Easy Fall Prep for a Warm and Cozy Home

(source: www.thisoldhouse.com/ideas)

Fall means cozy sweaters, beautiful change in foliage, and a refreshing, crisp, cool air rolling in. But, with fall coming means winter isn’t far away. Here are a few projects for your home that can help your home brace for the cold and save you some cash.

Install and Maintain Paths and Walkways

Colder weather is approaching and walking to get the morning paper can turn into a treacherous trip. Not only that, but with the Holidays fast approaching your guests will recognize the value of a safe walkway into your home.

Consider laying a brick walkway up to your front door; it only takes a weekend! Check here for a helpful step by step on how to do it!

Sidewalks and driveways also take a hit from colder weather. Water can seep into preexisting cracks and freeze, making them an even bigger problem. This fall, take the time to resurface any worn concrete around your property. This is a helpful  how-to guide.

Light the Way With Outdoor Lanterns

Daylight is not lasting as long as it used to in the summer months. Now is the time to add a measure of safety and security to your home. You can do this by adding a lamppost to mark the end of your driveway or installing low-voltage landscape lighting.

These charming additions can not only increase you and your family’s safety, but also enhance the curb appeal of your house.

Prep Your Landscape and Start Composting

This Old Home’s landscape contractor Roger Cook, explains that “Grass roots keep growing until the ground gets down to around 40 degrees, so this is a good time to feed them.” (source:thisoldhouse.com) Fall is the time to feed your lawn with a high-phosphorus (12-25-12) mix in order to encourage the roots to grow earlier in spring.
Did you know that October is the perfect month to start composting? Check out this article on “how to start a compost pile”

Build a Trash Shed to Hide Unsightly Containers

Upgrade the image of your house with the heal of this sturdy storage house. This house is equipped with flip open lids and bifold doors to make taking out the trash a breeze. It has the capacity to fit two 32-gallon trash cans along with several stacked recycling bins. This nifty outside addition can help enhance the appeal of your house for the holidays!

Put Light Where You Need It With a Garage Floodlight

We all know that taking out the last trash bag of the night in the dark is no fun, and now with the nights starting much earlier its dark before dinner. Use this helpful resource to install a motion-sensor garage floodlight. Not only does it keep you feeling safe while taking out the trash, but it welcomes guests into your home.

Garage Organization

Your garage takes a lot of wear and tear during the spring and summer months with all the yard tools and pool toys moving in and out. Now that it’s coming time for harsher weather, you probably want to make room for your car. It may be time for a garage make over, this list can help you establish a garage storage plan.

You may also want to invest some time in replacing the old, beat-up, stained garage floor with a new epoxy-coated garage floor that wipes cleans with ease.
A very helpful tip from This Old Home is that “While you’re in the garage, fuel up the snow blower so you’re not caught with your gas down when the white stuff comes. Take some time to tune-up your lawn mower when you put it away that’ll ensure it’s working like new come spring.” (source thisoldhouse.com)

Freeze-Proof Exterior Faucets

It is incredibly important to take action now against a burst water pipe in the future. One of the most susceptible pipe to freeze in your home is the outdoor hose faucet. But, luckily for you is the easiest pipe to protect. Use the article How To Install a Freeze-proof Faucet. And do it yourself in only a few hours.

Get Your Entry Guest-Ready

Unfortunately, a door’s weather seals, if it has any at all, can rip, compress, bend, or wear out over time, leaving chilly winter air free to enter (or expensive air-conditioned air to leave).

Lucky for you, making your door draft-free is a straightforward exercise, far cheaper and faster than installing a new door.
Once that’s done, enhance curb appeal with aesthetic entry upgrades likeadding exterior trim, flanking the door with sconces, throwing down a doormat, and swapping entry locksets.

Build a Mudroom Bench With Storage

With fall comes school; which means shoes, jackets and backpacks strewn all over the house. Help bring order to your home with a mudroom bench. This handy bench acts as a catchall for all that school gear. Building your own is easy with the help of this article, How to build a mudroom bench.

Maintain Your Washer and Dryer

Left unattended, a burst washing-machine hose can spill hundreds of gallons of water an hour. Likewise, a dryer can erupt in flame if lint is allowed to build up inside the machine or its ducts.” (source:thisoldhouse.com) This all may seem like a scary thought, but preventing these mishaps is simple. The information found on this article explains the importance of discarding the dryer’s flimsy, flammable vinyl duct, and how to replace a washer’s old rubber hoses, to prevent leaks or tears

Drape Away Drafts

Keep out the cold this fall and winter with the right window treatments. Did you know that the right shades, blinds, and curtains can help prevent almost 30% of heat lost through windows. This article explains the impact window treatments have on the cold, and this article gives instruction on how to install window shades.

Give Your Fireplace a Facelift

Chipped bricks, a stained hearth, and years of accumulated soot can turn what should be the focal point of a living room into an eyesore. Replacing a hearth and surround—either with seamless stone slabs or with stone or ceramic tiles—makes a big difference in the way a fireplace looks.

Take a look at these 8 steps to giving your fireplace a facelift. For added safety, consider adding glass fireplace doors.

Adding an insert is a smart investment that’s pure win—it’ll keep you warm and slash your heating bills all at once. Complete this energy-efficient upgrade before December 31, and you’ll score yourself a tax credit from Uncle Sam.

TOH Tip: The National Fire Protection Association recommends that getting chimneys swept at least once a year at the beginning of the winter to remove soot and debris. Find a certified sweep in your area via the Chimney Safety Institute of America.

Add Warmth Underfoot With Cork or Carpet

We all can agree that a cold floor is no fun to wake up to. An emerging trend now is to install a cork floor; which can turn any cold room that much more cozier. Installing a cork floor is easy with the help of this article.

If cork floors just aren’t your thing, maybe replacing the cold tile or wood floor with carpet may not be a bad idea. Make the room cozier with the help of this guide to help you install wall-to-wall carpeting like a pro.

Create an Efficient Home Office

Few people today would consider remodeling a house without making room for a home office. Chalk it up to the spike in part- and full-time telecommuting, after-hours e-mailing, and an effort to keep the Internet out of kids’ rooms.
Whether it’s a bare minimum desk off the kitchen or a full-blown study with custom cabinets, multiple work surfaces, and extensive file storage, here’s how to create a workstation that’ll work for you.

For added storage in your workspace, build a bookcase or put up wall-mounted shelves

Get Your Heating System Serviced

Winter is coming, and making sure the furnace is working properly is vital. Make an annual checkup for your furnace now, and avoid a disaster later.

A yearly cleaning and inspection to your furnace can make a world of difference in the air and heating quality of your house.

Check out our list of reputable companies that can help you with some of these projects here!

For the full article and more helpful tips go to https://www.thisoldhouse.com/ideas/easy-fall-prep-warm-and-cozy-home