Fall is an exciting time of the year. Whether you like to cozy up with a comfy, oversized sweater, sip on hot chocolate, read a fall-themed book, enjoy bonfire nights with friends or just sit back and admire the gorgeous red leaves, there’s something beautiful for everyone.
But all that beauty does need some preparation, especially if you own a home with a lawn. From ensuring your house stays warm as the weather gets colder to clearing out the yard full of falling leaves, here are some of the best ways to prepare your home and lawn for fall.
Clean your gutters
To enjoy a beautiful fall, you need to get the gross stuff out of the way. This includes cleaning your gutters so leaves and other debris don't get stuck in the pipes. This will probably be an ongoing task during the fall because the falling leaves may clog your gutters over time.
“Fall is a great time to have an annual home maintenance inspection,” said Hubert Miles, CMI, founder, and lead editor of Home Inspection Insider. A qualified home inspector can help you zero in on the most critical areas that need maintenance. The most common maintenance items include: servicing your heating system, cleaning gas fireplace inserts, schedule a chimney cleaning, replace smoke and carbon monoxide detectors or their batteries, cleaning gutters and downspouts, caulking around windows and doors, repair or replace old weather stripping, servicing your garage door, remove fall debris from roof, and insulating exposed plumbing pipes”.
You can clean your gutters yourself if you’re used to it, but if you have never done this before, we recommend hiring a professional. It may cost some money upfront, but it could save you a lot more in the long run if you have to replace the whole system.
Buy firewood in advance
Firewood prices typically soar before and during the winter months, so it will save you money if you buy firewood in advance, ideally during the fall (or even earlier during the spring) when prices are still low. This can be useful for the fireplace in your house and any bonfire nights you want to enjoy with your family and friends.
Clean your fireplace
If you use the fireplace during the fall and winter months, early fall is an ideal time to get it cleaned. This is fairly easy to do yourself, but you can also hire a professional to get the job done.
Prep and plant in your garden
If you want to enjoy a beautiful bloom during the spring and summer months, now would be an excellent time to get planting. Clean your yard, remove any weeds and prep your garden for new plants. Start sowing seeds in the early fall before the harsh winters make it harder for the plants to germinate.
It may sound counterintuitive to the advice above, but some plants also grow better during the colder months, so you have to plant them as the weather gets colder during the late fall and early winter months. Either way, preparing your garden for new plants in the fall is a good strategy.
Check and repair lights and heaters
As the nights become darker and colder, you will likely be using the lights and heating systems more often, so ensure they are in good condition as fall begins.
Replace any broken light fixtures, buy new bulbs and set up outdoor lighting so you don’t stumble while coming home in the evening. Also, check that your light and heat switches are working correctly, and replace the heating filters if needed.
Cover the outdoor items
It’s important to cover the swimming pool, patio chairs, trampoline and any other outdoor items before the leaves begin falling. Otherwise, you’ll have to spend a lot of time and money cleaning these items when they are covered with leaves and dirt. You can also keep these covers throughout the winter to keep away snow.
You will have to buy special covers for pools and trampolines, but you can cover other items like chairs and decorations with a simple cloth or plastic wrap. Keep in mind though, that it is not necessary to cover your air conditioner through the winter and doing so can lead to more problems than not.
Put the summer clothes away in storage
You probably won’t need bikinis and shorts in the fall weather, so you can move them to the storage to make space for your winter wear.
If you don’t have a separate space for storage, just tuck your summer wear at the back of your closet, put it in far-off drawers that are harder to reach or wrap them all together in a bag you can bring out again once spring rolls around.
Decorate your home and garden
Pull up all those fall decor inspo pictures you saved. It’s time to get crafty. You can get as creative as you want, but here are some ideas to help you get started.
- Put up string lights in the patio, on your door or on your bedroom wall.
- Lay cute, fall-themed throw blankets on the couch.
- Get new, colorful plants to spice up your garden.
- Line your steps with flowers, pumpkins or small plants.
- Use colorful decor pieces in the showcase, on the dining table and even on bedside tables.
- Use fall-themed cutlery for social meals.
- Hang new art on your walls.
- Paint your vases for a fresh look.
- Consider painting your house or just highlighting a wall.
Final tips for preparing your home and lawn for fall
Preparing your home for fall comes down to your own needs and living preferences. Some users find more joy in decorating, while others feel more satisfied when their house is clean and ready for the new season. We recommend exploring your own ideas of what you want fall to look like and prepping your home and lawn accordingly.
Comments / 0