The Fall Season and Home Maintenance

The fall season is an important time of year for your home. It's that transition from the warm summer months to the cold winter months. Just like you would prepare your own wardrobe and habits for the winter, you need to also prepare your home for the winter months.

A stark reminder of what's to come!

Aside from the obvious "to do" items like making sure all the windows are closed and exterior water taps drained and shut off, there is actually an extensive list of  items that will really prepare you for the winter. Some of these items might not be so obvious but will help save on energy, prolong the life of your home and even make the transition into spring a lot easier.

Here is a list of some of our favorite home maintenance fall tips:

1. Winterize Your Landscape: You work so hard all summer long caring for your shrubs, trees and other plants in your yard. Winter should not be a reason to stop you as well! Many plants are sensitive to weather and the weight of the snow so it's important to properly care of these.
2. Put Up Holiday Decorations: The timing of this task could be critical. Leave it until the last minute and you might be putting up lights in cold weather with a snowy roof and icy conditions.
3. Fall Leaves Cleanup: Sounds like a simple task but at HomeReminders, we provide you with a few options to really benefit from those falling leaves on your lawn and give you a few different ways to make this task enjoyable
4. Fertilize Your Lawn: Winter can be extremely harsh on your lawn. One final round of fertilizer late in the fall is a great way to provide some nutrients for the winter months and allow your lawn to flourish come spring time.
5. Prepare Your Roof Heating Coil: Ice dams are one of the leading causes of roof damage and water damage during the winter months. Investing in a heating coil for your roof is a great and affordable way to help prevent this from happening.

The above is just a small description of what we offer to our customers. As a subscribed customer, you get not only a thorough description of the notification but also a list of recommended steps needed to achieve the task or some instructions on how to find a professional that could help you take care of the maintenance item.

Every home owner should have a checklist of what needs to be done as every home is different depending on size, location and the type of environment its in (by the water, tree coverage, exposure to wind etc...). This is actually how HomeReminders came about! We had lists and lists of "To do's" and thought this would be a great service to provide to customers and automate on a timely manner.
At HomeReminders, we take the stress out of our customers and make this process easy to manage by providing them with a series of important "to do" items leading up to the winter so that not everything has to be done all at once. We've mastered an efficient process of when to do certain items so that you are ready for the winter months without the headaches and worries of getting there or feeling as you forgot to do something!


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Spring Has Sprung!

Today marks the official start of spring (also known as the Vernal Equinox) and for most of us, spring is synonymous with cleaning and changing over the seasons. Although most people focus on seasonal changes like closets (putting winter clothing away and bringing out light jackets, shoes etc.) snow-removal equipment, patio furniture and yard toys, there are a lot of things happening inside your home that you should be aware of during the spring.

Here is a small list of some of the maintenance items our customers get notified of with respect to this time of year:

1. Sump pump: For northern/snowy climates, the melt-off could cause your sump pump to work overtime. Make sure it's functional with proper drainage away from your house.
2. Bird nesting: For many birds spring is nesting season and since we've replaced many trees with homes, birds still do not hesitate to look for nooks, crannies and crevices on our homes. A quick walk-around to make sure vents / troughs are properly closed only takes a few moments. Even BBQ's are an ideal location for birds to set up shop!
3. Siding, shingles, flashing & vents: Over the winter months, the weight of snow and ice can quite easily disturb structures around your home and on your roof. If you haven't taken down your Christmas lights by now, spend an extra few moments walking around your roof and the perimeter of your home to make sure troughs, flashing, shingles, smoke stacks, drain-waste vents (aka "stink pipes) haven't been disturbed or damaged. Quite often, this is where leaks and structural damages can begin.
4. Spring Forward: With the time change (1 hour ahead on March 13th, 2011 at 2am). Many people update their clocks but forget to update appliances on a timer such as water softeners, alarms, exterior lights or thermostats. Although, technically this won't affect the cost of your bills, in the case of the thermostat, you will be heating your home 1 hour earlier than needed and start the cool-down process an hour earlier as well.
5. Basement Humidity Levels: With the snow melt that occurs during March/April, spring is an ideal time to check humidity levels in your basement. If there are any cracks, leaks or compromised areas in your foundation, these will be most prevalent during these months. Simply walking around your basement and looking for wet spots, leaks or a powdery white substance called efflorescence will give you a good indication of humidity levels. If your basement is finished, renting a thermal imaging camera or hiring a professional who offers these services will allow you to see see behind the walls for any potentially hazardous spots.

These are merely a few of the home maintenance tips we send our customers throughout the year in order to minimize repair costs, extend the value of our customers homes and minimize the time spent fixing their homes. On average, our customers will save $25,000 in home repair costs, energy-savings and eco-friendly alternatives throughout the life of the customer's home.

Home Reminders
info@homereminders.ca
www.homereminders.ca


HomeReminders
info@HomeReminders.ca
www.HomeReminders.ca
Twitter: @HomeReminders
We're On Facebook!

The Cold Weather Is Upon Us!

Check your email for your latest notifications on alerts for the fall season. There are plenty of them so set aside a weekend to take care of them! Also remember to check your windows and make sure they are properly closed. Over the summer, we get a little lazy and quickly close them. The cracks revealed (or if you have 2 window panes leaving one open) can let in a lot of cold air, cooling your house faster and using your furnace more than you have to!

HomeReminders


HomeReminders
info@HomeReminders.ca
www.HomeReminders.ca
Twitter: @HomeReminders
We're On Facebook!