As the warm days slowly turn colder and the light starts to fade sooner it is sure fire sign that Summer is over and Autumn is here. Although you probably want to close the curtains, curl up on the sofa and hibernate until the sun is out again, there is plenty you need to be doing to get your home ready for the colder months. In this blog we give you helpful reminders of how to get your home Autumn ready.
Boiler
You probably haven’t used your radiators much over the summer and your boiler has, at best, only been used for hot water. Now is the time to have your boiler serviced. There will be a peak period very soon where the cold really starts to bite and unserviced and old boilers are prone to break down. You do not want to be one of those who has no heating or hot water when you need it most.
Chimney Sweep
If you are lucky enough to have a real fire or log burner, don’t forget to have your chimney or flue swept. An unswept chimney is very dangerous, soot will accumulate and smoke will not be able to escape. A blocked or partially blocked chimney is also a huge fire hazard. Don’t leave it to chance, get it all cleaned out ready for you to enjoy throughout the colder months.
Windows and Doors
You’ve sorted the boiler so will have heat and hot water, but there is no point trying to heat a home that has perished door or window seals or where the doors or windows don’t close properly. It’s a good time to check all your doors and windows and sort any issues with poor fitting, poor or no seals and any other issues which might let in drafts or, even worse, water.
Gutters, Drains and Roofs
The autumnal rains will start soon and when it does, the last thing anyone needs is a leaky roof, gutters that overflow or leak and drains that are blocked. That is a recipe for disaster and will cause lots of water ingress problems either directly through the roof tiles or, over time, through the walls as water drips down. Make sure to check the roof, clear the gutters and unblock and clear drains.
Communal areas
For flats and accommodation that is shared, there will be communal areas like entrance halls, stairs and kitchens. In flats particularly it will make sense to ensure that the entrance mat is in good condition and that the stairs are well maintained with non-slip strips. There will be plenty of people walking in and out which will make those entrance areas and stairs really slippery. As such ensuring there is a robust entrance mat to collect most of any water and well-maintained stairs with non-slip strips will ensure that no-one has an avoidable accident.
Gardens and driveways
If you have a garden then it is time to clean and put away any garden furniture, protect your external taps and inspect your fencing to ensure it is sound. You don’t want your fence to blow over in the windy weather. Make sure to stock up on rock salt and also check any drains and gutters are not blocked. Although it might not yet be cold enough for the salt, you can be sure that stocks will be in short supply very soon so make sure to get it now. An iced up driveway is a nightmare.
Although Autumn isn’t too bad as far as bad weather goes, it will get rainy very soon so ensuring your home is water tight is always a good thing, but those things that you will need in winter like salt and heating will become hard to get hold of the longer you leave it. By taking action now, you can ensure that when the nights do draw in and the cold starts to bite, you are ready to snuggle up and ride it all out in comfort.
