Spring

Spring checklist

Winter is hard on a house. Spring is about finding the damage while it is still small and getting water moving away from the building again.

Clean gutters and downspouts

Clogged gutters overflow against the fascia and foundation — the root cause of a shocking share of basement leaks. Scoop them out, then run a hose to confirm downspouts drain at least three feet from the house.

Gutter scoopWork gloves

Inspect the roof from the ground

Binoculars beat a ladder. Look for lifted or missing shingles, damaged flashing around chimneys and vents, and shingle grit collecting in gutters — all signs winter took a toll worth a professional look.

Binoculars

Service the air conditioner before the first heat wave

Replace the filter, clear leaves and cottonwood fluff from the outdoor condenser coils, and give it a test run on the first warm day. HVAC companies book out weeks once summer actually arrives.

Coil cleaner

Test the sump pump

Pour a bucket of water into the pit and confirm the pump kicks on, drains it, and shuts off. Spring storms are exactly when you find out the hard way that it seized over the winter.

Check exterior caulk and paint

Walk the exterior and look at window and door trim, siding joints, and anywhere two materials meet. Cracked caulk lets water into the wall assembly; an hour with a caulk gun now prevents rot repairs later.

Exterior caulkCaulk gun

Restart irrigation and outdoor faucets

Open the outdoor water supply slowly and watch each zone and spigot for leaks or heads broken over winter. A cracked line can run silently for months and show up only on the water bill.

Summer

Summer checklist

Long days and dry weather make summer the season for exterior upkeep — the jobs that need open windows, warm temperatures, or a weekend outside.

Wash siding and clean the deck

Mildew and grime eat finishes over time. Wash siding with a garden-hose foamer or pressure washer on low, and if water no longer beads on the deck, it is time to clean and reseal it.

Deck cleanerDeck sealer

Clean the dryer vent duct

Not just the lint trap — the duct from the dryer to the outside wall. Lint buildup is a leading cause of house fires, and a clogged duct also doubles drying times. A drill-powered brush kit makes it a 30-minute job.

Dryer vent brush kit

Tune up the garage door

Lubricate rollers, hinges, and springs with garage-door lube (not WD-40), then test the safety reversal by placing a board under the door. Tighten any hardware that has rattled loose.

Garage door lubricant

Flush the water heater

Sediment settles on the tank bottom, making the heater noisy and inefficient and shortening its life. Hook a hose to the drain valve and flush until the water runs clear — annually is plenty.

Drain hose

Do a pest patrol

Walk the foundation and eaves looking for carpenter-ant sawdust, wasp nests, and gaps where utilities enter the house. Seal openings with steel wool and caulk before fall, when rodents start looking for a warm place.

Steel wool + sealant

Check window screens and weep holes

Patch or replace torn screens while windows are open daily, and clear the small weep holes at the bottom of window frames so rain drains out instead of pooling in the track.

Fall

Fall checklist

Fall is deadline season: everything on this list gets dramatically more expensive or more miserable to fix after the first hard freeze.

Service the furnace and replace filters

Have the furnace inspected and tuned before the first cold snap — the failure you want to find in October, not at 2 a.m. in January. Stock a season of filters while you are at it.

Furnace filters

Winterize outdoor faucets and irrigation

Disconnect hoses, shut interior supply valves to outdoor spigots, and drain or blow out irrigation lines. A burst hose bib inside the wall is one of the most expensive freeze failures a house has.

Faucet covers

Clean gutters after the leaves drop

The second gutter cleaning of the year matters most: full gutters in winter cause ice dams, which pry shingles up and push meltwater into ceilings.

Gutter scoop

Seal drafts around doors and windows

On a windy day, feel around doors, windows, and outlets on exterior walls. Fresh weatherstripping and a door sweep pay for themselves in one season and make the house noticeably more comfortable.

Weatherstripping kitDoor sweep

Sweep the chimney if you burn wood

Creosote buildup causes chimney fires. If you use the fireplace more than a handful of times a year, have it inspected and swept before the burning season starts.

Replace smoke and CO detector batteries

Do it when the clocks change so it is automatic. Detectors themselves expire too — check the manufacture date on the back; smoke detectors are done at 10 years, CO detectors at 5–7.

9V batteries

Winter

Winter checklist

The house is buttoned up — winter maintenance is mostly vigilance: catching freeze and moisture problems while they are still cheap.

Watch the roofline for ice dams

Icicles at the gutter line mean heat is escaping into the attic, melting snow that refreezes at the eaves. Long term the fix is attic air-sealing and insulation; short term, a roof rake after heavy snow keeps the eaves clear.

Roof rake

Protect pipes on exterior walls

In hard freezes, open vanity doors on exterior walls and let vulnerable faucets drip overnight. If you travel, never set the thermostat below 55°F — a frozen supply line can flood the house in hours.

Pipe insulation

Check attic insulation and ventilation

A quick look on a cold day tells you a lot: insulation below the top of the joists, damp sheathing, or frost inside the attic all mean money leaking through the ceiling.

Keep humidity in the healthy range

Aim for 30–45%. Condensation on windows means too humid (mold risk in walls); constant static and gapping trim means too dry. A $10 hygrometer takes the guesswork out.

Hygrometer

Degrease the range hood filter

The mesh filter over the stove is a grease trap that most people never touch. Run it through the dishwasher or soak it in hot water and degreaser — a saturated filter moves no air and is a fire risk.

Plan next year while contractors are slow

Winter is the cheap season to line up spring work. Get quotes for the roof, exterior paint, or that bathroom remodel now — the good contractors are booked solid by April.

As an Amazon Associate, adulting.app earns from qualifying purchases. Prices and availability vary.