Summer is almost over, barring a last Indian Summer fling, so it’s time to start preparing our home for Autumn and the subsequent chillier mornings, darker evenings and the eventual frosts. Here are a few reminders of what needs to be done:
Practical chores to avoid larger problems
This is a great time of year to make sure everything is set before potential Winter problems become a reality. Simple jobs like: ensuring your gutters are free from debris and are intact, plumbing pipes are lagged and your heating is in good working order are sensible preparations.
Hitting a cold snap and finding out your heating isn’t working is not a lot of fun, firing up your boiler and making sure all is running as it should whilst the weather is still mild makes a lot of sense. If all is not as it should be, you’ll find it easier to get a heating engineer to respond than if you leave it until the colder months when they are in much demand.
Similarly ensuring the lagging is still protecting your pipes, makes much more sense now than waiting until it is too late.
Roof tiles are another area to check before the weather turns. A simple visual check from the ground should identify any out of place external tiles and a trip into the attic during daylight, after carefully selecting a safe spot, extinguish your light and once your eyes have adjusted take a good look around to see if you can spot areas of daylight creeping in. This will identify any degradation that will need to be repaired before damage is done by the bad weather.
In the garden
Time to pop the garden furniture, solar lights and fair-weather toys into storage for the colder months. If you don’t have adequate storage for your garden furniture and BBQ. Amazon does an extensive range of garden covers that will help protect your property from the worst of the weather the colder months will throw at you.
Keeping on top of the leaf fall and dead heading your plants will help to keep your outside space under control. Be extra vigilant with leaves over pathways, if left they can become a slippery nuisance as they get damp.
External lighting
As nights draw in and mornings are also darker for longer, it is a good idea to check your external lights are still working. It might be a good idea to leave any PIR lights on and test them before you find yourself trying to navigate your way to the outside bins with your arms full only to find the lights don’t work.
Planting
Autumn isn’t always about endings; it is also a time to plan for new beginnings. Autumn is the perfect time to plant roses and even root vegetables like beetroot and radishes. Take a look at this Good Housekeeping Guide for some great seasonal planting ideas!
