Fall maintenance checklist for your South Shore, Plymouth & Boston-area home.
Posted on September 18, 2022
1. Clean your gutters
Clean gutters not blocked by leaves, pine needles, and debris are less likely to cause ice dams in the wintertime.
Consider getting a “gutter helmet” to help prevent future debris from clogging up your gutters.
Gutters need painting? – Here’s how to DIY this:
- For DIY-ers – leave the gutters in place while painting them. It’s crucial to allow water movement away from your home, and if you take the gutters down and a rain storm occurs, your basement can flood. (Our professional painters DO remove gutters but replace them that same day in case of rain).
- Clean the gutters and downspouts to remove dirt, mold, and chalking from the proposed area to paint. You can use TSP and water or a tile-cleaning solution. Allow the surface to dry adequately.
- Lightly sand the surfaces to de-gloss the existing coating and wipe the surface with a tack cloth to remove the dust.
- Apply two coats of acrylic Sherwin Williams Latitude in the color of your choice.
- If any joints are loose,we recommend using small, non-corroding downspout screws at all joints, including where it connects to the gutter.
2. Turn off and drain all outside water sources
This includes outdoor showers, sprinkler systems, and spigots.
If you are unsure how to turn off your outdoor water sources, hire a plumber (see #14 below for our recommended service providers, including a plumber). If you take photos of the steps they use to turn it off, you can refer to the photos next year and do this project yourself.
3. Consider adding a “maintenance coat” of paint or stain to your trim, clapboards, and shingles.
This is necessary if you see wear and tear from previous winters on the wood in the form of faded paint and bare wood peeking through.
Just email [email protected] to set up a quote or use our online scheduler.
South Shore and Plymouth area homes on or near the coast are especially vulnerable to the wear and tear the salt air, wind and rain causes.
Homes in Massachusetts coastal towns like Duxbury, Marshfield, Scituate, Cohasset, Hingham, Dartmouth, Marion, Plymouth, Kingston, and Hull need painting more often (every 3-5 years) than non-coastal homes (every 5-7 years).
4. Replace rotted wood.
You don’t want water to continue to get inside the wood and rot it even more throughout the winter. This is a case of “a stitch in time saves nine.”
Again, we replace rotted wood as a service, so we’re happy to help you; just email [email protected] to set up a quote or use our online scheduler.
5. Cover outdoor furniture etc.
An inexpensive alternative to custom covers is regular tarps and bungee cords!
6. Tie off or cover tall bushes.
This can prevent branches from breaking or other damage to the bush or tree from heavy snow loads.
7. Keep mowing your lawn, rake leaves, and seed any bald spots.
The leaves you pick up will help feed the lawn if you use a mulching mower. Generally, leaves are done falling on the South Shore by Thanksgiving.
8. Turn off your air conditioning unit
So that you don’t accidentally have the air conditioning running while the heat is on (hey, it happens!).
9. Close air conditioning vents throughout your home
This helps keep the heat inside your home and not escaping through the vents.
10. Fill up your grill’s propane tank
This way you can grill all winter.
11. Consider having your driveway maintained with a seal coat.
The cold winter and snow plowing will only make any holes in your driveway larger because of the freeze and thawing of water on your driveway.
12. Turn off, maintain and close other systems
Turn off other systems specific to your home, including your pool, outdoor lighting, trampolines, etc.
13. Consider interior painting for your holiday parties and guests.
If you’re unsure about choosing paint color(s), we have designers on staff to work with you.
14. See our “Masters of the South Shore” list if you need a service provider.
These are companies we have tried ourselves and who we feel confident recommending.
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You also might like to read:
How late in the fall can I paint my home?
Winter projects we can help you tackle.
