The Home Maintenance Checklist

Outside

Do this on the first dry weekend.

• Clear gutters and downspouts (1–2 hrs)
  Winter debris plus spring rain is how water ends up in a basement. Check downspouts drain well away from the foundation.
• Inspect the roof from the ground (20 min)
  Binoculars are fine. Look for lifted, cracked or missing shingles, and any sag in the line of the roof.
• Check the foundation for new cracks (20 min)
  Photograph anything you find so you can tell next year whether it moved.
• Service the lawnmower (45 min)
  Oil, spark plug, sharpen or replace the blade. A blunt blade tears grass rather than cutting it.
• Turn on and test outdoor taps (15 min)
  Run each one and watch for spray from a split pipe — the classic sign of a freeze you did not know about.
• Reseal the deck if water no longer beads (half a day)
  Splash a little water on it. If it soaks in, the deck is drinking every rainfall.

Inside

• Service the air conditioning before you need it (book ahead)
  Book it in spring. In the first hot week every engineer within fifty miles is already busy.
• Clean the dryer vent duct (45 min)
  Not the lint trap — the duct behind it. This is one of the most common house fire causes and almost nobody does it.
• Vacuum refrigerator coils (20 min)
  Dust on the coils makes the compressor run longer for the same cooling.
• Check window and door seals (30 min)
  Where you feel a draught in winter, you are paying for air conditioning in summer.

Outside

• Wash the exterior and check the paintwork (half a day)
  Peeling paint is the first stage of rot. Catch it before the wood is involved.
• Trim trees back from the roof and siding (2 hrs)
  Branches touching the roof deliver squirrels, hold moisture and remove shingles in a storm.
• Inspect and reseal the driveway (half a day)
  Water in a small crack freezes in winter and turns it into a large one.
• Check exterior grading (20 min)
  Ground should slope away from the house. It settles over the years and starts sending water the wrong way.
• Clean and inspect the deck and railings (1 hr)
  Push firmly on every railing. Loose rails are the injury nobody sees coming.

Inside

• Book the furnace service now (book ahead)
  Autumn is peak season. Summer gets you a better slot and often a better price.
• Check the attic on a hot day (20 min)
  Poor ventilation shows up as heat and damp. It is also when you will spot daylight through the roof.
• Test the sump pump (10 min)
  Pour a bucket of water in and confirm it starts. Discovering it is dead during a storm is the wrong time.

Before the first freeze

These are the ones with a deadline.

• Shut off and drain outdoor taps (20 min)
  Close the interior shutoff, open the outside tap, let it drain. A split pipe behind a wall is the classic winter bill.
• Disconnect and store hoses (15 min)
  A hose left attached traps water in the tap and freezes it, whatever else you did.
• Blow out irrigation lines (book it)
  Worth paying someone. A cracked manifold is not a spring job you want.
• Clear gutters after the leaves are down (1–2 hrs)
  Doing it too early means doing it twice. Ice dams start in a blocked gutter.

Heating and safety

• Service the furnace or boiler (book ahead)
  If you did not book it in summer, book it now before the first cold snap.
• Sweep the chimney if you burn wood (book it)
  Creosote buildup is the reason chimney fires happen, and it accumulates faster than people expect.
• Replace smoke and CO alarm batteries (15 min)
  Heating season is when CO risk is real. Pick a date you will remember.
• Reverse ceiling fans to clockwise (10 min)
  Pushes warm air down off the ceiling. Costs nothing and you will feel it.

Sealing up

• Seal gaps around windows and doors (2 hrs)
  A caulk gun and an afternoon is the best return on money in this entire list.
• Check attic insulation depth (20 min)
  Settled insulation loses much of its value. You are looking for even coverage, not compressed patches.
• Seal gaps where pipes enter the house (30 min)
  This is how mice get in. They need less space than you think.

Watch for

• Check for ice dams after snow (5 min)
  Ice along the roof edge with icicles means meltwater is backing up under the shingles.
• Look for condensation on windows (5 min)
  Persistent condensation means humidity is too high, and that ends in mould.
• Keep the heat on in unused rooms (ongoing)
  Closed-off rooms are where pipes freeze, because nobody notices they are cold.
• Clear snow away from vents and exhausts (10 min)
  A blocked furnace exhaust sends carbon monoxide back into the house. Check after every heavy fall.

Good winter jobs

Indoor work for when it is too cold to be outside.

• Test GFCI outlets (20 min)
  Press test, then reset. Any that do not trip need replacing.
• Deep clean and check appliances (1 hr)
  Check hoses on the washing machine — a burst one empties at mains pressure until someone notices.
• Plan and budget for spring work (1 hr)
  The quiet month is the right time to get quotes for anything big.