While the heatwave continues to rage on, it’s only a matter of time before the leaf piles stack and the Charlie Brown Halloween special starts playing on ABC.

Love it or hate it, autumn is fast approaching, and homeowners should get ready.

Apart from back to school shopping and pumpkin patch visits, there are a lot of responsibilities that homeowners may forget about once that calendar hits September. The change in weather means that your home will be experiencing a different set of challenges.

How To Prepare Your Home Exterior For Fall

To help ensure that extra colored pencils are the most expensive unexpected cost you experience this autumn, we’ve put together five great ways to get your home exterior ready for the seasonal change.

1. Inspect Your Roof Before Fall

For New Jersey homeowners, one of the biggest changes the fall brings will be a likely increase in rain and debris that the roof has to handle. Whether it’s mountains of leaves or fallen branches, the roof is likely to experience a different kind of challenge come fall.

Seasonal change periods are some of the best times that homeowners can conduct roofing inspections. When the roof is inspected at the start of a new season, any problems that are identified can be adjusted to work for the full length of the upcoming weather. This gives your roofing repairs maximum value, as they don’t need to be inspected or improved in the near future.

You can conduct a general inspection of your roof yourself if you have binoculars or second-floor windows that overlook parts of the roof. However, it is not recommended that homeowners climb onto the roof themselves without proper safety equipment. For a full-fledged roof inspection, the smartest decision is to find a certified contractor.

Not only will you receive the best analysis possible, you will likely have an immediate understanding of what solutions your specific home needs.

2. Double Check Siding Condition

Just like the roof, a home’s siding will need its own thorough inspection going into the fall season. In order to prepare your home exterior for fall, every component of the building’s envelope deserves equal care, and the siding is no exception.

When looking at your home’s siding, the biggest problem areas you will want to review are general damage, moisture, and mold. You can identify any of these from warping, discoloration, or drastic texture differences when compared to the rest of the siding.

Any of these problems can compound to create additional costs for homeowners. On top of repairs, siding in poor condition allows for more internal energy to escape, boosting energy bills in the process. The higher condition your siding is, the less you will need to spend in the long run.

While general siding inspections can be conducted by the homeowner, repair is best done by a certified contractor. Make sure to discuss what siding repair opportunity is best for your home when you discuss the next steps with your contractor.

3. Windows and Doors Need Extra Help

After the roof and siding are inspected, the next most important location will be any openings that occur throughout the home. This primarily means doors and windows, but it is important to remember any and all fenestrations which may exist.

Chimneys, exhaust vents, doggy doors, and other smaller openings are typically less noticed and less reviewed by homeowners. Because of this, it’s not uncommon to see mild damage or decay around these smaller openings. Chimneys and their accompanying fireplaces often see more use in the fall and especially in the winter, so making sure they’re in top shape will be important to get the most value out of them.

All the openings are important, though, and ensuring that each one can withstand the upcoming seasonal challenges is a great way to prepare your home exterior for fall. Specifically, homeowners should consider removing screen doors and replacing them with storm doors in the coming weeks. Additionally, windows will benefit greatly from reinforcement.

Many home contracting companies also provide door and window repair services, so be sure to check out such additional offerings when you talk with a certified professional.

4. Prepare Your Gutters For The Battle Ahead

The most obvious combatant to the challenges of fall is the home’s gutters. Leaves and rainwater are going to start testing your gutters now more than ever, so make sure your gutters are in the best possible condition before fall hits hard.

The first step in this process, like the others above, is inspecting the gutters for any signs of damage. Looks screws, poorly connected sections, or dips in the gutter alignment are the most common signs that your gutters need to be repaired. The last thing any homeowner wants to endure is all the gross elements that get lodged in a gutter spilling out onto a patio or deck because the gutter themselves weren’t properly maintained.

Ongoing maintenance is just as important as initial analysis. Routinely cleaning your gutters is the best defense against the season-long fight with leaves and debris. As tedious as it may be, make sure to take care of your gutters so they have the best chance possible.

5. Tend To Your Greenery

In addition to each aspect of the home itself, it’s important to tend to the total property.

Take stock of the greenery and foliage surrounding your home, and get comfortable with any problem areas or likely sources of concern you might identify. Know what trees surround your home, how and when their leaves tend to fall, and how sturdy their branches are. This will allow you to control your leaves, instead of your leaves controlling you.

It is also recommended to do a yard-wide trimming of any bushes, shrubs, and plants before the leaves start to fall. Once that time of year hits, you’ll have enough yard work to take care of already, so you might as well give yourself a good headstart.

See If Your Home’s Ready

Contact us today to see how we can help you get your home ready for the fall season.