Reasons To Update Your Windows For Fall

Occasionally updating your home with new replacement windows is an important part of keeping your home updated, livable, and valuable in the event you want to sell it one day. Replacing your home’s current windows in fall can bring with it many special advantages and benefits for both the autumn season and the rest of the year!

Protection From Temperature Changes Temperatures outside your home are changing constantly, and you will encounter major changes inside the house that you cannot avoid. Old windows in your home will let hot or cold air in the house, and all the air created by your HVAC unit will escape the house without a problem. Replacement windows help keep your home airtight, and you will use less energy when running the heat or air.

A Better View and Decoration Not only will energy efficient windows make your home easier to heat and cool, new windows can improve the overall look of your home. New windows will provide plenty of room for fall and holiday decorations, as well as giving a much better view of the leaves and snow outside when they start to fall. Not to mention it will help maintain the value and curb appeal of your home if you decide to move out!

Helpful Amenities Not only will the windows themselves help regulate your home’s environment, but your windows’ accessories can help too. New windows may come with interior blinds that will never age, and new windows may come with double paned glass that is extremely quiet. You can block out the rays of the sun, or you can block out all the loud noise that is going on outside your home with curtains - not to mention thicker curtains help keep the heat inside your home where it belongs. Your home becomes more comfortable when you get better windows, and each window is easier to decorate.

Prepare Your Property For Winter

The last thing most people want to think about is winter - but the earlier you begin thinking about it, the easier it will be for you! One area of their property people don’t often consider when preparing their homes for winter is the yard. You’ve probably been too busy paying attention to your home, trying to winterize everything to keep out the cold, but what about your backyard or landscape? We’ve got some tips right here to keep your property just as ready for winter as your home!

Pack Up the Hose Your days of watering the garden and the lawn are wrapping up. That means stashing away the hose as well. Roll it up and put it away to avoid damage over the winter months. If your faucet isn't frost-proof, you should turn it off with the shut-off valve in the house to avoid leaks or burst pipes.

Give Your Lawn Some TLC You're so busy thinking about your home. You can give your lawn some attention as well. When the leaves start to fall, you're thinking about the hassle of bagging them up and getting rid of them. This year, mow them instead. Make sure to break out the lawn mower when your leaves are completely dry. Don't use your bag and put a mulching blade on your mower. When you chop your leaves up into small pieces, you'll be able to nourish your lawn over the winter months. Your grass will come back and be a vibrant green in the spring.

Hold Off on Trimming Trees and Shrubs Most people tackle their trees and shrubs in the fall. Experts say it's better to hold off until the dead of winter. When you do your trimming at that point, the plants have been dormant and you won't cause damage to healthy branches. Everything should come back better than ever when the warm weather returns.

Check Your Sump Pump If you have a sump pump, you'll want to inspect it before winter arrives. Start by adding water to the pump pit to make sure the pump turns on. If you have any problems, call in the professionals. A sump pump is an excellent investment if you take on water in your basement every year during wet seasons. If you don't have one, think about getting one before the weather changes. Sudden meltdowns after a heavy snow can mean more water in your cellar.

Overlooked Areas For Home Renovation

When the weather turns cold in fall and winter, there’s quite a few things you can do to help keep your home warm while cutting down on heating costs. Some of these are a bit more obvious than others - buying new energy efficient windows, sealing gaps to prevent drafts, and so on. But there’s a few places that might get overlooked when it’s time to prepare your home for the snow and cold: namely, your roof and gutters!

Look Up Your roof is both a sense of potential heat loss through an uninsulated attic and a source of potential hazards when it comes to loose tiles. Minor issues with your roof can turn into major problems in the middle of winter. You don't want to deal with a leak or extensive damage. You should inspect your roof for any missing shingles. If you do not feel comfortable doing repairs yourself, be sure to contact a roofing contractor. If your roof is level and covered with asphalt, you'll want to clear off any debris before the snow starts to fly. Otherwise, you'll have excess weight and moisture accumulating that can damage your roof.

