Fall is in the air, and everyone is itching to get their hands dirty with some home improvement projects. This post will break down some of the most popular fall home improvement projects for you.
DIY enthusiasts will enjoy tackling these tasks themselves, while others may be better off hiring a professional contractor or handyman. Whether you live in your own home or at one of those all-inclusive apartments for rent, you’ll still need to do some form of cleaning or repair in time for autumn.
Here are a few you can cross out from your list:
- Clean out your gutters and downspouts.
- Check the exterior of your home for any loose siding, roofing, or windows.
- Inspect your exterior doors and windows for drafts.
- Seal windows and doors.
- Replace old light fixtures with energy-efficient ones.
- Install a new toilet.
- Get a professional to inspect and treat your chimney for pests and creosote buildup.
- Take care of seasonal tasks such as lawn mowing and tree trimming.
- Conclusion
Clean out your gutters and downspouts.
If you’re lucky, this will be the last time you’ll need to do it until spring. However, if your gutters are full of leaves or pine needles, then this task must be repeated early in fall before winter comes. Cleaning gutters is necessary to prevent serious damage to your house.
You should hire a professional contractor if you live in an area prone to hurricanes or other severe weather conditions that pose a threat to your home. You also need professional help if you have a two-story house, as there’s more work involved.
Check the exterior of your home for any loose siding, roofing, or windows.
Replacing the roof on the house is no easy task. You’ll need heavy equipment and a team of professionals, which means this job will likely require at least a week to complete. Replacing siding can also be time-consuming if you have to remove all the cladding from the walls first. You will also need to ensure that your windows are secure because loose windows can pose a risk to you and the people outside.
Inspect your exterior doors and windows for drafts.
Drafts can be annoying and costly, as they let cool air escape during summer and warm air escape during winter. During hotter months, drafty doors let all of your AC out. And during colder months, drafty doors lead you to use more fuel to heat your home.
Autumn is the perfect season to have these checked so you can get all the repairs done before winter comes.
Seal windows and doors.
You can inspect your windows and doors for drafts, but you’re better off having an expert do the actual sealing. If they aren’t sealed properly, air will still come in, undoing all of your hard work. Also, be sure that your windows are free of any cracks. Constant changes in temperature are the perfect environment for moisture to form around these flaws and grow into expensive repairs down the line.
Replace old light fixtures with energy-efficient ones.
According to the Department of Energy, people who replaced their old light fixtures with energy-efficient ones saved over $30 per fixture in energy costs. An LED bulb is four times more efficient than a regular incandescent one. Not only that, but this simple change kept as much as 126 lbs of greenhouse gas emissions from entering the environment each year.
You can also replace your old security lights with more environmentally-friendly ones that provide a sufficient amount of light while using less energy.
Install a new toilet.
If you want to save water and money on your water bill, then this is an excellent project to tackle. You can also replace more than just the toilet; you can install new sinks, showers, and faucets. Doing this will help you save on water bills and be kinder to the environment too.
Get a professional to inspect and treat your chimney for pests and creosote buildup.
It’s important to stay safe and healthy in your home, so it makes sense that you’d want to get the chimney checked out for potential problems. These include excess creosote buildup or pests such as opossums and raccoons.
Buildup can cause a fire or harmful health symptoms if it’s not treated promptly. If you attempt to remove them yourself, like with creosote cleaner, make sure you do it safely and don’t take shortcuts.
Take care of seasonal tasks such as lawn mowing and tree trimming.
Lawn mowing is pretty straightforward. All you need to do is make sure your lawnmower blades are sharp and follow the instructions that came with it for care and maintenance. On the other hand, tree trimming requires expertise if you don’t want to jeopardize your landscaping or backyard view.
If you have trees around your home, make sure you have professionals take care of them. They can cause serious damage if they fall on your home during storms, so it’s wise for you to get preemptive maintenance before that happens.
Conclusion
Fall is a great time to get your hands dirty and tackle some home improvement projects. We hope this blog post has given you the information you need to plan out any upcoming fall-related renovation project, from hiring a contractor or handyman for those big jobs to tackling these tasks yourself as DIY enthusiasts.
