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10 Fall Home Improvement Tips Now that summer gear has been stowed away, it’s time to focus on fall home improvement projects. Autumn is the key time to evaluate your home exterior and prepare it for the harsh winter months ahead. With cooler fall weather comes the realization that your home will soon experience cold weather. To get your house ready, start by giving your exterior a thorough review. Everything should be checked, cleaned up and made ready to handle Mother Nature when she comes blowing in within the next few months. Here is a checklist for exterior fall home improvement projects: 1. Evaluate your roof. Look for missing or loose down. If you’re ready for a new look or a shingles, deterioration of asphalt shingles harder-working garage door, consider the along with mold, algae or splitting of real steel and aluminum options. wood shingles. If the roof is in poor shape, 6. Seal up the windows. Make sure your consider upgrading to a synthetic roof. The windows have strong weather-stripping in composite shake and slate products resist place with energy-efficient glass that is still fire, impact, high winds, insects and mold, working. If it’s time to upgrade your windows, making them an ideal long-term investment investigate those with ENERGY STAR® for a home. ratings to help keep your home warmer 2. Clean your gutters. Get leaves and gunk out during the winter months. now so that gutters won’t get backed up, 7. Consider a privacy window upgrade. Tired of clogged and frozen in the winter, causing ice closing blinds or shades to gain privacy in formations. Gutters should be securely your bathroom or bedroom? Think about attached to the home and sloped for proper replacing key windows with decorative glass drainage. Also check to make sure all or acrylic block privacy windows. Available in downspouts are clean and connected. both operable and fixed styles, these 3. Check your siding and trim. Make sure there windows add a beautiful accent to a room are no rotting boards or insect infestations in while protecting your privacy. any wood exterior products. Determine if a 8. Check out your doors. As with windows, your new paint job is needed before the winter entry doors should have weather stripping weather hits. Should these items need that’s not worn out around the entire opening. replacement, research man-made lowThis helps keep drafty cold air out of your maintenance products, like fiber cement house during winter months. siding or PVC trim as reliable replacement 9. Secure or replace railings. Loose or unstable options for key exterior parts of the home. railing systems can be dangerous. Check all 4. Evaluate the deck. If your deck has seen its balusters, handrails and elements of front and last summer party, look at replacing before back rail systems to assure they’re the winter with either a Western Red functioning properly. If it’s time for a Cedar deck or composite decking. Both replacement, consider a new look by adding products stand up extremely well to all types cable rails or glass balustrades. of weather and will make you happy to step 10. Spend time with your landscaping. Once the out onto the deck every time. leaves have fallen, get out the rakes. Remove 5. Check the functionality of your garage dead leaves and underbrush around the door. You’re in and out of your garage door house and garden area before the snow falls. many times each day. Make sure it’s Re-mulch key landscaping areas. Trim back functioning properly and has strong air trees and bushes away from the house to get infiltration seals to help keep energy bills your home ready for winter snows.
Dickson Portola Team 289 Commercial Street | Portola, CA 96122 | 530.832.1700
