Taking Care of Your Biggest Investment

At Tri-County Windows and Siding, we’re here to help with the big projects around your home. Sometimes we take on big projects that could have been prevented by just a little routine and regular maintenance. 

We think it’s important for our customers to take care of all the little parts of home maintenance – before they become big issues in need of bigger repairs.

Here are 9 home maintenance projects we suggest for Northern Virginia Homeowners:

Clean gutters and downspouts. Clogged gutters during rainstorms can cause water to pool and damage your roof or siding. In this part of the country, it’s best to wait until after all the leaves have fallen to thoroughly clean out gutters and downspouts. Remember, if you are not comfortable with heights or on ladders, hire a professional or at least a helper to aid with the tough spots.

Make exterior repairs. Take a walk around your property, looking for signs of damage to the roof, siding and foundation. If you spot anything that needs repair, schedule it before winter weather hits. Make special note of roof spots where different surfaces come together – flashing, vents and chimney facings can be trouble spots for leaks and seeping.

Shut off exterior faucets and store hoses. Protect your pipes from freezing temperatures by shutting off water to exterior faucets before the weather dips below freezing. Always remove hoses before freezing temperatures hit. Drain hoses and store them indoors.

Seal gaps where critters could enter. Mice need only a tiny gap to be able to sneak into your house. With cold weather coming all of the little critters out there will be looking for warm places to make a home. Small foundation crack will only get larger – so, invest in mortar caulk to seal these gaps and crevices.

Stock up on winter supplies. If you live in a region with cold, snowy winters, fall is the time to prepare.

-Check the condition of snow shovels and ice scrapers; replace as needed

-Pick up a bag of pet- and plant-safe ice melt, if needed

-Restock emergency kits for car and home

-If you use a snow blower, have it serviced and purchase fuel

Add weatherstripping. Weatherstripping applied around the frames of windows and doors helps boost winter warmth and cut energy costs. Add door sweeps to the base of drafty doors to keep heat in and cold air out.

Schedule a chimney cleaning and heating system maintenance. Making sure your chimney is clear and that your furnace is cleaned and ready for seasonal changes is critical.  It is best to check these off your list before you need to turn on the heat – or, light up the fireplace.

Clean dryer vents. Lint buildup in dryer vents can make your dryer work less efficiently and even cause a fire.  Static electricity is on the increase in autumn’s cool, dry weather – which can ignite built-up lint. Now is the optimal time to get that lint out. You can hire a duct cleaning specialist to clean the vents for you, or clean the vent yourself.

Conduct an energy audit. A trained auditor can assess your home’s current energy efficiency and give you a list of recommended improvements you can make, which may include upgrading to Energy Star appliances, adding insulation to the attic , switching to more energy efficient lighting or beefing up weatherstripping. You can also find instructions for a do-it-yourself energy audit at energy.gov.