The Highlands-Cashiers plateau is a popular area for second-home owners, and if you haven’t been around for all four seasons, some of these tasks may be unfamiliar to you. Whether you are a single-home owner or a seasoned home owner, it can be hard to keep up with the big and little chores that keep a home running smoothly. We’ve compiled a list of tasks that should be on your home maintenance yearly checklist so these important house chores don’t slip your mind. If you forget to do them, or neglect to do them, you could end up in trouble!
We’ve broken down the home maintenance yearly checklist by season.
Spring
Now that winter is gone, and the chance of snow is at bay, it’s time to take a look around your driveway and yard and take inventory.
Pick up fallen tree limbs and get rid of extra leaves- Most of us have mountain homes surrounded by trees. While feeling nestled among the treetops is a great feeling, this comes with its own set of maintenance requirements for dealing with leaves and debris. When spring rolls around, you’ll be able to see where those final pesky leaves fell and where snow might have weighed on weak tree limbs, causing them to fall. Spring is a great time to get out and clear up leaves and debris. When living in the mountains, you’ll definitely want to invest in a leaf blower!
Re-evaluate landscaping- Now that leftover leaves and debris are out of the way, you can take a look at the landscaping. Spring is a great time to re-mulch to help keep weeds away, and to plant bulbs for beautiful flowers that will bloom throughout the year.
Get your HVAC system serviced- With warmer weather coming up, you’ll want to make sure your air conditioning is in perfect condition. Springtime allergies can be rough! That’s why you’ll want to make sure your air ducts are clean and don’t have any damage.
Summer
Give the house a bath- When it’s nice and warm outside, it’s a great time to get outside and pressure wash the house. Winters in Western North Carolina are very rainy; we actually qualify as a rainforest because of how much rain we get! And most of the rain falls in the wintertime. After getting all of that rain, things can become water damaged and get covered in mildew. Make sure you add pressure washing to your home maintenance yearly checklist so your house stays fresh and looks clean!
Take care of those pesky bugs- There’s no way to keep bugs out forever. Summer is a great time to add calling the exterminator to your home maintenance yearly checklist to ensure your home isn’t unknowingly harboring bugs or other critters.
Make a gardening plan- Maybe your property is home to a variety of lush greenery, or maybe your landscaping is at a minimum. No matter what, you’ll probably need to do some basic weeding and trimming on occasion. Keep up with trimming your hedges, lawn, and weeding out flower beds. As the warm summer weather prompts growth, it’s easy for these things to get out of hand. This is one of those basic home improvement tasks that you really can do year-round, but should stay on top of during the summertime for your mountain home.
Fall
We all love fall in the mountains. it is the season that brings people together from all over to admire the changing leaf varieties in the mountains. While the way we experience fall is unique in Western North Carolina, the season creates a small task for homeowners to add to their home maintenance yearly checklist. Leaves are everywhere!
Take care of the extra leaves- For new mountain homeowners who come from places where there isn’t a fall season, this could be something you’ve never thought about. But you have to do something with them when they’ve fallen! Invest in a nice leaf blower that will make getting leaves out of the yard and driveway easy. Make sure you check your gutters often as well. Leaves can clog them up very quickly and that can give you major drainage issues.
Prepare your fireplace- Whether you have a wood-burning fireplace or your heating system runs on propane, you’ll have some chilly days in the fall. Get ahead of the weather by preparing your fireplace ahead of time. Call one of our local gas heating places to get quotes, or figure out who sells firewood and figure out how to get a sustainable amount that’ll last you through the winter. This also includes your chimney! Get your chimney cleaned before you have to use your fireplace.
Clean out your dryer vent- This is something you can do any time of year. Dryer vents can cause house fires, so this is an important home maintenance task to add to your to-do list.
Drain and shut off outside water faucets- When water freezes, it can bust pipes and cause major issues for homeowners. In the mountains, cold nights can creep up on you, so this is something you’ll want to do before the first freezing temperatures hit.
Winter
Since we are hunkered down inside during the winter, it’s the perfect time to check off some of the indoor projects on your home maintenance yearly checklist.
Check your smoke detectors- These devices are easy to forget about. Check your batteries now (and maybe a few more times a year to be extra careful) so you are sure they’re working properly.
Seal gaps/cracks in your windows and doors- You don’t want that heat to get out when you’re trying to get warm! Make sure you inspect your entryways and windows to make sure your home is keeping all of your precious heat inside. We recommend using caulk or weather stripping.
Clean any carpets- If we are staying inside, why not? After the holidays when you get all of your glittery holiday decor down, it might be a good idea to deep clean your carpet and other flooring during the slower months. Renting a carpet cleaner from Ingles or investing in your own is a great place to start, and your house will feel more fresh for it.
Landmark Realty Group
The brokers and staff at Landmark Realty Group have been homeowners in the Western North Carolina mountains for years. We have been in our mountain homes for a while and we’ve experienced all of the seasons here, so we know what to expect. And of course, we’ve made some mistakes along the way, so we know from experience which items on our home maintenance yearly checklist are going to be crucial to living comfortably in Western North Carolina! Let us know if you have questions about any of our homes for sale in Western North Carolina, or how to maintain your mountain home. We are here for all of our mountain real estate needs! We have plenty of tips and vendors we can direct you to who can help you keep your home beautiful and functional year-round.
Written by: Dale Gordon
Posted by Landmark Concierge on
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