot of bumpy moments in the car, which is annoying enough, and eventually lead to an entire pothole in your driveway. If I were you, I’d go get some concrete sealer and get the job done once and for all.
As the fall approaches, make sure you’re ready to greet the temperature change.
