Items For Your Summer Maintenance Checklist

Summer Home Maintenance (EASY tips)

When your home is your biggest investment, maintenance tasks are a must. Home maintenance can be intimidating. Maybe you have never changed your furnace filters, or perhaps you don’t know what to do if you see a foundation crack. I am here to guide you on what items should be on your home maintenance checklist.

Keep on top of the small stuff, and your house will run like a well-oiled machine.

Holmes Family. Left to Right, Sherry Holmes, Mike Holmes Jr., and Mike Holmes

Why is seasonal home maintenance important?

Neglecting small home maintenance tasks will cause you grief in the long run. Like a regular health check-up, a home maintenance checklist is important for every home’s upkeep.

Home maintenance keeps your home clean and your systems and appliances running longer. Even newly built homes need regular maintenance.

New Home Build Completed by Mershire, Unit 349

What home improvements should I consider before summer?

#1 Inspect Your Deck

I’ve heard many horror stories of deck collapses. As a homeowner, there are some signs of damage you can look out for:

Ledger Board issues (Deck is improperly attached to the house)
Visible rot
Visible Cracks
Insect Damage
Rust on fasteners and connectors
Loose Stairs Railing
Rotten deck posts
Wobbly deck

Here is more information on inspecting a deck.

Deck completed by TruNorth Deck, Unit 194

#2 Inspect Your Roof

Spring is a good time to add a new roof. Assess the damage that’s been done over the winter period. Look for curled or missing shingles, or granules gathering in the gutters. Roofing contractors get booked up quickly, so spring is the best time to inspect your roof.

Roofing completed by Armadure Metal Roof, Unit 57

#3 Reseal Your Asphalt Driveway

If you have an asphalt driveway, you can extend its lifespan by resealing it.

Sealing your asphalt driveway will make it look new again and last longer

Summer Home Maintenance Checklist for Outside Your Home

When I talk about home maintenance, most homeowners only think about the inside of their home, but the outside needs attention just as much (if not more). Remember, it’s what you do on the outside that will protect your home on the inside.

If you are thinking of doing any outdoor projects that will require hiring a contractor, like interlocking or re-grading, do not waste another minute. Start looking now before their schedules fill up!

#1 Plan Out Your Garden

Don’t Build a Garden Right Next To Your Home. Even the slightest shift in your grading can have a negative impact. If you are building a garden right next to your home, you will be disturbing the soil directly against your foundation.

With more airspace created by soil that’s not as firmly packed down, water has more opportunity to leak through to your basement.

Water is your home’s #1 enemy. So should you be planting right up against your foundation? Water needs to drain away from your home’s exterior.

#2 Hire a Landscaping Professional

You can take on simple tasks such as painting, clearing yard waste and planting in your planters. But if your landscaping plans are more complicated than that, I recommend bringing in a professional.

Landscaping Completed by Matt’s Landscaping, Unit 14, 15

For example, incorrectly laying down interlocking can create major issues. Without properly compacting the soil and gravel underneath the stone, that soil could sink, allowing water to pool – or worse, flow right toward your foundation.

A job done poorly on the outside of your home can actually cause big problems inside. I’ve seen this too many times.

I’m a contractor, not a landscaper but I do care about landscaping. Why? Because landscaping affects a home on the inside, not just its curb appeal.

Summer Home Maintenance Checklist for Inside Your Home

#1 Reverse the setting on your ceiling fans to counterclockwise.

Ceiling fans don’t make your air any cooler. However, running them counterclockwise allows the cool air to be pushed down. A ceiling fan, in conjunction, with your air conditioner, can help keep your thermostat a little higher. You will appreciate that extra circulation that will make you feel cool.

#2 Replace Your Furnace Filters

Our summers can get very hot, and that means running your AC frequently. Make sure you get your furnace serviced regularly. It will help keep the air in your home healthy and clean and use HEPA filters to help reduce allergy symptoms too.

Mike Holmes Replacing Furnace Filter

#3 Check the exterior of your home for these possible entry points for pests

Holes or cracks around window and door frames
Holes in venting
Tears in window and door screens
Cracks in foundations, especially below windows and doorsteps.

Torn window screens should be repaired or replaced. If you have any visible gaps in your mortar or loose bricks (also known as tuck-pointing) get them refilled and seek a professional, as this is a special skill that needs to be done properly.

Windows from WD Craftline, Unit 156

#4 Analyze your home security system

Summer is a good time to evaluate your home’s security system. You may be going away on vacation, or you may be planning to be outside your house for extended periods of time. I am a big fan of smart security systems and smart lighting.

Smart Home System from Simply Smart, Unit 94,95

I also recommend installing automatic timers and motion sensors for both the interior and exterior.

#5 Test Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Detectors

Check your smoke detectors and your CO detectors to make sure they are working. I recommend changing the batteries every season.

Mike Holmes testing a smoke detector.

#6 Clean Out Gutters and Downspouts

Remove any loose leaves and debris. Use a gutter scoop to remove any of the hard, stuck-on remnants. Installing a gutter guard helps prevent buildup by catching big debris from getting into the gutter and clogging it up.

When your gutters are jammed, water can flow right over top, dropping it directly against your foundation – and that’s asking for trouble.

What is the most overlooked maintenance task in a house?

In my opinion and experience, homeowners often neglect to test their smoke detectors and CO2 detectors. I have seen a LOT of tragic incidents and I can not remind you enough -TEST TEST TEST.

When the projects go beyond DIY, hiring professionals is a safe choice.

Here are some jobs you should hire a professional for:

Repairing or installing a new roof
Exterior waterproofing
Electrical work (hire a Licensed Electrical Contractor)
Plumbing (new or repairs)
Landscaping
Installing water treatment systems
Testing your indoor air quality

Here’s a guide on which jobs are best left for the pros.