The interior and exterior of a house can get damaged over time, either due to extreme weather or the day-to-day lives of its residents. Every house requires regular upkeep to deal with the detrimental effects of weather and to be a comfortable abode for homeowners.
Regular house maintenance is an essential part of life. Maintenance may include checking the exterior of the house, heating and cooling systems, plumbing, and all electrical appliances. It will help prevent any breakdowns in the future and help save money. It will also help keep the living space functional and hazard-free throughout the year. If you plan to sell the house, a well-maintained home will fetch a higher price.
It can be challenging to check all parts of the house every other week or month. Therefore, spaced-out quarterly checks and maintenance tasks can be more beneficial. Prepare a list of essential tasks to perform before every season. You can either perform these tasks on your own or get professional help from home maintenance companies.
Below, we’ll briefly discuss some crucial tasks that must be performed every quarter to prepare your house for each season.
Maintenance Tasks for Fall
Fall is the short-lived, slightly chilly season before the cold winter. So, perform all the maintenance tasks that will help your home prepare for winter. The winter rain and snow can damage the exterior of the house, so it is wiser to fix any problems during fall maintenance.
1. Check the Roof for Damages
Check the roofs for damaged or missing shingles. Check the ceilings for leaks, wood rot, or water stains. Minor problems, like clogged gutters and overhanging branches, can be fixed. However, invest in professional services for bigger issues. That’s where EAS Roofing, an award-winning roofing service provider, can assist you in fixing roof-related issues.
2. Insulate the House
Insulating the house keeps the cold out and the heat within the house. Proper insulation for the attic is essential to prevent heat loss through the roof. Properly insulate windows and doors using weather stripes to avoid any heat loss. If they are old and have seen better days, you can replace them with custom hurricane rated doors and windows. Insulating the house will help you maintain a warm indoor environment and reduce energy costs.
3. Shut Off your Air Conditioning Unit
Once summer ends, AC is not used anymore. Therefore, it is time to clean its window unit and cover it safely. If you have a central cooling system, shut it off, clean the debris, and cover the top of the unit with a piece of plywood. It will help improve the performance of the outdoor unit in the summer.
Maintenance Tasks for Winter
The winter season can be harsh, and most of the time is spent indoors. Therefore, focus on the interior of your house to make it more insulated, warm, and cosy. It is also the season to focus on indoor projects.
1. Clean the Fireplaces and Chimneys
Combustion of wood produces Creosote, which is harmful to health and can potentially cause a fire. For this reason, properly clean the fireplace in your home to ensure safety and avoid fire-related hazards.
If you have gas chimneys, they should be inspected for blockages. Check all the gas lines and vents for leaks and immediately repair them.
2. Clean Refrigerator Coils
Coils present at the bottom or back of the fridge help keep the refrigerator cool. Dust can accumulate on these coils and can act as a blanket, inhibiting their function. Therefore, remove and clean these coils to maintain the efficiency of the refrigerator throughout the season.
3. Test the Sump Pump
When snow melts, sump pumps drain the water and ensure that it is pumped away from the house and its foundations. Therefore, it is crucial to ensure their optimal function before the start of winter.
Maintenance Tasks for Spring
Spring cleaning is a popular term that shows how crucial maintenance is after the harsh winter season. All the damages caused by the winter rain, wind, and snow should be fixed during this quarter of the year.
1. Deep Clean the House
Early spring is the best time to deep clean your house. Thorough cleaning is done to get rid of all the dirt and dust gathered during winter. Moreover, sealed windows and doors are opened and cleaned to let the fresh air in.
2. Reseed and Fertilize the Lawns
Spring is the season of growth. Enhance the greenery around your home after the dull winter season by adding fertilizers to the lawns, reseeding, and regular mowing. It is also important to pull out any weeds, dead grass, and debris before planting new seeds.
3. Spray Pesticides and Fungicides
Spring is a favourable time for pests to come and seep into your home. Therefore, get professional help to spray pesticides to avoid the growth of pests like termites. Humid areas in the house, like under-the-sink cabinets and washrooms, are more prone to fungal growth. Therefore, these spaces should be sprayed with fungicides.
Maintenance Tasks for Summer
Summer is the season to focus on the exterior of the house. Focus on your garden, plant new trees, trim the shrubs, repaint the exterior, and more.
1. Check Weather-Strips
Make sure windows and doors are properly sealed with weather strips. It will help keep the house cool and will also help lower the energy bill. Moreover, they also prevent the entry of bugs and rodents into the house.
2. Trim Trees and Shrubs in the Garden
Plants tend to grow rapidly in summer. Therefore, they should be trimmed before the start of the season. Well-trimmed trees create a visual balance and increase the aesthetic value of the house.
3. Service the Air Conditioner
Summer season comes with high temperatures and heatwaves. Air conditioners are a necessity for this season. An inefficient AC doesn’t provide proper cooling and increases the electricity bill. Therefore, HAVC maintenance and cleaning of the air filters is necessary to combat the summer heat.
Conclusion
House maintenance requires consistent effort. It can be hard to keep up with maintenance tasks every week with busy schedules. Therefore, invest in quarterly fixtures to save time and money in the long run. Regular maintenance can also extend the life of the house. Every season brings different challenges and impacts the house in unique ways. However, quarterly maintenance helps deal with these unique seasonal problems. Hopefully, this article has helped you understand the crucial tasks that must be performed to prepare for each season and to enjoy each season to the fullest.