One may consider home maintenance as a regular health checkup. The result is the same. Year-round upkeep is vital as it protects the home, just like it protects its inhabitants. Although the tasks involved will differ depending on the climate, one thing is mutual to all. A properly maintained home requires moderate time, effort, financial investment, and – a home maintenance checklist. The last thing any homeowner should be is careless or indifferent.
A seasonal maintenance checklist makes tasks manageable.
Apart from building materials used and installed systems, home-keeping responsibilities also depend on location and weather conditions throughout the year. Hence, if you own a lakefront property, upkeep tasks will vary from the tasks necessary to maintain a home in an arid or cold climate. When you add the factors specific for different seasons, home maintenance may seem a little bit like science.
Every season provides a range of assignments to dedicated homeowners. However, the process of housekeeping becomes a lot easier with a monthly or seasonal checklist. Take note: if you don’t feel up to the task (any task), don’t hesitate to call a professional to help you out. Otherwise, you risk injuries and damage to your property.
Fall home maintenance checklist
Winter is coming and with it several essential fall maintenance duties. If you have a backyard, this is the perfect time to rake the leaves and then reseed your lawn. Afterward, you may plant bulbs, shrubs, trees, and perennials. Just make sure you provide your newly planted garden with plenty of water. Once you finish with watering, empty the hose and clean your gardening tools. Should you need to store away your tools and other seasonal belongings, Best Cross Country Movers database will help you find a reliable storage facility close by.
Always be on the lookout for frozen pipes.
Fall is also the time to service your heating, ventilation, and air conditioning system. Respective professionals will check the thermostats and radiators, ductwork and valves, vents, and chimneys. However, with the first strong winds, you can check the home for the draft and plug any cracks and holes. Insulate your doors and windows, and you will enjoy winter in a warm and cozy home and save on heating bills.
Home upkeep in the winter
If you live in a cold climate with plenty of snow in the wintertime, ready your snowblower. Before the first use, make sure it is in good working condition. Also, don’t forget to stock up on motor oil and gasoline as well as on fuel for heating. Furthermore, inspect your home from the (below) ground up. Leaks in your basement can occur during thaws and cause significant water damage. If you have a water heater, make sure there aren’t any pressure issues or leaks, too.
Check your roof and gutters, especially after snowstorms. Be prepared to deal with ice dams as this ice build-up can not only seriously damage your roof but also let water in and damage the interior of walls. If you plan to work from home during winter and require additional space, think about having your garage updated or repurposed before the holidays. In case all you have to do is reorganize storage and clean the area, the slow winter season is when you should do it. Finally, as the holidays are approaching, check your electric installations, and make sure they can support all of your decorations on time.
Spring: time to inspect everything
Come spring, you might feel overwhelmed with all the tasks ahead, but there is time for everything. Spring is ideal for getting your outdoor spaces ready for summer, decluttering, and thoroughly cleaning your home. However, you should inspect your house first for any signs of damage that may have occurred during winter. No matter how small the cracks you notice during your home inspections, make sure you fix them in the early stage. Harsh weather will affect the roof and gutters, chimney, facade, driveway, and walkways.
As it becomes warmer, make sure an inspection and servicing of your HVAC system are on your home maintenance checklist.
If you live in a flood zone, check if your sump pump is in proper condition. Spring is also the time to get your pool ready for the upcoming summer season. Clean it, examine the valves, replace filters, or call the experts to handle it all. Once again, check the pipes inside your home, walls, and ceilings. Also, address even the smallest signs of water damage, and check faucets for leaks. Whenever the weather allows, spend time in your garden. Check the trees for any dead branches, trim the shrubs, reseed the empty patches in your newly grown lawn, and get your lawnmower ready. Inspect your sprinklers, too.
Summer is (not) the time to rest.
Whether you need to deal with scratched hardwood floors, porch, or repaint the house, summer is the right season. Long warm days will help dry the varnish or paint faster. Once the spring is over, it is time to oil the hinges in the house and garage door chain. If you have a backyard, set up your sprinklers. Regularly trim your lawn and shrubs and clean your pool from algae, leaves, and debris.
Regularly mow your lawn in the summer.
While it is a monthly maintenance task, cleaning your A/C filters is highly important during summer, especially if you spend a lot of time at home with the system on. Hot summer is also the time to be on the lookout for pest infestation. Consider asking a pest control company for a home inspection and resolve any bug or pest infestation issues at an early stage. The summer season is also a home remodeling period, but it also means that the costs are higher. Consider scheduling your home renovation with a contractor for the fall and split it into easily manageable tasks. This way, you won’t depend on the weather too much.
Whether you’re looking for homes for sale in Fredericksburg, Stafford, Orange, Locust Grove, Culpeper, Northern Virginia or even Maryland or DC, we are your Real Estate team committed to finding the perfect home for you! Thinking of selling? In any market condition, “what is my home worth?” is the #1 question asked by homeowners. If you wish to sell your home, it needs to be sold for top dollar, and in a timely manner. Pricing your home accurately, one of our area expert advisors will partner with you to make the selling process so much easier. Get started today by calling us at (540) 388-2541 or contact Pat Licata.
To see available properties, please visit our website licatagroup.com
Looking to spend your weekend cooling off, and enjoying time with the family? Make sure not to miss Slide FXBG 2019 for their one-day water slide event! Fall is right around the corner, so make sure you experience what is sure to be the highlight of your summer. What’s more fun than sliding? Sliding down a 1000-foot Slip-and-Slide! Invite your friends to make a splash on August 31, 2019 at William St, Fredericksburg VA for a day full of family, fun and of course, Sliding! Tickets are available in waves starting at 11:00 AM, 1:00 PM, 3:00 PM and 5:00 PM. Tickets are priced at $27.00 each, and for more information be sure to click here. See you on the slide! Credit for the image goes to the Fredericksburg Economic Development and Tourism.
