The days may still be sunny and warm but as of September 23rd fall is officially in the air. This autumnal shift also marks the unofficial start of another special time of year—home renovation season. Fall’s cooler temperatures make it much more comfortable to work on outdoor remodel projects and it’s also the ideal time to take care of any minor home repairs that will prevent surprise problems from popping up over winter.

A fall home maintenance checklist gives us a solid touch base for updating and protecting the most basic parts of our homes. If you’re unsure of where to start with renovations, it’s best to work from top to bottom like beginning with the roof, then windows and doors, and then walkways that see heavy foot traffic. Home owners in southern and northern climates do have slight differences in their fall planning though.

For Homeowners In Northern Climates

A sound roof is the number one house concern on everyone’s minds going into the fall/winter season. That’s why ensuring our home’s gutters and downspouts are in good working order is so important. Gutters will collect melting snow, thereby moving it off the roof and downspouts redirect it away from the home’s foundation. Anvil ROOF-TEC Brush Grade SeamSeal is a heavy bodied flexible elastomeric patching material for sealing the joints and seams inside of leaking gutters and downspouts. This way they can flex and withstand the changing temperatures and precipitation of the season ahead.

During winter it is the endless cycles of freezing and thawing that can do the most damage on a home’s exterior surfaces. Naturally porous materials like concrete and wood that most sidewalks, decks and patios are made of, will readily absorb melting snow if left untreated. What then follows is that then when temperatures drop below freezing that absorbed water will rapidly expand causing fractures in the wood or cement. While the weather is still on our sides, now is the time to protect and seal natural concrete and wood walkways from that common water damage. Anvil Water-Guard Water Sealer will prevent water infiltration and help eliminate the delamination of concrete, brick, and wood surfaces.

Preventative maintenance is just as important in our garages as it is on outdoor surfaces. Rock salt and deicing fluids used to clear streets of snow during fall and winter will cling to vehicles and be tracked into garages. Daily exposure to these corrosive materials will stain and eat away at raw concrete surfaces, in addition to making floors dangerously slippery to walk on. Salt-resistant Gator Grip will give your garage floor an anti-slip coating that will also withstand the effects of road salt.With fall holidays approaching, we’ll of course want our homes to be safe and visually beautiful for visitors. For porches or patios, it’s a good time to complete decorative projects before the concrete surfaces reach 55 degrees. After this point we run the risk of the applied coatings being unable to properly cure. Eclipse Floor Coating & Bonding Primer in One will make embellishing those concrete hardscapes quick and easy so a front porch renovation takes only one weekend.

For Homeowners In Southern Climates

The temperatures stay mostly above freezing in the south but the elements still take a toll on outdoor surfaces. During winter, southern climates can experience heavy sleet and rain that turns grass or mulch walkways into wading pools. To prepare for the season, consider building a walkway of brick or stone pavers to unite different areas of the landscaping. Not only will you have more confidence in getting around your yard during inclement weather but it can greatly add to a home’s curb appeal. Customize your pavers, bricks and driveway with color and shine to complement your house. Anvil 100% Acrylic Crystal Clear Coat Sealer is a water-based, non-yellowing coating for sealing concrete, pavers, Chattahoochee and Exposed Aggregate concrete and more. It delivers a satin sheen when applied to a properly prepared surface and resists fading, scuffing, cracking, peeling and blistering.

Some southern regions experience less rain damage during winter but have to contend with heavy sun. UV rays will bleach, warp, and wear out wooden decks in as a little as a year depending on the level of exposure. To keep your deck’s color fresh and in great shape it’s a good idea to give it a retouch during fall. Anvil’s Deck-A-New is a rejuvenative coating for weathered or damaged wood that can lock down splinters, fill gaps, and restore tread to worn out boards.

Fall is our annual reminder to give our homes a thorough check up and it gives us a chance to put into action some decorative remodel plans we’ve been dreaming of all year. But don’t sit on planning projects for too long. The closer we move to winter the days will grow shorter and colder, reminding us that before we know it another new season will be about to start again!