Is Your Home Ready for Fall?

As I walk by the Mums in front of my grocery store, I suddenly realize that autumn is getting closer whether we want it or not. Despite the hot, hot, hot weather we are inevitably approaching the Seattle winter. It begins with crisp mornings and the leaf season, followed by several months of semi continuous drizzle. Only time will tell what the windstorm season will look like this year, but based on stats it could be a bad one as we have neither La Nina or El Nino this year. Starbucks has launched their Pumpkin Spice Latte and school starts today, and you know the pumpkin patches will open in just a few weeks too.

Okay, okay, I want to grab my Dr. Marten’s boots out of the closet and pull on a sweater and a scarf. I’m tired of wearing sundresses and shorts, but that’s not my point. My point is that way more important that the latte or your favorite scarf is your home. Is your home ready for fall and winter? A colleague of mine told me a story about a first-time homeowner. It was a funny one and everyone laughed, but we also came into the conclusion that these things should be talked about more, especially living in a very diverse, multicultural community where people have moved here from all over the world. Something as simple as falling leaves may not be quite as obvious to someone else, not if you have never seen it happening.

Coming from Finland it took me years to start calling our winter a winter. Yes, it is dark and wet, but for me winter weather was ice and snow, and 10 Fahrenheit. Suddenly I was supposed to call the wet 40 to 50 degrees winter. But winter it is, and you will have to prepare your home for it nevertheless. Times have changed too, and as much as I enjoy the one or two snow days, I'm also quite content without snow. 

So, how to prepare? Here are a couple of things to consider.

When’s the last time you had your gutters cleaned? How about your roof? Rotting leaves and pine needles quickly clog the gutters making your home more prone to water damage. Same goes with the roof. Water is your enemy, and you do not want it to be standing on either your roof or your gutters. Hire a professional to do these, as professionals also come with proper equipment and insurance. It is likely to cost way more that a few hundred bucks if you fall off of your roof.

In order to save on your heating cost, have your furnace serviced and change the filter. It does not seem that important until that thing in the garage decides to stop working on a freezing night. Emergency service tends to be more costly too, so better plan ahead. During the summer months, your ceiling fans should be running counterclockwise, but in the winter months you want them going the other direction because heat tends to rise and you will want to keep it down.

To avoid unpleasant surprises, when the rain starts, shut and drain your sprinkler systems, and winterize your exterior spigots. If you need to use your outside spigot during the winter, make sure you close and drain it before it gets freezing.

If you didn’t do it in the spring, change the batteries and check all smoke detectors and carbon dioxide alarms. Space heaters and candles are always a fire hazard. If you have a wood burning fireplace make sure it gets swept prior to winter. Does your home have fire extinguishers? Are they up to date? If you don’t have any, you should. At least one in the garage, one in the kitchen and one upstairs. Make sure everyone in the house knows how to use them.

Trim your trees, or have them trimmed to avoid wind damage, and even though it would be very compelling to stick that lawn mover back in the shed and forget about it, it’s way nicer to have a date with it in the spring if it has been serviced, and it’s more likely to work too. Same goes for all other yard care equipment.

Finally. Grab that Pumpkin Spice Latte, and a slice of your favorite pumpkin treat, light the candles and throw your self on the couch with a good book. When the evenings get darker and cooler you have every right to enjoy the great indoors.