The order matters more than the list. The outside jobs need dry days to cure or dry, and on this coast those run out fast once the fall rain settles in. The inside jobs can wait for a wet weekend. Work down the list from the top, and the house goes into winter sealed.
Fall home maintenance checklist: outside the house
These are the jobs that keep water on the outside. Do them first, in September or early October, while you still get dry stretches.
- Check the exterior caulk on trim, windows and door frames. Re-caulk any joint that is cracked or pulling away. Failed caulk is one of the most common ways rain gets into a wall.
- Check the weather stripping on every exterior door and window. If it is flattened, torn or missing, replace it while glue and caulk still set in dry weather.
- Disconnect garden hoses. Shut off the outdoor taps from the valve inside, then open each tap outside to drain the line. A hose bib that freezes and splits in a cold snap can leak inside the wall.
- Clear the gutters and downspouts, and make sure the water drains away from the foundation.
- Walk the deck. Tighten loose deck boards, screws and railing fasteners. Replace any board that is soft or rotted before winter.
- Walk the fence line. Reset any leaning post and replace any rotted board before the ground gets soft.
- Trim branches that touch the roof, siding or gutters.
- Make sure the exterior light fixtures work and their covers are sealed. You will use them more once it is dark at five.
- Drain and store outdoor cushions in a dry space.
Inside the house
Once the rain has you closing up the house, these make it safer and warmer through the dark months.
- Test every smoke alarm and carbon monoxide alarm, and change the batteries. Replace any smoke alarm that is 10 years old, and any CO alarm past the replace-by date on its label.
- Replace the furnace filter, then set a reminder to check it again through the winter.
- Switch ceiling fans to turn clockwise on low. That pushes warm air down the walls instead of leaving it at the ceiling.
- Check window locks and weather stripping from inside. A drafty window costs you heat all winter.
- Caulk any baseboard or trim gap where you can see daylight or feel a draft.
- Look at the attic insulation. If you can see the tops of the ceiling joists, it is thin.
Last round before the dark months
- Touch up exterior paint on the front door and trim, but only in a dry stretch.
- Pressure wash the deck, patio, walkways and driveway one last time before the leaves come down. Moss and algae on steps get slick once the rain starts.
- Tighten cabinet hinges and pulls while you are working through the house anyway.
For how cold and how damp is too much for paint, my guide on whether it is too late to paint outside in the fall sets out what the paint makers' data sheets allow.
Every job I take gets a written scope before I start, so the price is agreed in advance and the list stays the list.
Want me to take this one on? My page on home repairs covers what the visit includes, what I hand off, and how I price it.
Surrey and White Rock homes near the water
If you live on the White Rock bluff or near the beach in South Surrey, salt air and wind are hard on exterior caulk, paint and seals. Check those in spring as well as fall, and my spring home maintenance checklist has the spring round. I work in both towns, as a handyman in Surrey and a handyman in White Rock, and fall caulking and sealing falls under my home repairs in White Rock and home repairs in Surrey.
What to do yourself and when to call
Most of this list is fine to do yourself: hoses and taps, alarm batteries, fan direction, the furnace filter and the attic look. The jobs people most often book me for are exterior caulking, weather stripping on stubborn doors, deck and railing tightening, and small carpentry that gets worse if left. Those are worth booking before October. My guide on recaulking tubs and showers covers the inside seals, and if you already see stains or soft drywall, read water damage warning signs first. Windows that drip every winter morning are their own problem, and my guide on window condensation and sill rot covers it.
