The autumn maintenance season isn’t just a tradition like spring cleaning or summer barbecues. The winter months bring some of the harshest weather that your home will experience — and good fall home exterior maintenance practices will help you safeguard it.
Below, we’ll discuss the home exterior maintenance items that should be on your to-do list each fall. Follow this guide to make sure you don’t miss an essential task.
What Exterior Maintenance Should Be Done in Fall?
There are several reasons why fall home exterior maintenance is a must. For starters, winter brings snow, ice, moisture, high winds, freeze-thaw cycles, and other types of damaging weather. The harsh weather can exacerbate existing problems, which means it’s better to find and fix those problems before winter begins. With that, good maintenance will also help protect your home against new damage that could happen over the winter, and it may even help you keep heating bills down, too.
Below, we’ll look at what you’ll need to do for key areas like your gutters, roof, foundation, and more.
1. Clean Gutters and Downspouts
Fall is prime time for leaves and debris to pile up on your roof and clog gutters and downspouts. Those clogged gutters can cause water to back up, which can lead to damaged roofing and siding. Follow these maintenance steps in the fall:
- Hire a handyman for gutter cleaning, or get a ladder and a bucket to manually remove debris.
- Then, use a garden hose to flush the gutter system and ensure it is draining properly.
If your gutters aren’t already equipped with them, consider installing gutter guards to help minimize debris buildup in the future.
2. Inspect Your Roof
Whether you have a metal roof, shingles, or another roofing material, your autumn roof inspection process should look like this:
- Check for missing shingles or damaged areas, and make replacements or repairs as needed.
- Inspect flashing, replace any pieces that have become damaged, and make sure the caulk around the edges is intact.
- Look over the fascia and soffits to make sure that they are intact.
- Keep an eye out for lifted screws or roofing nails so that you can replace them with new fasteners.
Following these steps will keep your roof in good condition and help you avoid moisture damage over the winter.
3. Seal Windows and Doors
According to the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, air leakage accounts for about one-third of the HVAC energy that a typical home consumes — and a large part of that leakage happens around windows and doors. While some transference between indoor and outdoor air is necessary to maintain good indoor air quality, too much can skyrocket your energy bills. Keep your energy bills down by using caulk, foam spray insulation, or weatherstripping to seal drafty areas around windows and doors.
4. Examine the Foundation and Basement
Make this a part of your fall home maintenance checklist to prevent water damage to the home’s foundation over the winter. Check for cracks or signs of seepage so that you can seal these areas before winter’s freeze-thaw cycles can make the problem worse.
You should also take a walk around your home to make sure that the ground slopes downward from the foundation. Low spots against foundation walls cause pooling, which invites eventual leaks.
Drafts can be a problem in basements and foundations, too. In particular, make sure to check around any utility lines that run through foundation walls, like phone lines, gas pipes, or water faucets. If you find unsealed gaps around any of these lines, use caulk or spray foam insulation to seal them.
5. Check Walkways and Driveways
Walkways and driveways should be winterized, too. Look for cracks, and be sure to patch them up before cold weather hits. If left untended over the winter, moisture can seep into cracks, freeze, and cause further breakage — a sure way to widen cracks or potentially even end up with potholes.
6. Maintain Your HVAC Equipment
As cool weather arrives, it’s a good time to winterize your air conditioning and heating system. Window air conditioners should be removed and put away for the year. If you have an outdoor unit, make sure it’s free of leaves and debris — but avoid covering it because doing so can actually trap moisture, which will lead to rust, mold, and mildew.
Inside, check your carbon monoxide detectors and smoke detectors, and vacuum out your ductwork. Change furnace filters to prevent strain on your furnace and keep it as energy efficient as possible. For peace of mind, you may even want to hire a trusted HVAC professional to inspect your furnace and make sure there are no hidden problems that could leave you without heat in the dead of winter.
7. Prepare Your Landscaping for Winter
There are a few landscaping maintenance tasks that will protect your home and help you keep your lawn and gardens green during the growing season. Here’s what you should do:
- Consider aerating your lawn to prevent soil compaction, which can affect turf health in the long term.
