How to Perform a Fall Inspection of Your Wood Siding and Lumber

It’s very important to inspect your wood siding and lumber for maintenance issues every year. Fall is a great time for this, weather is moderate and you should take a survey of the condition of your wood before harsh winter weather hits.

Wood Siding Maintenance Tips

Autumn is the last chance you will have to inspect and remedy any issues you may encounter with your wood siding. You should inspect all the way around the house and address any darkening or problem areas before the weather turns cold.

We tell our customers to just walk around the house and do a visual inspection. Most problem areas that you will encounter will simply need an oxygen bleach clean up.

How to Inspect Your Wood Siding and Lumber Annually

1. Walk around your home, look for areas that have turned darker than other areas.
2. Do you notice any holes or knots that have fallen out?
3. Plan to patch any holes or knots that have fallen out before colder season hits.
4. Do you notice any areas where stain touchups are required.
5. Plan to do stain touch ups before colder season hits.
6. Remember… It’s just tender loving care!

Remember, if you don’t do it this year, next year it will be a much larger job!

How To Winterize Your Home Checklist

Next, this step will vary based on your home type and region, but here’s a quick list of common winter weatherizing tasks to get your to-do list started:

1. Caulk cracks, holes and openings around windows and doors. Install weather strips if needed.
2. Confirm you still have sufficient attic insulation to maintain warm house temperatures.
3. Schedule to have your heating system (furnaces, boilers, chimneys) checked and serviced now to ensure they’re running efficiently.
4. Adjust your thermostat, the recommended target temperature for winter months is 65 – 68 degrees Fahrenheit. 
5. Test your smoke and carbon monoxide alarms and replace batteries if needed.
6. Move outdoor and patio furniture into a shed or garage or cover with weatherproof furniture covers. 
7. Check and clear out the gutters after fall leaves have dropped.
8. Do a final ‘sweep’ of your yard and property, trimming back bushes and removing dead limbs and branches that could fall on your home.
9. Protect interior and exterior pipes susceptible to temps below 32 degrees Fahrenheit. Shut off water and drain exterior pipes and hose pipes, put hose bibbs on hose pipes, and store your hoses out of the elements.
10. Grab a bag of deicing salt now, so you’re prepared for the first ice!

Want to share how you winterize your home? Leave us a comment!