Posted on Oct 14, 2016 8:00:00 AM
Fall, as a season, is one of the most beautiful times of year. However, with this beauty comes a few not-so-fun side effects. The cold air coming in, leaves jamming up your gutters, leaky roofs revealed. So let’s make sure you and your family have a cozy and stress free season with a few simple, but impactful, exterior projects. Check out our 5 Best Exterior Projects for Fall, featuring easy fixes, winter comfort, and cost savings in the future!
Sometimes we as homeowners forget the importance of cleaning out the leaves, as well as other debris from their gutters during fall. Cleaning the gutters makes sure that the water flows and does not spill over and freeze. At the same time, an overflow in the gutters may only result to water running back to your house and causing leaks in your basement or other areas. To help with this, you can add an extension towards the end of your downspouts. Doing a good inspection can also reveal loose attachments or damaged areas of your gutters that may need replacing before winter.
Watching your favorite NFL team guilty pleasure TV show and find yourself reaching for the heated blanket, even though your thermostats reads a comfy 70 degrees? Check out your windows for a seeping chill, or condensation and frost appearing, it may be time for you to replace your windows. If you have wooden window frames, you may want to consider an upgrade, also making sure they are double-paned with multiple spacers. A professional builder can easily swap out the old, replacing it with models that are more energy efficient, thus increasing your comfort level, and most importantly, decrease your bills on heating.
Keep in mind that the cold winter can easily aggravate and create small roofing leaks. These leaks need to be fixed right away before the first snowfall arrives. The best solution is to hire a skilled professional who can accurately evaluate the leak, and fix the problems safely and quickly.
This was slightly touched on with window replacements, however, keep in mind that windows are not the only sources of air leaks. They can come from your exterior and basement doors, siding or other patches in the outdoor walls and deck. In order to avoid drafty evenings on the couch, take some time to inspect these areas and make sure you have weather stripping material in place. If that doesn’t do the trick, you could have a lack of insulation or other issues within your walls that a building professional could help you identify.
In the same way that freezing water expands and bursts plumbing lines, water that gets inside the cracks of your porch & patios, as well as your driveway, can also freeze and force such cracks to open a little bit wider. This can then result to further problems later on, especially through the entire winter season. Fill the cracks early so you can ease into Spring!
Fall is the best time to prepare for winter, before it’s too cold to be outside and the shoveling starts. So, take a weekend or two and get prepared in order to save yourself time, money, and a headache in the future!
Topics: Roofing, Exterior Remodeling, Windows
