4 Seasons For a Better Home
4 Seasons For a Better Home
[Intro Music]
(Host) Hello everyone, let’s discuss the 4 seasons for a better home. No, this is not a commercial for a hotel. Every season the weather goes from hot, cooler, really cold then milder weather. Your home and property feels every moment. Let’s dive into this, shall we? Hello and welcome to EBC Home Hints, the podcast dedicated to making your home a safer place, one episode at a time. I'm your host, Paul Rochette, and today let’s discuss the four seasons our property goes through.
(Host) As we age in life, so does our home and property. The weather moves from one extreme to another and yes, we feel it all. Our doctor can guide us in feeling better for those aches and pains. Your home and property cannot. That is why every homeowner needs to look at their property in a new light. I have created other podcasts to better outline what you need to look for. Here I wanted to get people to see their home and property as a living system. With the season’s every home changes, some more than others. The idea is to mitigate issues before they become huge expenses. Not always possible, but if the property is taken care of, you will have more peace of mind.
(Host) During the spring, take care of the landscaping. What I want everyone to know is it’s more than gardening and cleaning up the flower beds. Still important but look for overhanging limbs on the roof. Mulch or leaves up against the house. Damage sprinklers and so on. Do an exterior walk around the structure. Look at the house from the roof down. Take care of damage on the roof, siding, gutters, patios, windows and paint chipping. This is when your HVAC (Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning) needs its cooling maintenance performed. This is very important and needs to be done by a trained professional. Finally, change the batteries and check the smoke and carbon monoxide monitors. This can will save lives.
(Host) In summer the landscaping should be taken care of again. Perform a walk around the exterior, looking for wasps, or hornet nests. They love to get into the attic from any opening. Especially where the fascia trim around the home might have openings. This is also a time you want to check pools, or hot tubs for any maintenance concerns.
(Host) Autumn, you guess it, landscaping. On the exterior clean the gutters out. Don’t wait until Spring. Debris in the gutters, or downspouts to become compacted and damage them. Look at the exterior, looking for cracking caulk around windows look for any damage caused by the summer. Winterize your outside water spigots, removing hoses and winterizing in ground irrigation. It’s now time to think about preparing the HVAC for the winter. Have a trained professional come inspect and prepare your heating system. They will inspect the system for defects, or potential carbon monoxide concerns. Make sure any unheated plumbing is wrapped and insulated.
(Host) In the winter, it’s a perfect opportunity to inspect the windows and doors inside for drafts. Maintain indoor humidity between 40 and 50 percent. Too dry can be harmful to interior trims, flooring and so on. Too high and mold can develop. Depending on the age of your home, your walls may not be as well insulated. During below freezing temperatures, have a faucet drip slowly where the faucet is on an outside wall. The drip doesn’t need to be a flow, just one drip per second can help.
(Host) This is not a full list, or a how-to maintenance plan for the four seasons. It is rather designed to alert homeowners what should be done to protect your investments.
[Closing Music]
1. (Encourage Listeners)
Host: "Thank you for tuning into EBC Home Hints! If you found today's episode helpful, please like and subscribe. If you want to stay updated with more tips and insights, I encourage you to visit our website at EBCInspections.com. Don't forget to follow us on social media like Apple Podcast, Spotify, Overcast, Pocket Casts, YouTube, Castro, Goodpods, Castbox, podcast addict, Facebook, Instagram, Player FM and Amazon Music for the latest updates, resources, and community discussions. Join me online and be part of our growing community dedicated to informed and empowered homeownership!"
