Creating an External Home Maintenance Calendar - Part 2

 

Last week we talked about how to set up a home maintenance calendar. You chose whether to use an electronic calendar system or a paper system. We detailed out some internal home maintenance tasks, and hopefully you wrote down external ones as they occurred to you too. Then you put the internal tasks in the calendar and did the most important thing – set reminders to review it regularly.

This week, we’re going to brainstorm the external home maintenance tasks and get them scheduled in calendar as well. Remember, this isn’t an exhaustive list. Talk to your neighbors and find out what they do as well.

Once a Year

Early Spring: Aerate your lawn
Early Spring: Book an AC inspection
Summer: Book a chimney sweep
Fall: Draining or winterizing outdoor water faucets/hoses if you live in a place where they could freeze
Late Winter: Check and repair your window screens before beautiful spring temperatures
Early Winter: Trim trees
Fall: If you use propane, make sure your tank is full.
Spring – Clean and inspect outdoor furniture so that it can hold up to a season of entertaining. Check canopies, awnings, and umbrellas for weak seams, dangling threads – repair small tears if you can. You have to do this early enough so that you can find replacements in stores if you need them, so I suggest that it should be done by late April. Check plastic chairs for cracks. Get rid of cracked ones.
Fall – Purge anything that won’t be repairable; don’t let it take up precious storage space. Inspect furniture and fabric for insect eggs and cases, scrape them off before storage. If you have any gardening tools, clean them before storage. Dump flowerpots and inspect for insect eggs before storage.

Every 6 Months

Wash windows
Clean out your gutters
Clean garage and basement of dust, dirt, leaves, spiders, cobwebs, etc.
If you have a basement, check for any moist areas.
Check outside steps & railings, fences, gates & sidewalks for rot/repair.
Check the outside of your windows for any sign of leaking or damage.
Carefully inspect your foundation for cracks.
Inspect your home for any holes, water damage, paint chipping, etc.
Remove dead plants
Inspect your roof for damage or leaks

Rare tasks

If you have a septic tank, you will want to want to schedule getting it emptied every 5-10 years. You will also have additional maintenance tasks.

Now, go figure out what tasks you need for your home and add them to your calendar.

Job well done! Go pour a glass of lemonade and enjoy the fall colors for a spell.