It was a great summer, and your family made the most of it. Between vacation time, pools, or just hanging out in the backyard for a barbecue, you’re almost ready for school to start and the weather to turn cold.

But is your home ready? As a homeowner, you need to prepare your home for fall and winter months to protect the biggest investment in your life. Thankfully, this is not that hard. You start by examining the outside of your home.

Wrapping Up The Summer Season

Fall and winter can be hard on your house, especially what you have outside. That’s why preparing for colder months starts with your home’s exterior. Century Home Improvements has an excellent list of home maintenance tasks for the end of summer, including:

• Clean your gutters so snow melts can be routed away from your foundation.
• Use caulk to fill in any gaps around your windows and doors.
• Put away any patio furniture, and consider applying a sealant to any decks.
• Have your roof inspected for any loose or missing tiles.
• Properly close down your pool.

You can also ready your landscaping so it will look better through winter and when spring begins. Add a fresh layer of mulch so it looks great and traps moisture underground where your plants need it. You can also pull any dead plants and deadhead any annuals or perennials.

Preparing For The Bitter Cold

Once you are done preparing the outside of your home, you need to do some work on the inside. After all, this is where your family will be spending most of their time in the colder months.

As Redfin explains, frozen pipes can be a huge problem. Even if you live in the South, you know how the weather has been weird these past few years — freezes are still possible. That’s why you should follow these tips to avoid frozen pipes:

• Never lower your thermostat below 55 F, even if you’re out of town for a while.
• Protect pipes with cheap but effective foam insulation.
• Wrap any exposed pipes with electrical heat tape.
• On really cold nights, let faucets trickle to resist freezing.

In addition to pipes, you need to worry about drafts. Having a leaky home makes everyone colder and drives up your energy bill. That’s why you need to install weatherstripping on exterior doors. Use a candle to find drafts, then cover them with weatherstripping. You can also use door sweeps and add some insulation to your attic.

Safety Inside The Home

Now that your home is protected from the bitter cold, you have one last task to prepare for fall and winter: Check the safety of your home.

Start by checking the batteries on smoke and carbon monoxide detectors. These will be vital to protecting your family when you’re running the furnace and space heaters, so make sure they are working properly. You also want to check your fire extinguisher, as these do expire after a number of years. Lastly, this is a great time to make sure any stairs are safe. Check the strength of the railings and consider installing slip guards, especially where your family comes in out of the snow.

Your House Will Thank You

The end of summer is often a bittersweet time. It’s sad to see summer leave, but you’re also ready for fall and winter. By tackling a few maintenance tasks, you can help your home be ready as well. Check the outside first and put away any outdoor furniture. Protect your pipes and eliminate any drafts. Then make sure your home is safe on the inside. Your family deserves a safe, warm home this winter.

Guest post by Paul Denikin / Dad Knows DIY