Home maintenance checklist, season by season

A year of home maintenance, broken into four bits

Owning a house is a to-do list that never actually ends, and one minute everything is running along fine and the next the gutters are overflowing, the fence is wobbling, the air conditioner sounds like it wants to take off and the hot water has gone cold on a Sunday morning. Breaking the jobs up by season is what stops all of that landing on the same weekend, so here is a run through the year, written for our weather rather than somebody else's.

Summer

December through February, which is when the heat does most of the damage around here. This is the season for the parts of the house that cop the sun.

• Clean the air conditioner filters. A clogged filter makes the unit work harder for less cold air, and it is the cheapest thing on this whole list.
• Look over the outdoor furniture. Tighten the bolts before somebody sits on a chair that has been sitting in the sun for two years.
• Check the decking. Cracked or cupped boards, lifted nails, and anything that has gone grey and dry and wants a coat.
• Go over the window and door screens. Torn mesh, a sagging frame, a catch that no longer catches. This is the season you notice, because that is when the flies get in.
• Test the outside taps and the irrigation. A dripping outdoor tap in January is a surprising amount of water over a month.

Autumn

March through May. This is the getting-ready season, and the jobs here are the ones that save you in July.

• Clear the gutters and the downpipes. Do this before the rain arrives rather than during it, because a blocked gutter in a downpour puts water where it should not be.
• Look for roof leaks. Stains on the ceiling, damp in the roof space, a flashing that has lifted.
• Give the fences a shake. Find the wobbly post now instead of letting the first proper gale find it for you.
• Put the summer gear away. Outdoor cushions and shade gear last a lot longer if they are not sitting out through winter.
• Seal the gaps around doors and windows. The gap you can see daylight through is the one heating your back garden all winter.

Winter

June through August, which is cold and wet and the season for the indoor jobs.

• Check the heating. Filters, vents, and whether it actually fires up, before the first proper cold snap rather than during it.
• Look for damp and mould. Behind furniture on external walls, in the wardrobes, around the window reveals. Ventilation is nearly always the fix.
• Check the hot water system. The relief valve, the base for rust, and anything wet underneath it that should be dry.
• Look at the insulation. Batts that have slumped or been shifted by somebody working in the roof leave a cold patch you will feel.
• Trim the overhanging branches. The limb over the roof is a winter storm problem, so it gets dealt with before the wind does it for you.

Spring

September through November, and everything starts growing at once, so this is the catch-up season.

• Wash the windows and the flyscreens. Screens come out, get hosed off, and go back in, and it makes more difference to the light than people expect.
• Service the mower. New plug, clean or replace the air filter, sharpen or swap the blades, and do it before the grass takes off rather than after.
• Check the plumbing for leaks. Under the sinks, at the meter, and anywhere the ground is damp for no reason.
• Touch up anything the weather has got at. A coat on bare timber now is a lot cheaper than replacing the board later.
• Test the smoke alarms and change the batteries. Pick a date you will remember and do it on the same one every year.

Why bother splitting it up

Because the alternative is one enormous Saturday in November where you try to do the lot, get through about a third of it, and the rest quietly waits until something breaks. Twenty minutes four times a year is not much, and the jobs on this list are almost all the cheap version of a problem that gets expensive if you leave it.

Shop related products

• Gutter Guard Protector, 1 metre length. Keeps the leaf litter out so the autumn clean is a lot quicker.
• Soudal All Purpose Silicone, charcoal, 300ml. For the gaps around doors, windows and anywhere water is getting in.
• Champion Spark Plug DJ7YMP. The spring mower service starts here.
• Pope Simple Set Single Tap Timer. So the summer watering happens whether you remember or not.

Did you know we also stock smoke alarms, ladders, gutter scoops and gutter cleaners, flyscreen mesh, spline, clips, catches and corner stakes, and tap washers in the shop. A lot of that is not on the website, so give us a ring on (08) 8536 4333 to check what is on the shelf.

If the screens are past patching, we make and repair them at the shop. There is more on the flyscreen replacement service page, and you can price your own with the flyscreen quoter before you bring anything in.

Keep reading

• 3 maintenance checks every new homeowner should do first
• How to organise a new home so it stays organised
• Colorbond fencing for a new home, what you actually get

I keep meaning to put all of this in my phone and I keep writing it on the back of a receipt instead, so if you are the sort of person who has a calendar reminder set up, I am quietly impressed.

Cheers,

Candeece

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