Fall Home Checklist for Northern Colorado
Winter in Northern Colorado keeps us guessing. We often get a sunny afternoon, a hard freeze that same night, snow by the weekend, and sunshine again a few days later.
Each of those freeze-thaw swings puts stress on your house, and most of it can be prevented with an afternoon of work in the fall.
Here are a few things to check off your list before the first real snow.
1. Clean out your gutters after the leaves fall
Gutters carry water off the roof and away from your foundation. Once they fill with leaves, pine needles, and seed pods, the water goes over the edge instead of down your downspouts and safely away from your house.
In Colorado, gutters that don’t function properly usually lead to one of these:
An icy roofline. Snow melts on a sunny day, runs into a clogged gutter, and refreezes overnight. Over a full winter, that ice can work its way under your shingles and into the house.
Rotting fascia boards. Wet leaves and ice keep the wood behind the gutter damp for months.
Water at the foundation. Winter and spring overflow lands against the house, leaving you with a damp basement and flooded window wells.
Sagging gutters. A gutter full of wet leaves and ice gets heavy, and the fasteners can pull loose.
Best time to clean gutters: late October through November, once most of the leaves are down. If you have a lot of mature trees, plan on a second cleaning in spring.
2. Clear leaves from window wells and your lawn
Window wells collect leaves faster than almost anywhere else on a property. A full well holds moisture against the basement window all winter and can clog the drain at the bottom, so snowmelt has nowhere to go. Clearing each one takes a few minutes, and it's easy to forget until water shows up inside.
On the lawn, a thick layer of leaves mats down under snow and smothers the grass, which leaves thin or dead patches in spring. A light layer is fine, and you can mulch it in with the mower. Heavier piles should be raked or bagged before it snows.
While you're out there, check that your downspouts point away from the house and aren't buried under a leaf pile.
3. Clean your window screens and store them for winter
A lot of homeowners take their screens down for winter. A few reasons it's worth considering:
More light. Screens block some of the sun coming through your windows. Winter days are short, and rooms get noticeably brighter with the screens off.
Screens last longer. Snow, ice, and constant sun wear out mesh and frames. Stored screens hold up for more seasons.
Cleaner windows in spring. Screens left up all winter collect grime, and the first rain washes it onto the glass.
If you take them down, clean them first. Dirt left on over the winter bakes in and is harder to get off later. Label each screen by window so spring goes quickly, and store them flat or standing upright in the garage or basement where they won't get bent.
Keeping your screens up? A fall cleaning of the screens and window tracks still helps. Clean tracks make windows easier to open and close, and clean screens let in more light.
4. Quick extras to protect your house from winter
Disconnect garden hoses and shut off outdoor spigots. Water left in the line can freeze and burst the pipe inside the wall.
Trim branches that hang over the roof. Heavy spring snow can snap them onto shingles and gutters.
Seal gaps around windows, doors, and siding. A little caulk or new weatherstripping keeps out drafts, moisture, and mice looking for somewhere warm.
Get a quote for your fall cleanup
We'll clean your gutters, windows, and screens so your home is prepped and ready for winter.
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