Well it’s that time of year, that we should be thinking about what can be done on the outside of your home, especially, while this amazing warm weather is still with us!
This is a good time to finally patch and seal coat your driveway (above 50 degrees); this will minimize and prevent the water and ice from penetrating your pavement and causing it to breakup; as well as to provide a nice fresh look and shine to your driveway.
Make sure you or whoever does the work, thoroughly cleans your driveway of debris, pebbles, dirt, etc. so materials will better adhere to its’ surface.
If you haven’t worked on your lawn, it’s still an excellent time to prepare your lawn for the fall/winter and fertilize and seed; use a quality fall fertilizer 32-5-7, 28-8-8 (a sufficient amount of nitrogen-the first #) to green up your lawn and enhance the root system and depending on the amount of sun or shade to use the appropriate types of seeds for maximizing the growth of your lawn.
If you have a lot of weeds, make sure you only spray them first, preferably in the morning or early evening, when reduced temperatures will be more advantageous, as to not cause any burn spots on your turf.
Check your lawn for brown spots that might be caused from insect damage (grubs, chinch bugs, sod webworm) and thatch and rake out damaged areas and reseed; also if grubs are active, apply an insect control, like Proxol, Dylox, or any material labeled for control or call a licensed and insured application company to take care of it.
Weather you repair your lawn with sod or seed, make sure you keep those newly renovated areas watered daily 10-15 minutes, so seed will germinate properly as well as the sod will grab the soil and build a root system in advance of winter.
Also, don’t forget to edge and cultivate your flowerbeds, and fertilize your trees, shrubbery and perennial plants for the fall with a proper fertilizer, higher in phosphorous and potash (N-P-K) for proper root growth and protection against diseases.
Ask your local nursery or go online for more information.
Begin cleaning out your gutters and leaders of leaves and debris in making sure the downspouts are clear, so water does not back up in to your soffits and interior walls, potentially causing damage and potential interior mold.
If you have any interior leaks, it would be smart to check your roof and areas where there are flashings near your chimney and to make appropriate repairs before the cold weather sets in.
Roofing repairs and the materials used are much easier to apply at this time of the year, while the temperatures are still warm, than when the real frigid and snowy weather comes around.
So don’t procrastinate!
Also, most important is to make sure your, gardener, contractor or handy man, has insurance with you or your corporation as a person of interest on a certificate in the event of a claim, which might have been caused by them, to cover you in any potential lawsuits.
Many homeowners will hire individuals with no insurance or not enough. I would suggest you ask your insurance carrier, what a sufficient amount would be that your contractor should carry.
Don’t be pennywise and pound foolish in this area; because insurance coverage is a lot less expensive than a serious lawsuit.
Check your windows, foundation or any areas where there may be cracks and use a color coordinated exterior silicon to eliminate any water and air penetration into your home. Heating your home during the winter is more expensive than some preventative maintenance.
Also, it’s an excellent time, with these warm temperatures, to clean your windows, whether they are modern, which you can clean from the inside (they will tilt in) or older where you will have to remove or do from the outside of your home.
Also, trim shrubbery to below your window sills, to allow as much sunlight into your home, which will create a warmer and healthier environment during fall and winter months. Everyone loves sunshine, unless you are a vampire, lol.
Another job you can perform is to clean out your garage and most important, to take any hazardous substances, insecticides, (even drugs in your medicine cabinet), old oil, etc. and bring them to a S.T.O.P. (stop throwing out pollutants) location.
Go to the following site to see which location and the day and time availability: www.nassaucountyny.gov and search for the S.T.O.P.
It’s still a phenomenal time to enjoy a few more barbecues, but don’t forget to prepare your barbecue for storage, by giving it a thorough cleaning of grills, throwing away charcoals or storing lava rocks, taking out batteries if you have electronic starting and general cleaning of exterior surfaces.
This is a small list of important things that you might consider accomplishing and I am sure many of you homeowners have an expanded list of things to do. As I said, it’s a great time to begin your fall chores. So, go to it and enjoy the fall season.
Phil Raices is the owner/broker of Turn Key Real Estate at 7 Bond St. in Great Neck. He has earned designations as a Graduate Realtor Institute and Certified International Property Specialist.
He can be reached by email: Phil@TurnkeyRealEstate.Com or by cell (516) 647-4289 to answer any of your questions or article suggestions.
