Preparing Your Juneau Home for Fall

Preparing Your Juneau Home for Fall

We really hate to be the bearer of bad news, but after a hot, sunny, short summer May – July 5, we are resigning ourselves to the reality that our Juneau summer is coming to a close. Here is a to-do list for getting your Juneau home ready for fall.

• Clothing Pull your fall/winter clothing out of storage. Soon it will be time for sweaters, winter boots, heavier rain jackets, and puffy jackets
• Bedding Pull winter/fall cozy comforters out of storage.
• Heat Source Maintenance Get your heating source serviced – whether it’s a boiler, fireplace, toyo stove, or pellet stove. Better to do it now—the companies that service heat sources can get pretty busy and backed up during the winter months.
• Clean the Gutters If you have any blockages you don’t want overflows in random places. This can result in water pooling around your foundation or an unexpected cold shower if you’re in the wrong place at the wrong time.
• Check Water Drainage There are a few important things you can do to make sure your water drainage is ready for the season of downpours and Taku winds. 1.  Make sure your gutter downspouts have extensions that direct rainwater away from your foundation. 2. Clean out pipes in your French drain system if you have one. 3. If you have a private gravel driveway to your home, make sure there are trenches or some kind of drainage system to direct water flow away from the driveway. Heavy rains can cause erosion and compromise your driveway’s integrity.
• Siding/Roof Repairs Inspect siding/roof for needed repairs. Will a loose piece of siding survive those Taku winds if you live in Douglas?
• Garden Plant bulbs in the garden for spring flowers. Buy a pack of bulbs from Rotary or see what’s on the shelves at the local gardening stores.
• Programmable Thermostat If you don’t have one  of these yet, get one stat! Program it with a schedule to lower the temp in your house at night when you’re asleep and during the day when you’re not home. This has the potential to save big bucks on your heating bill.
• Shed Organization Clean/declutter/organize your shed. Separate summer tools from winter tools and make sure winter stuff (shovels, rock salt, snow blower, etc.) is easily accessible.
• Garage Organization While you’re at it, clean and organize the garage. Those long summer days might mean that toys, paddleboards, and bikes get thrown in the garage all willy-nilly at the end of a long sunny day. Find a dry day to air out the garage and make sure everything is where it’s supposed to be.