Florida Fall Home Maintenance: 7 Small Fixes Worth Tackling Before Winter

Fall in Northeast Florida doesn't look like fall anywhere else. No leaf piles, no first frost. But after a summer of afternoon storms, salt air and 90-degree humidity, your house has taken a beating, and the mild months from October to March are the best time of year to catch up.

Here are seven small fixes we see on almost every house in Jacksonville, Nocatee, Fruit Cove and Mandarin. None of them is a remodel. Most take a morning.

1. Re-caulk windows and exterior doors

Florida sun bakes caulk until it cracks and pulls away. Those gaps let in water during storms and let your AC leak out all year. Run a finger along the caulk around windows and door frames: if it's brittle, cracked or missing, it's time. Old caulk comes out, new paintable exterior caulk goes in.

2. Replace door weatherstripping and sweeps

Stand inside on a sunny afternoon with the lights off. If you can see daylight around an exterior door, so can the bugs. Worn weatherstripping and a torn door sweep are cheap to replace and make a real difference on cool January mornings.

3. Fix torn lanai and window screens

Fall through spring is lanai season. A couple of torn panels or a loose spline lets in the mosquitoes and no-see-ums you've been hiding from. Rescreening a few panels now saves the whole cage from turning into a full rescreen later. Have a dog? Ask about pet-resistant screen.

4. Seal and tune the garage door

A cracked bottom seal or worn side seals let in water, leaves, lizards and heat. Replace the seals, lubricate the rollers and hinges, and the door runs quieter and lasts longer. (We don't touch garage door springs. That's a job for a garage door specialist.)

5. Check exterior trim for soft spots

After a wet summer, poke the bottom corners of door and window trim with a screwdriver. If it sinks in, that's rot. Caught early, we replace the bad section with PVC trim that won't rot again, and seal it up. Left alone, it spreads into the framing, and that's a much bigger job.

6. Wash off the summer mildew

That green and black film on the driveway, sidewalk and pool deck is mildew, and in Florida it never takes a season off. A soft wash and pressure wash in the dry fall weather brightens the whole front of the house, just in time for holiday guests.

7. Straighten the fence before it falls

Summer storms loosen posts and pop pickets. A leaning section or a few missing boards is a quick fix now. Wait, and the next windy day can take down a whole panel (and invite a letter from the HOA).

Want us to knock out the list?

Most of these fit in a half day. Our Windows & Weatherproofing, Lanai & Screen Repair, Garage Door Refresh, Exterior Trim & Rot Repair, Curb Appeal Wash and Fence Repair & Refresh packages each come in a Light (half day) or Full (one day) size, with a written quote first and a price that's locked.