What should North Texas homeowners do around the house this fall? Focus on seven quick jobs: lawn care, gutters, foundation drainage, the dryer vent, a heating tune-up, sealing drafts, and testing your detectors. Most take under an hour, and fall is the ideal window to do them.

Fall is one of the best stretches of the year to be outside in Allen and across Collin County. The triple-digit days are behind us and freezing temperatures haven’t arrived yet. That makes it a good time to protect your home, avoid surprise repair bills, and make winter easier. Use this fall home maintenance checklist to get started.

1. Give Your Lawn Its Fall Care

If you have Bermuda or another warm-season grass, fall is the time to put down a pre-emergent weed control to head off winter weeds. Texas A&M AgriLife Extension recommends starting once soil temperatures reach about 70°F, which generally falls in September or October. A soil thermometer takes the guesswork out. Because timing can vary from year to year, your local AgriLife Extension office is a good place to confirm.

A few more fall lawn tips:

• Skip “weed and feed” products in fall, which AgriLife does not recommend for fall and winter lawn care.
• Ease back on watering as temperatures cool.
• Keep mowing while the grass is growing, and mulch fallen leaves into the lawn or rake them up so they don’t smother it.

2. Clean Out Gutters and Downspouts

Our oaks, cedar elms, and pecans drop plenty of leaves and twigs. Clogged gutters send water spilling over the sides and down toward your foundation. Clear the gutters, then run a hose to confirm water flows freely out of the downspouts and away from the house.

3. Check Your Foundation and Drainage in North Texas Clay Soil

Our expansive clay soil shrinks and swells with the weather. Walk the perimeter of your home and look for new cracks, gaps, or soil pulling away from the foundation. Make sure the ground slopes away from the house and that no flower beds are trapping water against it.

4. Clean the Dryer Vent

Lint is highly combustible, and it also makes your dryer work harder. The U.S. Fire Administration’s report on clothes dryer fires in residential buildings (2008-2010 data) found that failure to clean was the leading factor in those fires, at 34 percent. Disconnect the vent hose and clear it out, and don’t forget the exterior vent opening.

5. Schedule Your Heating Tune-Up Before the First Cold Snap

Appointments can fill up once the first cool front blows through, so book your furnace or heat pump check-up now while scheduling is easy. A technician can catch small issues, like a worn part or a dirty burner, before you need heat on a cold morning.

6. Seal Gaps Around Windows and Doors

Check weatherstripping and caulk for cracks or gaps. Sealing them keeps heated air in and cuts down on drafts. A tube of caulk and a free afternoon go a long way.

7. Test Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Detectors

Press the test button and replace the batteries. Daylight saving time ends Sunday, November 1, which makes a handy reminder date. Check the date printed on each unit too. Smoke alarms are generally replaced every 10 years, and some carbon monoxide alarms need replacing sooner, so follow the manufacturer’s guidance.

Your Fall Home Maintenance Takeaway

Taking care of your home is one of the best ways to look after what is likely your largest investment, whether you plan to stay for years or sell down the road. Work through this checklist one weekend at a time and you’ll head into winter with fewer worries.

Questions About Your Home? Talk With Walpole Realty Group

Whether you’re maintaining a home in Allen, Plano, McKinney, or elsewhere in Collin County, or thinking about your next move, we’re happy to help. Contact the Walpole Realty Group team with your questions about caring for your home or the North Texas market.

Sources: Texas A&M AgriLife Extension (fall pre-emergent guidance); U.S. Fire Administration, “Clothes Dryer Fires in Residential Buildings (2008-2010).”