Don’t Forget Your Gutters While you're focusing on your roof, you should inspect your gutters as well. This is a project that you can tackle on your own with a ladder and someone to spot you. You'll want to clean out all of your gutters so that the water will run freely and you won't have an ice build-up. If you are not confident about your own ability to take care of your gutters, you can hire someone to take care of it for you at a reasonable price. You'll find that the returns are worth it when you don't have damage to your siding and trim. If you have downspouts running from your gutters, consider extending them. You want to take them out approximately four feet away from your foundation. This will avoid damage to your foundation and potential flooding inside your home. Take care of issues now while the weather is cooperating and avoid a fight with the elements when winter is in full swing. Whether you take care of these handyman tips on your own or bring in a professional, you'll find that your efforts will pay off.

Less Common Ways to Prepare Your Home For Fall

Everyone knows fall is a great time to start preparing your house for the colder months. Winter is, sadly, right around the corner, and fall gives you the perfect opportunity to start preparing for the onset of lower temperatures and higher heating bills before the snow starts to fall. There’s plenty of information out there about what you can do to keep your house warm without breaking the bank, but here’s a few lesser-known tips that can come in handy to ready your home for fall!

Cleaning and Dusting You hear a lot about spring cleaning, but fall cleaning may actually be a more important project. After all of the indoor/outdoor traffic and activities of the summer, your floors and upholstery may need a deep cleaning. Otherwise, once you close up for the winter, you'll be trapping that unseen dust and dirt inside your home which could increase the amount of allergens and cold or flu germs in your home. Take a weekend, or more if necessary, and do an in-depth dusting, vacuuming and general cleaning of your home. Don't forget to change your furnace and air-conditioning filters now and throughout the winter season to ensure the furnace runs effectively, and the air conditioning too - at least, when you need it!

Purify the Air When your home is closed up during the winter months, poor air quality can lead to sickness. An air purifier can be a great investment for your family's health. By removing allergens and pollutants from the air, your family may stay healthier throughout the winter when everyone is cooped up inside more often. An air purifier is a big help to people who suffer from asthma or allergies and to anyone who is sensitive to pollutants and odors.

Check Your Ceiling Fan Sure, everyone knows a ceiling fan is handy for circulating air and keeping your home cool, but you can also use it to keep your house warm when the heather is on. Reversing your ceiling fan to push air down instead of drawing air to it will prevent the hot air from rising to the top of the room. Not only can this keep the room feeling more comfortable, but it can lower your heating bills by preventing your heater from working too hard.

Get Some Plants You can easily find a list of air-purifying house plants online. Fall would be a good time to purchase some of these plants as they thrive better indoors during this time of year. Not only will they make your home more attractive, they can actually help keep you family healthier. If you have a sunny window, you can include aromatic herbs in your kitchen to help clean the air. If your interior space doesn't receive enough sunlight for herbs to thrive, you could use essential oils or an aromatherapy diffuser to help clean and purify the air inside of your home.

Last-Minute Home Projects for Fall

Fall is now truly upon us, and with that comes hot chocolate, jackets...and home cleaning projects! Even in the midst of fall there’s still a few projects you can do before the weather takes a turn for the colder to ensure your home is comfortable, clean, and prepared for the winter months.

Do a little cleaning It's always important to your safety, and to the safety of those visiting your home, for your walkway to be free of debris. During the fall, you may find it necessary to frequently remove leaves, acorns and other debris from your walkway. Damp or frost-covered leaves can cause someone to slip and fall.

If you see limbs from nearby trees that hang across the walkway, it's best to trim them before snow and ice arrive. The weight from the snow or ice could cause the limb to break and fall across the walkway or possibly on someone as they walk by. As ice melts off of the limb, it could drip onto the walkway and refreeze, making the walkway hazardous.

Gutters Late fall is a good time to clean your gutters. While cleaning, you should inspect them for damage and repair any damaged areas you find to prevent freezing damage during winter. If the water from your gutters flows across your driveway or walkway, you might consider adding downspout extensions to redirect the water. When water flows across a walkway and freezes, it can be a challenge to safely navigate the walkway.

Steps and Ramps Frost, snow, ice and even rain can make your exterior wood steps, deck or ramp dangerously slippery. As a fall DIY project, you can add some peel and stick abrasive strips to these areas to make them safer for everyone who lives in or visits your home.

Light the way Darkness comes early during the fall and winter. Adding some exterior lighting can increase the overall safety of your home. Walking from the garage or driveway to the entrance to your home can be safer if the pathway is well-lit. It's also a good idea to have sufficient lighting leading to areas that you and your family need to get to at night, such as the grassy area where you take your dog or the area where the garbage cans are located.