Preparing Your Custom Home For Fall

15 Sep Preparing Your Custom Home For Fall

Do you live in the home you dreamed about for years? If you do, then you need to know how to care for it in order to keep it your dream home. A lot goes into properly maintaining a custom home, so it’s a good idea to partner with a professional to get some of these items checked off your fall home checklist.

Clean and guard your gutters before the Fall debris starts piling up.

Your gutters are one of the most important parts of keeping your home safe. You may not think about it, but a properly installed and maintained gutter system makes sure your home doesn’t flood with rainwater. If your custom home has a lower level, then the gutter system is even more important to your home’s structure. Over the course of a year, your gutters can become filled with small twigs, leaves, and whatever else the wind decides to blow up on your roof. Before winter hits, you need to make sure the gutters are cleaned out. When the leaves start to fall, the gutters fill up with even more debris. To avoid this major build up, have a guard installed on the gutters. The guard will keep larger debris like leaves and twigs out of your gutter, but still allow water and melting snow to flow through the system.

Check your home for gaps in caulking and weather stripping.

The seal around your home’s windows and doors are one of the most crucial areas to check before the cooler weather arrives. If not properly filled in, these gaps can account for 10% of your heating bills, according to the US Department of Energy. The hot air you’re paying for will make its way outside and the cold air you’re trying to keep out will make its way inside. This exchange of hot and cold air will make your home uncomfortable and cause your heating unit to overwork. Sealing these gaps is as simple as re-caulking the gaps and replacing weather stripping. However, if your custom home is large, has multiple stories, and lots of windows, you might consider turning to a professional.

Have a furnace professional examine your furnace before cold weather strikes.

When the cold air does finally arrive, you’ll want to know that you can turn the furnace on without having to worry about anything. Over the course of the spring, summer, and early fall, dust can build up in the unit, so it’s a great idea to have a professional furnace company clean the unit and check it for any other issues. Having the furnace tuned up can help alert you to potential problems before the temperature plummets. While you’re having the furnace examined, it would be beneficial to establish a maintenance plan that involves inspections and cleaning a few times throughout the year.

Test home safety devices like smoke detectors and carbon monoxide devices.

Smoke detectors and carbon monoxide devices are your family’s first line of defense in an emergency situation. You should have a routine of checking these devices at least once every season, but the more frequent, the better. If your detectors are powered by batteries, then it’s a great idea to replace them at least once a year. However, if your detectors are part of a larger system, consider having a professional come to your custom home and check the entire system at least once a year.

Not living in your dream home, yet? The custom home builders at Michael and Associates can help you design and build your dream home. We’ll start with a free consultation so we can learn more about your ideas and dreams. Then, we’ll get started with the custom home building process. Ready to live in your dream home? Let’s talk!