Nuts & Bolts - September

This Month’s Quick Home Tip

September is Your Last Good Window for Exterior Caulk and Sealing

Once temps in Upstate NY start dropping consistently below 50°F, most caulks and sealants won't cure properly. September is your last reliable month to seal up gaps around windows, doors, and trim before heating season hits.

A quick walk around the exterior now can prevent drafts, moisture intrusion, and higher heating bills all winter long. (Not sure what to look for? Reply to this email, and we can schedule time to meet up.)

September Home Checklist

• Check and clean bathroom exhaust fans — a clogged fan in fall and winter traps moisture and leads to mold fast

  
  

• Test your heating system before you actually need it — September is the time to find out your furnace has an issue, not October

  
  

• Inspect weatherstripping on all exterior doors and replace anything that's compressing flat or cracking

  
  

• Clear dryer exhaust vents from the exterior — lint buildup is even more of a fire risk when windows are closed and homes are sealed up for winter

  
  

• Test smoke and CO detectors throughout the home — the start of heating season is one of the highest risk periods for carbon monoxide issues

Upgrade Your Home!

Install an ecobee Smart Thermostat!

• Learns your schedule and adjusts automatically — after a few days it figures out your routine and keeps the home comfortable without you touching a thing

• Control it from anywhere on your phone — heading home early or forgot to turn it down before leaving? The ecobee app has you covered

• Can save up to 23% a year on heating and cooling costs — for most homeowners that means it pays for itself within the first season clearesult

• Monitors humidity levels too — especially useful heading into an Upstate NY winter when dry indoor air becomes a real comfort issue

• Works with Alexa, Google, and Apple Home — fits right into whatever smart home setup you already have

  
  

Life on the Topsail

A Doodle from Dave

Fall is officially here in NY.

You can tell because it’s 40° when you wake up, 70° in the afternoon, then plummeting back down to below 50. 😵‍💫

Our weeks are filled with flannels, cider donuts, and for the select few of you out there, pumpkin spice….

This week we also celebrated the Equinox, which reminded me of change.

Living in upstate NY, we are lucky enough to see and feel the 4 seasons, and fall reminds us that change doesn’t always have to be hard and filled with resistance, but can be beautiful and cozy too. (Just don’t try to explain that to the dying leaves 😂).

So embrace whatever change is brining you this season, and if you must, I guess I’ll approve grabbing one of those pumpkin spice tripple shot of this, that, and the other lattes….

Thanks for following along!

Cheers,

Dave