How to Prep Your Place for Fall

As the seasons change, they affect our living habits, all the while leaving their marks on our surroundings. That’s why the best time to prepare your space for the upcoming season is right before you notice the first signs of fall. This way, you’ll have enough time to check every aspect of your home and prepare before the weather gets colder.
Inspecting your private resort and preparing it for fall should be done in several phases, so take the time to plan a few days for it in advance.
Here are the steps to take to ensure your place is in great condition and ready for the season to come.
Outdoor inspection
Take a closer look at your home exterior and check all the aspects that commonly get affected as the weather grows cooler and the rain starts to pour. Start from the roof and work your way down before moving on to the next stage: the indoor preparations.
Although the outdoor inspection isn’t a chore to enjoy, it’s vital to take it seriously. If you live alone, plan the days and hours when you’ll be addressing each aspect, while if you live with family or friends, you can include them and make the process quicker – and maybe even fun.
Clean or replace the gutters
It’s so easy to get used to gutters working like a charm, draining gallons of water from the roof time and time again. However, they need to be thoroughly checked before the fall, if you want to avoid any complications not inspecting them may cause.
Clean your gutters from deposited dirt and fallen leaves to protect your home from potential flooding and facade damage. If they started to deteriorate, however, the time might be right to replace them altogether.
Check the water drainage
When your water drainage works right and is clear of any obstructions, it directs water away from your driveway, walking paths, and the foundations. Therefore, make sure it’s ship-shape before moving on to the next task. If needed, add extensions to downspouts to stay on the safe side.
Fix the cracks in the driveway
If your drainage system wasn’t working well, water will find its way inside any cracks in the walkway and driveway. If you fail to address this, it could freeze and expand in the colder months, causing the stone or the concrete to crack even deeper.
Use a concrete sealer to fill the smaller gaps and cracks to make sure your walkway and driveway are safe from harm.
Look at the trees surrounding your home
Colder fall weather can affect any damaged branches on the trees, potentially causing them to break and fall. If they land on your roof, or worse, the power lines, the mess they make will be dangerous and costly, so cut them off before they endanger your safety.
Indoor inspection
After you’ve successfully taken care of everything that needs to be done in front of and around your home, it’s time to step inside and do what needs to be done.
Don’t rush your way through the process. Instead, try to enjoy it as much as possible. After all, once you’re done, your home will become a place that will keep you warm and cozy in the upcoming months, so you’ll have every reason to feel satisfied with your hard work.
Check for drafts
The late summer months are great for feeling for drafts in your home. Check around the edges of windows and doors using a candle: if the flame flickers, you’ve got yourself a draft.
Before the fall arrives, replace the seals and repair caulking. As for the windows that can’t be helped this way, consider investing in heavy drapery to keep the draft at bay or look at replacing the window.
Clean the fireplace
Take good care of your fireplace before using it in the colder months. Line the area with newspapers to keep the dirt from getting on the floor and walls and clean up using a broom, wire brush, and baking soda with warm water. Although you likely won’t use it before winter, a clean fireplace will make your home look a lot more approachable and comfy.
Declutter the space
Declutter your home to prepare it for cleaning and repainting. To keep the space tidy for a long time, sell or gift the items you no longer need, or opt for donating them to a charity of your choice. Best essays author Anna Higgins does so every summer and recommends this practice wholeheartedly.
Repaint the interior
Everyone spends more time at home during the fall, so it would be great to refresh your interior by repainting all the walls beforehand. Additionally, a new coat of paint and attractive wallpapers will breathe new life into your space, making it cleaner, safer, and more enjoyable for yourself, your family, and friends.
It’s time to enjoy your hard work
Preparing your living space for fall is a time-consuming task, but the result of your efforts will undoubtedly prove worth the hassle you went through. Now that your place is clean and safe from seasonal environmental harm, it’s time to sit back, relax, and truly appreciate the results.
About The Author: Ashley Simmons is a professional journalist working in a newspaper in Salt Lake City. She is also one of the best dissertation writers for topics like psychology, modern education, business and marketing innovations.
Photo by Grant on Unsplash
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