12 Last-Minute Tasks to Check Off Your Fall Home Checklist

As November comes to a close and autumn gives way to cooler (and sometimes bitter) temperatures, you may be looking to hurry up and finish your fall home checklist before winter hits.

Before the cold arrives, make sure to winterize your home with these 12 last-minute fall home maintenance tips.

Stay Ahead of the Cold With This Home Winterization Checklist

1. Call a Pro to Repair or Replace Your Roof

It may go without saying, but winter is not the best time for roof work. Aside from ice and snow creating a slipping hazard during repairs, asphalt shingles need to be installed at temperatures between 40 and 85 degrees . Any colder and the shingles can become brittle and break apart. Cold temperatures also prevent the adhesive sealant from activating, making it easy for winter winds to blow them away. So if your roof needs a little love, add a call to your local roofer to your fall home checklist.

Need an easy way to dispose of those old shingles? Our roofing dumpsters can get the job done. Learn more about roofing disposal options in your area.

2. Clean and Seal Your Deck

Another fall home improvement must-do is to perform safety checks on your deck and get it ready for spring. J.B. Sassano, president of Mr. Handyman , recommends “walk[ing] around the deck and sprinkl[ing] water on several different areas. If water soaks into the boards, it’s time to reseal the deck. If water forms a puddle or beads up, the deck is repelling water and will be safe for the winter.”

How to Protect Deck Wood in the Winter

3. Winterize Your Driveway and Sidewalks

Most people don’t give their driveway a second thought when winterizing the home. However, snow, ice and salt can take its toll on concrete and asphalt surfaces. Make sure they’re ready to be put to the test with these tips for winterizing your driveway:

4. Clean and Inspect Your Fireplace

If you have a fireplace, proper chimney cleaning is an important task to add to your home winterization checklist. “If your chimney has not been inspected or cleaned this past year, the very best time to do so is now, before the heating season,” says Marshall Peters, director of the Certified Chimney Professionals.

Fireplaces produce deposits which are combustible and can burn at over 2000 degrees Fahrenheit, according to Peters. This is hot enough to destroy the chimney liner and even set your home on fire. Find a chimney professional near you to have your fireplace inspected and cleared for safety this year.

How often should a chimney be cleaned?

“ The typical fireplace for most families will require cleaning every two to three years. Whether the chimney vents gas, oil, coal, pellets, corn, wood or other fuel, they all need inspecting annually and cleaned when necessary. The corrosive byproducts of each fuel type will dictate the types of problems they will cause in a chimney and which type of maintenance will be necessary. The National Fire Protection Association requires annual inspections for all solid fuel chimneys for this reason.”

Marshall Peters | Certified Chimney Professionals

5. Check on Your Home’s Heating and Air

Don’t get caught in the cold with a broken furnace – add an HVAC check to your fall home checklist. Older furnaces can be up to 50 percent less efficient than newer models, so if you’re shopping for a replacement, look for systems that sport the Energy-Star label .

If a replacement isn’t in the cards, here are a few HVAC tips for winter from Bob Burkholder, owner and president of Burkholder’s Heating and Air Conditioning:

Feeling cold? Turn up the humidity, not the heat.

“ Lack of moisture in a home can cause the room to seem colder than it actually is, causing you to crank up the thermostat. In reality, it is the humidity level that needs to be adjusted. Dry air is not able to hold in as much heat, so it tends to feel colder. The humidity level in a home is as low as 20 percent in winter. On average, it should be closer to 35 percent. Portable humidifiers work well in small areas. There are also whole-home humidifiers that can be installed as part of your home’s heating and cooling system.”

Bob Burkholder | Burkholder’s Heating and Air Conditioning

6. Winterize Your Lawn by Cutting and Aerating

You’ll want to pamper your lawn one last time so that it can bounce back with ease come April. Here are a few of the last lawn maintenance tasks you should add to your home winterization checklist:

7. Winterize Your Garden

Winter is also a trying time for your trees, shrubs and flowers. In order to protect your landscaping properly from the elements, add these fall tips to your checklist.

If you’re removing a lot of landscaping debris, having a yard waste dumpster in the driveway can be helpful. Learn more about yard waste container services available near you.

8. Clean and Repair Your Gutters and Downspouts

Cleaning and repairing gutters is not the most glamorous of home maintenance tasks, but it’s important to get it done in the fall to prevent ice dams during the winter.

To clean out your gutters, remove any leaves, twigs and other debris that is preventing proper drainage. Then, flush your gutters with water, inspect the joints and tighten the brackets if necessary. For a more permanent solution, consider using a gutter guard. They’re easy to install and will keep you off a ladder.

9. Inspect and Clean Space Heaters

By the time winter rolls back around, it may have been a while since your space heater was used last. However, it’s important to make sure any heating devices are clean and in working order before putting them back into commission.

“Heating is the second-leading cause of US home fires and the leading cause of home fire deaths,” says Susan McKelvey of the National Fire Protection Association. “On average each year, nearly half of all home heating fires occur in December, January and February.” Before you hit the on switch this season, here are a few portable heating safety tips to add to your home winterization checklist:

10. Check Smoke Detectors

House fires are most common during the fall and winter months and smoke alarms are “your first line of defense,” says McKelvey. “Three out of five home fire deaths occur in homes with no smoke alarms or no working smoke alarms.” Inspect your smoke detectors thoroughly to keep your family safe this winter.

NFPA Guidelines for Maintaining Smoke Detectors

Do you have a fire escape plan? Now is the time to make one.

“ When the smoke alarm sounds, you may have as little as two to three minutes to escape safely. You need to know how to use that time wisely. A home escape plan includes:

Susan McKelvey | National Fire Protection Association

Once you’ve nailed down a fire escape plan, check out ADT’s Fire Safety Plan Checklist to make sure your home is completely prepared for a fire emergency.

11. Check Carbon Monoxide Detectors

While you’re checking your smoke detectors, give your carbon monoxide detectors a once-over as well. Carbon monoxide detection is important year-round, but it is especially so in the wintertime. According to the CDC, most accidental carbon monoxide poisonings occur in January and the second most in December because furnaces and space heaters can emit this toxic gas. Replace the batteries and your detectors them to ensure you and your family will be safe through the winter.

12. Add Winter Supplies to Your Fall Home Checklist

The worst time to realize that you’re out of sidewalk salt or that your snow shovel is broken is in the middle of a blizzard. Before the first snowfall of the season, be sure to take stock of your snow removal tools and other supplies. Here are a few final inventory tasks to cross off your fall home checklist before the winter:

Getting firewood? Choose seasoned wood to protect your chimney.

“ It is very important that the wood has seasoned, or dried, for a year or two before it is used for heating. Much of the energy created by burning non-seasoned wood is used in burning off the water content in the wood which produces steam and lowers the flue gas temperature. This can create more creosote and glazed creosote, which increases the risk of a flue fire.”

Marshall Peters | Certified Chimney Professionals

Bring on the Snow – You’re Ready to Take on Winter

While you may be caught up in the hustle and bustle of the holiday season, take a little time to prepare for Old Man Winter. You’ll save a lot in winter weather repairs, and keep your family warm and dry even on the coldest nights. Once you’ve winterized your home, you can sit back and relax by the warmth of your (now cleaned) fireplace.

Now that you know which home projects to take on this fall, you will be better prepared for winter. Have another fall home improvement project you would like to share? Leave us a comment below or check out the home improvement section of our blog for more DIY tips and tricks.