- Prune trees, shrubs, and dead foliage away from your home’s roof and siding to prevent branches and twigs from causing damage over the winter.
- Drain and winterize irrigation systems to avoid burst pipes over the winter.
- Disconnect garden hoses, drain and store them, and turn off the water supply to outdoor spigots if they aren’t frost-free faucets.
- Mow one last time in late fall, then follow your lawn mower’s instruction manual for proper winterization tips.
- Top up mulch where needed — but be careful not to layer it too deep against siding or foundation walls, where it can trap moisture.
- Be sure to rake leaves, especially where they gather against your home, because they can also trap moisture.
8. Determine If Your Siding Needs Fall Maintenance
Determining whether your siding needs fall maintenance will depend on the age of your siding and trim — and the material that it’s made out of. If you just replaced your siding this year or moved into a brand-new home, you shouldn’t need to worry about siding maintenance this fall. However, if the home or siding isn’t brand new, then you’ll need to figure out what maintenance is appropriate for your type of siding. The guidelines in the next section will show you how to inspect and prep your siding for winter.
How Do I Prepare Siding for Winter?
Fall home exterior maintenance tips can vary widely depending on the type of siding you have. Wood and vinyl siding require quite a bit of attention in the fall, whereas steel siding’s durability allows you to spend a lot less time on upkeep. We’ll break down what you’ll need to know for each type of siding below.
Does Steel Siding Need Fall Maintenance?
TruLog steel siding is one of the best options for cold climates, and it’s also the way to go if you want to minimize the number of home maintenance tasks that you’ll need to do in the fall. That’s because it’s remarkably durable against all kinds of problems:
- It’s impervious to moisture, so it won’t rust, rot, warp, or crack.
- Steel won’t take damage from pest infiltrations, woodpeckers, or rodents.
- Steel offers superior impact, wind, and weather resistance, which means it will stay intact where other types of siding may crack or shatter.
The only real steel siding maintenance that you’ll need to do is a thorough cleaning. Since TruLog steel siding has a durable, non-porous finish, you won’t spend your autumn powerwashing the siding. Most dust and dirt will simply rinse away with a garden hose. A soft brush and mild detergent solution will take care of severe grime.
Does Vinyl Siding Need Fall Maintenance?
Vinyl siding requires a bit more attention than steel. Temperature changes can cause vinyl to expand and contract throughout the year, sometimes loosening fasteners or creating gaps in between panels. These will need to be tightened or sealed, and you’ll also need to check for cracks and warping. If you find severe warping, the affected panels will likely need to be replaced.
Vinyl should also be scrubbed with mild detergent and a soft brush. You can power wash it if you’re careful, but be aware that excessive pressure can force water behind the panels, where it can damage the home’s structure.
Does Wood Siding Need Fall Maintenance?
When it comes to fall maintenance, wood siding is the most demanding of all. Moisture is the big enemy here. Before winter, you’ll need to:
- Inspect for rot and replace any rotted sections.
- Re-caulk any gaps where the original sealant has cracked or separated from the wood.
- Check for peeling paint, and sand and repaint any exposed areas to protect the wood against moisture.
- Replace any warped, cracked, or splintered boards.
If you have natural (unpainted) or stained wood, it should also be treated with a sealant every few years to help it resist moisture year-round.
Protect the Exterior of Your Home With TruLog Steel Siding
With so much fall home exterior maintenance to do, autumn is a busy time of year. Everything from the roof to windows, doors, HVAC equipment, walkways, and more will require some form of winterization to keep your home as protected as possible against harsh winter weather.
That includes your siding — and that’s what makes TruLog steel siding the best choice for homeowners who want to minimize an already lengthy fall to-do list. TruLog steel offers unparalleled durability and requires very little maintenance, no matter the season.
If you’d like to learn more about how TruLog steel can protect your home, or if you’re ready to check out the beautiful colors and siding styles that we offer, download our free catalog.
