Winter is coming! It’s time to think about fall maintenance on your home or rental property. Most Pacific Northwest rainfall occurs during the fall and winter months, and now is the time to get ahead of water and drainage issues. Here is a quick list to get you started.
Clean out gutters and make sure the gutters discharge away from the property. Proper grading and drainage is critical to avoid water seeping into your property and causing mold or water damage.
If you haven’t thought about your roof in 5 years, time to think about it. Ask a roofer to inspect your roof and evaluate for cleaning or repairs.
Check window flashing / caulking. If your windows were installed without proper flashing, you need to re-check the caulking once per year to prevent water intrusion. This is especially common in 70s-80s apartment buildings. No idea what window flashing is? Check out this video from This Old House.
Verify proper operation of your sump pump. If you don’t have a sump pump in a basement or below grade area, consider installing one.
Consider a rain barrel! Installing a rain barrel or rain water harvesting system can save significant money watering your garden and help with stormwater management. Check your local city and county governments for resources and rebates. Search “RainWise” forSeattleandKing County resources. Again, This Old House has a greattutorial.
Service your furnace. You are about to start running heat. Have a professional clean and service your furnace once per year to keep it running smoothly and to extend the useful life. Replace your furnace filter once per month throughout the year.
When is the last time you cleaned out your sewer line? A $300 - $1,000 sewer scope and clean out once every 3-5 years can save you from major headaches down the road. You want to know about clogs and root intrusions before you have a backup into your home. Knowing about a root intrusion can help you clear the clog before it becomes a major issue AND plan for a retrofit or replacement in advance and avoid expensive and intrusive emergency patches.
What projects are you working on prior to the wet season? I am excited about installing a few rain barrels on my property to cut down on my water bill and keep my soil watered next summer.
Happy winter, let's go skiing!
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Medawar Real Estate | Real Estate Firm license no. 21004956 (WA) Christopher Medawar | Real Estate Broker license no. 21034366 (WA) Want to change how you receive these emails? You canupdate your preferencesorunsubscribe
