Fall Home Maintenance Tips: Get Your Home Ready for the Season

Fall in the Columbia River Gorge means cooler mornings, changing leaves, shorter days, and the reminder that winter really isn’t that far away.

Before the rain, wind, freezing temperatures, and occasional snow arrive, we always recommend giving your home a little attention. A few simple maintenance tasks now can help prevent bigger problems later, including the kind that can lead to expensive repairs or insurance claims.

Here are a few things we recommend adding to your fall home maintenance checklist.

1. Clean Your Gutters and Downspouts

Leaves, pine needles, dirt, and other debris can quickly clog gutters during the fall. When water can’t drain properly, it can overflow, pool around your foundation, or contribute to roof and siding damage.

We recommend clearing out your gutters and making sure your downspouts are directing water away from your home. While you’re at it, look for gutters that are loose, sagging, or leaking.

And if getting on a ladder isn’t your thing, this is definitely one of those jobs worth calling a professional for!

2. Take a Look at Your Roof

You don’t necessarily need to climb onto your roof to give it a quick inspection. From the ground, look for missing, damaged, or curling shingles, damaged flashing, or anything else that looks out of place.

Catching a small roof issue before months of Gorge rain, wind, or snow can save you from discovering a much bigger problem when water starts showing up somewhere it shouldn’t.

3. Check Around Windows and Doors

Feeling a draft around your windows or doors? Now is a good time to take care of it.

Check weatherstripping and caulking for cracks, gaps, or deterioration. Sealing those areas can help keep cold air and moisture outside while making your home a little more energy efficient.

Your heating bill might appreciate this one, too.

4. Disconnect and Protect Outdoor Faucets

Before freezing temperatures arrive, disconnect garden hoses and drain outdoor faucets. If you have exterior plumbing that is particularly exposed to cold weather, consider adding insulated faucet covers.

Frozen pipes can turn into burst pipes, and as insurance agents, we can tell you that water has a way of causing a LOT of damage very quickly.

5. Get Your Heating System Ready

The first cold night of the year is not the ideal time to discover your heating system isn’t working properly.

Replace furnace filters as recommended, clear dust and debris from vents, and consider scheduling seasonal maintenance if your system is due for an inspection.

If you use a fireplace or wood stove, fall is also a great time to have your chimney inspected and cleaned before you start using it regularly.

6. Test Your Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Detectors

As we spend more time indoors and start using furnaces, fireplaces, wood stoves, and other heating sources, working smoke and carbon monoxide detectors become even more important.

Test every detector in your home, replace batteries if needed, and check the manufacturer’s recommendations for when the detectors themselves should be replaced.

It only takes a few minutes, so this is an easy one to knock off the list.

7. Take a Walk Around Your Property

Take a lap around your home and look up, down, and around.

Are there tree branches hanging over your roof? Is water pooling near your foundation? Are railings or steps becoming loose? Is there outdoor furniture that needs to be secured before the next big windstorm?

Living in the Gorge, we know the wind can pick up quickly. Fall is a good time to make sure everything outside is ready for whatever the season brings.

8. Check for Water Leaks

Small leaks have a sneaky way of becoming big problems.

Look under sinks, around toilets, near your water heater, around appliances, and anywhere else plumbing is located. Keep an eye out for moisture, staining, musty smells, or other signs that water may be getting somewhere it shouldn’t.

Finding a leak early can make a huge difference in how much damage it causes.

9. Put Away or Secure Outdoor Items

Patio furniture, umbrellas, grills, gardening supplies, decorations, and other outdoor items may need to be stored or secured before fall and winter storms roll through.

And if you’ve lived in the Gorge for any amount of time, you probably don’t need us to explain why.

The wind will happily relocate anything you forgot to secure.

10. Review Your Home Insurance Coverage

While you’re giving your home a seasonal checkup, give your homeowners insurance one, too.

Your home and your life can change quite a bit over the course of a year. Maybe you remodeled your kitchen, replaced your roof, added a shed, bought new equipment, or made other improvements to your property.

Those changes could affect the coverage you need.

We also think it’s much better to understand what your policy covers before you need to use it. If you have questions about your deductible, coverage limits, or what happens if you need to file a claim, ask us! That’s what we’re here for.

Get Your Home Ready for Fall

We can’t prevent every storm, leak, fallen branch, or unexpected home repair. But a little seasonal maintenance can help you catch small problems before they turn into much bigger ones.

So grab your fall drink of choice, throw on a sweatshirt, and give your home a quick once-over before winter arrives.

And while you’re at it, let’s make sure your insurance is ready for the season, too.

If it’s been a while since we’ve reviewed your homeowners coverage together, give us a call at Crown Point Insurance. We’d be happy to review your policy, answer your questions, and ensure your coverage still fits your home and

life.