Fall Winter Home Prep Checklist PDF

Get the house ready for cold weather before the first freeze — in four weekends, not one panicked day. This 8-page printable Fall & Winter Home Prep Checklist is organized system by system by a working handyman, with a dedicated Florida version for mild-winter homes.

The four-weekend plan: • Weekend 1 — Outside: gutters and downspouts, roof scan (flashing and the cracked vent boots behind most "mystery leaks"), siding penetrations, drainage, yard and hose storage • Weekend 2 — Heat: furnace/heat pump test and filter, fireplace and chimney, ceiling-fan reversal, and the space-heater rules that prevent winter house fires (wall outlet only — never a power strip) • Weekend 3 — Water: freeze-proof plumbing done right — hose bibbs, exposed pipes, irrigation and backflow protection, water heater settings — including why pipes burst from pressure, not ice, and a freeze-night routine to post on the fridge • Weekend 4 — Seal & safety: find air leaks with the incense test, weatherstripping and the dollar-bill door test, attic hatch and insulation check, detector/CO safety, and holiday-lighting rules (GFCI, no daisy-chained strips, ladder safety)

Plus: a buy-before-the-rush supply list and a 10-box final sign-off page so nothing gets missed.

Florida readers: weekends 1, 2, and 4 in full; the freeze items are flagged FL — one 25° night bursts unprotected pipes and kills backflow preventers across Central Florida most years.

This is a digital download. You'll receive a PDF checklist (8 pages, full color, US Letter, print-ready) instantly after purchase. No physical item will be shipped.