13 Tasks On Mike Holmes’ Fall Maintenance Checklist
I always recommend homeowners do their home maintenance from the outside in as you need to protect what’s inside from the elements.
Fall is the right time for getting your home prepared before winter quickly approaches, daylight is shortened, and the snow flies. Tackle those home maintenance and home improvement projects before it’s too late.
What sort of monthly maintenance should homeowners be doing?
If you have purchased a Holmes Approved Home, congratulations! Your home is built right from the ground up. Now it’s up to you to maintain it. Home maintenance can be a daunting task, so I’ll make it easier for you.
Your home needs maintenance – that’s just a fact of life. If you take good care of your home and perform your necessary preventive maintenance, you can avoid taking on unneeded costly repairs.
Your Fall Maintenance Checklist
The changes in weather bring an entirely new set of household chores every season.
Here’s my fall home maintenance checklist, it’s something I like to work from when getting my home prepared for cold winter days before the leaves have fallen clean.
Start from the Outside In
You want to check for cracks in the foundation, leaks and water damage—both inside and outside your home. Remember, it’s what you do on the outside that will protect your home on the inside.
Here are some other items you should be checking for:
☐ Clean gutters and eavestroughs and schedule repairs, if needed. Why? Because when water gets stuck because debris and other gunk jams them up, it can freeze causing ice damming all along your roof line.
☐ Check your roof for any damage (cracked, curled or missing shingles) —schedule reroofing if needed
☐ Seal gaps, cracks or openings where pests and critters can enter
☐ Check the caulking around your windows and doors and replace if needed
MY TIP: To check if you have a draft issue, hold up a lit candle near your window and see if it flickers. If it does, you need to update your weatherstripping.
Quick Checks Around the House
☐ Replace batteries in smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors (if needed)
☐ Test and dust all CO detectors and smoke alarms
☐ Check and clean humidifier
☐ Check water heater for leaks—schedule inspection if older than 5 years (if haven’t already done so)
Fall Cleaning List
Take a weekend to do these cleaning tasks, or get the whole family involved and split the duties.
☐ Clean dryer vents
☐ Clean Heat Recovery Ventilator (HRV) – if you have one installed
☐ Clean kitchen exhaust hood and filter
☐ Vacuum refrigerator coils
☐ Check your furnace before cold season; schedule repairs, if needed
☐ Replace furnace filter. Change your air filter at least every three months—once a month is better. If you’re renovating, change it every two weeks. The more you change it, the cleaner the air is inside your home
RELATED: Do you Know What’s In Your Furnace Room? Mike Holmes explains.
This is also a good time to take an inventory of all your winter supplies-salt and/or sand, shovels and an emergency kit in case of power outages.
Ready to winterize your home? Here are tasks that need to be on your winter home maintenance checklist.
About the Holmes Approved Homes Program:
Mike Holmes’ philosophy is simple: The things you don’t see in a home are more important than the things you do, and addressing these critical details today protects your investment, saving you time, trouble and money tomorrow. The HOLMES Approved Homes Program is about integrating the right building products with the right technology, using the right building practices to build you a home that goes beyond residential standards, from construction to final inspection.
The result? Simply a better built home.