3 Jobs For Your Winter Checklist + No. 1 Thing People Don't Think About
If you're like me and countless other homeowners, Autumn is a time to get ready for winter. The weather is fabulous and the rain is coming. On the off chance that you are not aware what maintenance should be done, I will touch on a few things that I do. But there is one thing that I continually come across that should be thought about now that just isn't thought about enough - your entertaining area.
Before I get down to the entertaining area, I will touch on the 3 things that are essential checklist items to complete before the rain comes.
1. Clean the gutters
Leaves block up gutters quickly and as we are in Autumn, gutters tend to fill up pretty quickly. Make the time to clean them now. Winters are wet and if your gutters are not flowing, they will cause damage. If you are sick of cleaning the gutters get a gutter guard: Best Gutter Guard Available Today
2. Flush out your downpipes
Unfortunately it is not enough to make sure that your gutters are clear. You will also want to make sure that your downpipes flow well. I have seen to many jobs where the gutters were not cleaned frequently enough and by the time they were, the downpipes were already blocked. Thinking of a different guttering profile? Click here
3. Inspect your roof
This is a good time to get someone to jump on your roof and make sure that everything looks in order. You will want to look at things like the condition of tiles and if any are broken; the condition of your ridge caps and if any pointing and bedding is required; and check out your flashing's. Flashing can move and split, so it is a good idea to check them out. You will also want to check out the condition of timber on the roof such as the timber at gable ends and window sills - these can be deteriorated and need attention. Thinking your roof is tired and in need of a restoration - you may like to look into a heat reflective membrane
Why should you get this checklist done now? Apart from being part of a good maintenance routine, you will be able to get anything fixed before it leads to more serious issues. You are also likely to get roof work done at this time of the year, at a better price with a quicker turnaround time.
That's right, most people wait until winter when they find a problem. This means that spring is a busy time for our industry. Basically everyone wants problems fixed in spring, and if you find you have a problem in winter, you are less likely to wait for an honest quote or a good deal. The best people are so busy you will have to pay more to get their attention.
Now this brings me to the number 1 thing homeowners should think about more but don't - their entertaining area.
After being in the industry for a number of years, it is very apparent that not only do people want to fix their roof and guttering problems in Winter and Spring when they remember them, they also want to get work done on their entertaining area.
Typically the motivation for getting an entertaining area done is Christmas - our great holiday period. Trouble is, designing a quality entertaining area takes a fair bit of planning and designing. Also, it is just impossible to get all of our spring customers jobs done before Christmas. Autumn is a perfect time to start thinking about how you will use your entertaining area and any possible improvements you want make.
Popular additions or improvements are: outdoor blinds, fixing leaks, screening and decking. Plan ahead and you will be able the people who offer great advice at pricing that is fair.