A fall home maintenance checklist for Saratoga County

Fall maintenance in Saratoga County is mostly about keeping water and ice from doing damage over the winter. Clear the gutters once the leaves are down, caulk gaps in trim and siding while it's still warm enough for caulk to cure, shut off the outside water, and fix loose steps and railings before they're under ice. Anything that needs paint, stain or sealant goes first, early in the fall. Once nights hover around freezing, most of those products won't cure right.

Do it in the right order

Our season ends fast. By late October a lot of nights drop below freezing, and the first snow that sticks around can show up in November. Most exterior coatings and sealants print a minimum application temperature on the label, and plenty of them need it to stay above that overnight too.

Gutters run the other way. Cleaning them in early September doesn't do much if the maples and oaks drop everything three weeks later. Wait until the trees over your roof are mostly bare, which is often late October or early November.

A rough calendar:

When	What to work on
September	Paint, stain and caulk; deck and railing repairs; trim and sill repairs
Early October	Steps and handrails; grading and downspouts; bulkhead and cellar door
Late October to November	Gutters after leaf drop; outdoor water off; final walk-around
Before the first big storm	Snow gear ready; walkway edges marked; deck cleared of planters

Decks, steps and railings

Icy steps and loose railings are behind a lot of winter falls, and they're a miserable fix once there's snow on them.

Push hard on every railing and handrail. If it moves, fix it this fall. Under the New York State Residential Code, stairs with four or more risers need a handrail, and decks need guards where the surface is more than 30 inches above grade.

Take a flat screwdriver to the deck boards and stair treads, mostly around the screws and at the board ends. If the tip sinks in, replace that board before it has to carry a winter's worth of snow. Look under the deck at the ledger, the board that ties it to the house. Rust streaks, a gap opening up, or soft wood are all reasons to call someone.

If the boards are gray and water soaks right in, get stain on in September. See how often to stain a deck in upstate NY for how to tell.

Last, clear the leaves off the deck and out of the gaps between boards. Wet leaves under snow stain and soften the wood.

A crack or a loose tread in October tends to be a bigger crack or a looser tread by April. Our post on outdoor steps and freeze-thaw damage covers concrete and wood steps both.

Gutters, downspouts and the ground

Gutters packed with leaves spill over in fall rains, then freeze solid, which loads the fascia and feeds ice dams.

Clean them after most of the leaves have fallen and flush the downspouts with a hose to make sure they run. Check that the gutters are tight to the house and pitched toward the downspouts. Each downspout should drop its water several feet out from the foundation, on an extension or a splash block. Then look at the dirt along the foundation. It should slope away from the house.

Peeling paint or soft wood on the fascia behind the gutter means water has been getting back there. Our post on soffit and fascia rot shows what to look for.

On a steep roof or a two-story house, hire out the gutters. Ladder work that high isn't a job to take chances with.

Trim, windows and siding

A small gap lets in water, the water freezes and swells, and the gap opens wider. Close them in September.

Walk around the house and look for cracked caulk at window and door trim, at the corner boards, and where siding butts into trim. Push a screwdriver into the window sills, especially on the south and west sides and under any gutter that overflows. Touch up peeling paint on trim so there's no bare wood sitting out until May. Make sure the storm windows are down and their weep holes at the bottom are clear.

If the house was built before 1978, test the old paint for lead before you scrape or sand anything.

Water, roof and cellar

Shut off and drain the outdoor faucets and take the hoses off. A hose left connected can hold water in the faucet, and it'll freeze and split, even on a frost-free sillcock.

Look the roof over from the ground with binoculars for missing or lifted shingles, bad flashing around the chimney and vents, and gutters sagging between hangers. Leave anything on the roof itself to a roofer.

A cellar door that won't latch or leaks around the frame only gets worse with snow piled on it. See bulkhead door replacement signs.

Seal the gaps where pipes and wires come through the walls. That keeps out cold air and the mice looking for a winter home.

Inside

The first two of these involve fuel and flue gas, so they go to professionals.

• Have the furnace or boiler serviced by a qualified heating technician.
• Have chimneys and wood stove flues inspected and cleaned by a chimney professional before the first fire.
• Test the smoke and carbon monoxide alarms and put in fresh batteries.
• Clean the dryer vent all the way from the dryer to the outside wall.
• Find the main water shutoff, and show everyone in the house where it is.

Before the first storm

Stake the edges of the driveway and walks so the plow and snowblower stay off the lawn and off the edges of the steps. Move planters, furniture and the grill off the deck, or at least to a spot where you can shovel around them.

Don't tarp the deck. A tarp traps moisture against the boards and does more harm than good. Clear it, empty it, and shovel heavy snow off with a plastic shovel. Use a de-icer that's safe for whatever you're putting it on, because salt can damage concrete, some decking, and the plants next to the steps.

Trim any branches that hang over the roof or could come down on the house under a load of ice.

For the rest of the year, spring and summer included, see our home maintenance schedule for upstate NY.

Frequently asked questions

What's the most important fall job?

Water. Clean the gutters, get the downspouts dumping away from the foundation, and seal the gaps in trim and siding. Most of the winter damage we see in Saratoga County houses starts with water freezing somewhere it shouldn't be.

Is it too late to stain a deck in October?

It can be. Most stains need the air and the wood to stay above a minimum temperature for a day or more after you put it on. Read the label and watch the forecast. If nights are getting down near freezing, wait for late spring.

When should I clean my gutters in the fall?

After most of the leaves from the trees around the house are down. In Saratoga County that's often late October or early November. If you've got a lot of trees, plan on a second cleaning before the first hard freeze.

When a fall walk-around turns up a soft stair tread or a rail that rocks, that's the kind of repair we do, and when patching isn't enough anymore, we rebuild. See our decks, stairs and railings work.