Whether you’re looking for homes for sale in Lake of the Woods VA or Waterfront property in Virginia we are your Real Estate Advisors for Stafford, Fredericksburg, Spotsylvania, Locust Grove, Central Virginia, and Greater Virginia. Thinking of selling? In any market condition, “what is my homeworth?” is the #1 question asked by home owners. If you wish to sell your home, it needs to be sold for top dollar and in a timely manner. Pricing your home accurately, Pat will partner with you to make the selling process so much easier. Get started today by calling us at (540) 388-2541 or contact Pat Licata.
To see available Lake of the Woods properties, please visit our site.
Come out and celebrate the fruits & flowers of summer!
Summer Fest will take place Saturday, July 29th from 10AM to 3pm at 9166 Liberty Mills Rd, Somerset VA 22972.
This Summer Fest will feature their popular “Flowers on the Farm” that allows you and your friends, family and children to pick your own buckets and bouquets for special “you-pick” flower pricing. Be sure to participate in the flower picking, you bring your own 5 gallon bucket and it will be only $20 to fill it with all the mixed flowers you can hold. There are 3 premium flowers that will be there, but the sunflowers and gladiolus are included in your bucket price. You can also build your own bouquet in a mason jar for $7.50. If you forget your bucket, they will be available for purchase for $7.50. Clippers will be provided by the farm.
There will even be yummy cantaloupes and watermelons to sample. Do you like to bake?? Participate in the Zucchini Bake-off contest. Not so good at baking? Try your hand…or mouth in the watermelon seed-spitting contest!
There will be a tractor powered ice cream machine, a farm market and grilled hot dogs during lunch.
There will be plenty of vendors to visit as well. You will have the opportunity to register for their “A-Mazie-ing 5K Race” which will take place inside Liberty Mills Farm’s Corn Maze on Saturday, October 1st.
Check out Liberty Mills Farm for more information about Summer Fest and future events!
Whether you’re looking for homes for sale in Lake of the Woods VA or Waterfront property in Virginia we are your professionals for Stafford, Fredericksburg, Spotsylvania, Locust Grove, Central Virginia, and Greater Virginia, we are your proven Real Estate professionals. Thinking of selling? In any market condition, that’s the #1 question asked by home sellers. If you wish to sell your home, it needs to be sold for top dollar and in a timely manner. The Question is how much is it worth? Pricing your home accurately, Pat will partner with you to make the selling process so much easier. Get started today by calling us at (540) 388-2541 or contact Pat Licata.
To see available Lake of the Woods properties, please visit our site.
Growing up as a child, I looked forward to summer: longer days, staying out later than usual, no school, sleeping in, swimming at the pool, and…lightening bugs! I fell in love with the mystery of lightening bugs. I spent hours chasing and catching them; I thought of them as my own personal stars to wish upon–to capture them was to capture magic. Ashamedly, I must admit that I suffocated my fair share in jars or did irreparable damage making rings with these amazing creatures. I hadn’t given much thought to my crimes as a child until the dog I recently inherited from my daughter, Alle, began snapping them up as I watched in horror! Unfortunately, this is just one of my new friend’s bad habits that I will be spending my time correcting…
There are estimated to be more than 2000 species of lightening bugs, or fireflies, as they are often also called, inhabiting every continent except Antarctica. Emanating from the abdomen/tail, the light emitted by some of these species is green, some an amber flicker, and some emit no light at all; some simply glow with a green or blue light! Typically it is the male who flies around, lighting the night as a mating call to the female, who lounges in the trees. If she is so inclined, she will light up after the male’s last emission to signify that she is a willing participant.
What causes lightening bugs to light up? The magic of two chemicals that are found in the tail/abdomen: luciferase and luciferin, which light up in the presence of ATP, the energy currency molecule of the cell that every animal possesses. When these chemicals are injected into diseased cells of humans, they detect changes in cells that are useful in studying diseases such as muscular dystrophy and cancer. Amazingly, spacecraft has also been fitted with electronic detectors built from these chemicals to detect life in outer space. On the earth, they are used to help detect bacterial contamination.
The light emitted by the lightening bug is considered “cold light” because it doesn’t produce any heat. It is exceptionally efficient, as 100% of the energy is emitted as light. Compare this to an incandescent bulb, which emits only 10% of its energy as light and the rest as heat. No wonder incandescent bulbs are no longer produced!
After mating, the female deposits eggs onto the ground, typically under tree bark and/or in a moist place. The larvae then feed on snails, slugs, and earthworms. They are able to do this because of the chemical they inject into their prey, which paralyzes it and aids in digestion. The adults may feed on pollen and plant nectar, or may not eat at all, as they only live long enough to mate and lay eggs. Some females are quite the actresses, as they trick males of another species into thinking they want to mate. As soon as he lands, he becomes a meal. Best case scenario is that a lightening bug will live for a year.
Sadly, lightening bugs appear to be disappearing! Most likely this is due to light pollution and loss of habitat. Our forests and fields are diminishing because of development, and as our population grows, so does our need for electricity. Too much light at night interrupts the mating ritual of flickering or flashing. Both of these factors are having a negative impact on our population of lightening bugs.
At Lake of the Woods, we are fortunate to provide the perfect environment for these “stars of summer” to continue to shine. My wish is that our future generations will also have the opportunity to enjoy the magic and mystery of the “flying lights.”
Until next time…It’s another beautiful day at the lake! Pat Licata, REALTOR Licata on the Lake
