Staying on top of home maintenance can save quite a lot of cash and heartache. If you notice flaking paint, getting things touched up before your wooden siding and window trim is weather-beaten will save sanding time. Noticing that your gutters are not draining and flushing them out before your trim is damaged with rot will not only lessen the risk of moisture damage but will also keep the soil against your foundation from getting water-logged.

As you get ready to button up your house for winter, consider hiring exterior house painters to scrape, sand and paint any cracked or damaged trim or siding. Wet wood becomes a draw for destructive pests and will be harder to paint effectively after a hard winter.

Autumn is also the time to winterize your home. If you can, consider updating old single-pane windows with new ones. If the expense isn’t in your budget, for now, see if you can find a contractor who can do the windows on the north and east side of your house before winter, then get the southern and western windows done before the next summer.

Rent a power washer and clean your siding. If you didn’t notice flaking or peeling paint before power washing, check the painted areas one more time so you can be sure you don’t need to hire house painters to repair this before winter hits.

Carefully review the condition of your driveway and sidewalks before cold weather hits. Asphalt patches can cure in the cooler autumn air with less odor and risk of stickiness.

Before the first frost, make sure you remove all the hoses from the hose bibs around the house.

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Get your HVAC system checked and change your furnace filters. If you live in an area with wet autumn weather, wait until the furnace has to run each day and get your carpets steam cleaned. This nesting time before Thanksgiving is also a great time to declutter.

Outside, carefully review your yard for debris, toys left out and fallen leaves. Brisk early morning winters are ideal times to rake up all the leaves that remain and either put them down as compost or discard them, depending on your trees and your garden plans. Winterize the lawnmower and get out your snow-blower if necessary. This may also be a great time to invest in pet-safe ice melt for your front walk.

After precipitation, take time to walk around your home and check the guttering for icicles hanging down. Icicles are an indication of water build-up, which can damage the edge of your roof and even cause roof leaks.

If you’ve got a stretch of sunny days coming up, consider contacting a painting company to come in and freshen your current wall color or completely change things up. You’ll have the rest of the winter to get all of your other decor choices made, but if the days are sunny and cool you can easily enjoy fresh air while getting your walls updated.

Finally, address the batteries that keep you safe. Get new batteries for your smoke detectors and change out the batteries in your thermostat if applicable.

Be sure to check your sump pump if you get heavy spring rains. It may be a good idea to check your local code to make sure you have the right outlet for your sump pump to plug into. A failed sump pump can mean a flooded basement.

If you live in tornado country, it may also be time to look into getting a generator. A small gas-powered generator can be the difference between staying safe and comfortable and having to relocate in the event of a huge storm in your area. To that end, make sure that the southwest corner of your basement or storm shelter is free of hazards and will allow you to get to safety quickly.

Try to get out and walk around your home while it’s raining. Look for

• water running over the front of the gutter: you have a clog
• water running behind the guttering against the front of your house: your guttering is loose
• troughs in the soil around your home where the rainwater has pounded: you may need to add or update your guttering

Now is also the time to check your caulking around your windows and doors. Calling painting contractors as soon as you notice a problem can get you on the list for a quick update before the moisture causes develop serious damage.

Get your AC serviced before things get hot. If you live in a region that includes a lot of cottonwood trees, consider getting it serviced twice over the course of the summer. Cottonwood tree fluff fills up the AC vent slots and starves the compressor of the air it needs to stay cool. As you listen to your AC run, listen carefully for any signs that the big fan on top of your AC unit, or the vent fan, is out of balance. Once this fan dies, your AC won’t work and your compressor may fail.

Take a drive around your neighborhood and study the exterior paint colors on houses near you. If there’s a shade you especially like, check it in June and then check it again in August. There are many paint formulations that look great in the spring but fade by September. As possible, use UV-resistant paint to reduce fading, especially if you’re in negotiations with a painter near me to brighten the trim of your home.

Exterior paint protects the underlying paint and wood before the paint can bubble up and flake off. A residential painter can give you recommendations for the best RV-resistant paint for your necessary top coat. Every part of the country is different; the paint you need in Seattle will not serve in Las Vegas.

At the end of the hottest days of summer, take the time to study your deck in detail and replace any cracked boards. Once the damaged boards are gone and the rest look pretty good, clean the deck and seal the boards to protect them from autumn winds and winter snow.

Summer is also the time to carefully check out your roof. If you’re not confident climbing the ladder, walking on the roof, and stepping from the roof back onto the ladder, do not even get the ladder out. Hire someone who has the strength, confidence and dexterity to do this safely.

If your home is brick, check out the concrete between the bricks on your home. If you notice a lot of cracks, you may need to get your foundation checked and you will want to get your bricks tuckpointed.

Maintenance can feel like a chore, but the damage from poor maintenance can be a financial nightmare. Getting an evaluation and a quote from your painting company Las Vegas can help you prevent expensive damage season by season.