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Home Maintenance Checklist: What to Check Each Season

Published November 1, 2026 1:17 Watch on YouTube

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Summary

A seasonal home maintenance checklist with official sources: test smoke alarms monthly (USFA), run a two-hour water meter leak test (EPA WaterSense), check doors and windows for drafts, clear gutters, water the lawn about an inch a week, watch trees for dead limbs, and contact 811 a few business days before you dig.

Each step has its own guide, with the official sources:

Rules and codes vary by state, county and city, and some jobs need a licensed pro. Check the source linked in each guide before you act.

Images from this video

Each illustration links to the guide it comes from.

Video thumbnail: "Home Maintenance Checklist: What to Check Each Season" in white letters on a brick-red band over an illustrative home photo, with FixMyHomeRight.com — Our intro video: Home Maintenance Checklist: What to Check Each Season.Illustrative image created with AI tools. Not a photo of a real business, jobsite or person.Watch the video: Home Maintenance Checklist: What to Check Each Season

Two people’s hands, one gloved, point at a written estimate and a material sample on a wooden kitchen island in a remodel — Compare written bids line by line before you hire.Illustrative image created with AI tools. Not a photo of a real business, jobsite or person.From the guide: How to Hire a Contractor: Bids, Licenses and Contracts

An oscillating sprinkler waters a green lawn beside a flower bed and a push mower in front of a cream house — About an inch a week, including rain, is a common lawn target.Illustrative image created with AI tools. Not a photo of a real business, jobsite or person.From the guide: How Much to Water Your Lawn: The WaterSense Way

Colored utility marking flags and a white paint line in a grassy backyard, with a shovel standing in the lawn and a stack of fence posts — Flags and paint show the approximate location of buried lines.Illustrative image created with AI tools. Not a photo of a real business, jobsite or person.From the guide: Call 811 Before You Dig: How It Works for Homeowners

Gloved hands fit a new wood-look plank into a floor over an underlayment sheet, with a rubber mallet nearby — New flooring in an older home? Check the paint on the trim first.Illustrative image created with AI tools. Not a photo of a real business, jobsite or person.From the guide: Lead-Safe Renovation in Homes Built Before 1978

Hands tighten a new chrome kitchen faucet at a white sink with sage cabinets and open shelves — A dripping faucet often needs only a new washer, O-ring or cartridge.Illustrative image created with AI tools. Not a photo of a real business, jobsite or person.From the guide: How to Find and Fix Household Water Leaks

Two cream roller shades half lowered on bright bedroom windows above a bed with a sage and brick-red blanket — Cordless roller shades in a bedroom.Illustrative image created with AI tools. Not a photo of a real business, jobsite or person.From the guide: Cordless Blinds and Shades: Window Cord Safety Rules

A brick-red front door with black handle hardware, a doormat and a potted sage plant on a concrete step — A door that seals well starts with a door that closes evenly.Illustrative image created with AI tools. Not a photo of a real business, jobsite or person.From the guide: How to Weatherstrip an Exterior Door, Step by Step

Gloved hands scoop wet autumn leaves from a white gutter into a metal bucket at the top of a wooden ladder — Clear gutters after the leaves drop, from a steady ladder.Illustrative image created with AI tools. Not a photo of a real business, jobsite or person.From the guide: Home Maintenance Checklist: What to Check Each Season

A finger presses the test button on a white ceiling smoke alarm in a hallway — Test smoke alarms once a month.Illustrative image created with AI tools. Not a photo of a real business, jobsite or person.From the guide: Home Maintenance Checklist: What to Check Each Season

A young tree with a ring of fresh mulch in a green backyard by a wooden fence and a brick house — A young tree with mulch kept off the trunk.Illustrative image created with AI tools. Not a photo of a real business, jobsite or person.From the guide: Tree Care: When to Hire a Certified Arborist

A clear double-pane window with a wood sill holding potted herbs, looking out on green trees — Clear glass, sound sills: signs a window may not need replacing yet.Illustrative image created with AI tools. Not a photo of a real business, jobsite or person.From the guide: Energy-Efficient Replacement Windows: When and What to Buy

Hands lay three manila envelopes side by side on a wooden table next to a calculator and a coiled tape measure — Lay written bids side by side and compare the same scope, line by line.Illustrative image created with AI tools. Not a photo of a real business, jobsite or person.From the guide: How to Hire a Contractor: Bids, Licenses and Contracts

Three short open metal cans set in a row on a green lawn while a sprinkler waters the yard behind them — The tuna-can test: time how long your sprinklers take to fill the cans.Illustrative image created with AI tools. Not a photo of a real business, jobsite or person.From the guide: How Much to Water Your Lawn: The WaterSense Way

A young tree in a burlap root ball on a lawn beside a shovel, with colored utility flags along the fence behind it — Planting a tree? Contact 811 and wait for the marks before you dig.Illustrative image created with AI tools. Not a photo of a real business, jobsite or person.From the guide: Call 811 Before You Dig: How It Works for Homeowners

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Full transcript

0:02 A few checks a season can save you from big repairs.

0:05 Every month, press the test button on each smoke alarm. The U.S. Fire Administration says to replace the alarm itself every 10 years.

0:13 Listen for a toilet that refills on its own, and look for drips.

0:18 In spring, read your water meter, use no water for two hours, and read it again. If it moved, you probably have a leak.

0:26 Most lawns need about an inch of water a week, including rain. Water early, not at midday.

0:33 Look up at your trees for dead or broken limbs, and call a certified arborist for big work.

0:39 In fall, clear the gutters from a steady ladder.

0:42 If you can see daylight around a closed door, it needs weatherstripping.

0:47 Foggy double-pane glass means the seal has failed.

0:50 In winter, a family of four using more than 12,000 gallons a month may have a serious leak.

0:56 Before any digging, contact 811 a few business days ahead. It's free.

1:02 And for electrical, gas, roof or big tree work, hire a licensed pro. Sources are on our site, FixMyHomeRight.com.

Frequently asked questions

How often should I test smoke alarms?

The U.S. Fire Administration says to test smoke alarms at least once a month and replace each alarm when it is 10 years old.

How do I check for a hidden water leak?

EPA WaterSense says to read your water meter before and after a two-hour period when no water is used. Any change suggests a leak.

How much water does a lawn need?

WaterSense says about one inch a week, including rain, varying by place, weather and plants.

Do I need to call 811 to plant a tree?

Yes. 811 says to contact it a few business days before any digging, including planting trees. It is free.

Sources

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Education only: general information, not professional advice for your home. Building codes, permits and contractor licensing vary by state, county and city, and electrical, gas, roof, structural and tree work can be dangerous, so check the official source we link or hire a licensed professional before you act. We may earn money from ads and, in the future, paid links; our advice isn’t for sale.