As the leaves change color and the air turns crisp, it’s the best time to embark on some home improvement projects to spruce up your home for autumn and the approaching winter. The fall months offer a perfect opportunity to work on both the interior and exterior of your home as the weather is quite temperate and enjoyable. Whether you’re looking to cozy up indoors or prepare the outside of your home for the changing seasons, we’ve got a list of projects that will make your home feel inviting, safe, and ready for the autumn months.

Indoor Projects

While all of the home improvement projects in this blog can be done in any order, we will introduce them from the inside out. These projects will help create a pleasing ambiance and warmth in your home that you’ll crave when the temperatures drop and leaves start to fall.

Sift Through Your Clothes

As the seasons change, so does your wardrobe, which makes it the perfect time to sift through and update your closet. It’s time to move your summer clothes to the back of your closet and bring out the warmer pieces. Putting summer clothes in a bin and storing them under the bed or in the basement is a great way of making room in your closet for the next season.

A good rule of thumb when going through the past season’s wardrobe is to donate things that you did not wear, or for you Marie Kondo fans, those items that do not bring you joy. If there’s a handful of t-shirts that didn’t make an appearance all summer, it’s likely a good sign that they should be moved to the donate bin. After you’ve sifted through your summer clothes, you now have a good view of what clothes you’re working with for fall and winter. This will help you decide if you need to add another item like a new jacket instead of guessing and buying clothes that will end up just taking up space in your closet.

Organize the Kitchen

While there may be multiple organization projects on your home improvement list, fall is the ideal time to organize the kitchen. The autumn season signals the approach of the end of the year holidays which entail multiple family feasts. Not to mention, cooling temperatures encourage baking and staying in for dinner. Knowing where all of your ingredients and cooking utensils are will make for much more enjoyable holidays and cooking experiences.

Upgrade to Mood Lighting

Falling leaves means the evening starts falling sooner too. With less daylight, Autumn is a great time to invest in some mood lighting and upgrade your existing fixtures. As the sun sets earlier and earlier each day, it may be a good idea to add a new lamp or two in your home to replace the light that is lost. Bonus points if the lightbulbs are energy efficient as cooling fall temps will increase electricity and gas costs. Adding various candles to your living spaces can also help create a warm ambiance in your home. Choosing autumn-inspired scents like apple pie or pumpkin spice will add another layer to your cozy ambiance.

Upgrade to Mood Lighting

While some homeowners have bins of decorations stored in their attics or basements, there are still some easy and cost-effective ways to spruce up your home for fall without needing a collection of decorations. A trip to the pumpkin patch will be a fun outing for the family as well as an opportunity to grab various shades and sizes of pumpkins and gourds for the house. Placing them in the entryway, outside the front door, and throughout the family room and kitchen is a great way to lift spirits and celebrate the changing seasons.

Grabbing a couple of warm-toned or seasonal bouquets from the grocery store can also add to the autumn-inspired ambiance throughout your home. If you do happen to be one of those people who have plenty of seasonal decorations in storage, the new season can be an opportunity for new decluttering. If you notice some decor hasn’t seen the light of day in over a year, it’s a good idea to add it to the donate pile you started.

Exterior Fall Maintenance

After investing in the inner ambiance of your home, you can extend your home improvement to the exterior. These projects are ideal to do in fall weather and will contribute to your enjoyment of the season.

Fall Landscaping

Your landscaping should change as the colors of the leaves do. Fall is a great time to do some outdoor maintenance as the weather isn’t too cold or too hot. One of the most obvious parts of fall landscaping is raking and disposing of fallen leaves.

To take this a step further, Autumn is the perfect time to clean your gutters of leaves and other debris to allow the melting snow and ice of Winter to drain properly. Another great fall landscaping project is to trim the trees in your yard. This will help prevent branches from falling and hitting your house during one of those unpredictable winter storms. Finally, if you aren’t tired yet, you can add some fall plants like mums to your landscaping. The easier way to accomplish this is to buy some already potted fall plants and place them around your front door. These additional fall colors will complement your changing landscaping and celebrate the changing of the seasons.

Outdoor Fire Pit

While the temperatures do start to dip in the autumn months, the weather is still enjoyable enough to spend time outside. It is especially important to enjoy this time if you live in an area that usually has harsh winters.

A great way to appreciate the beauty and temperate air of fall is to sit around a fire. Especially as the days get darker and colder, the fire will provide both light and warmth. To create this family-bonding hub, you’ll need to decide if you’d like the firepit to be on your patio or deck or somewhere in your yard. If in your yard, you can dig a hole about 6 to 8 inches deep and surround it with a few stones. For your deck or patio, you’ll need to buy or install a firepit. Add some outdoor chairs and perhaps a side table and you’ve got the perfect place for family and friends to bond over smores on a crisp fall evening.

Weatherproofing

Slip and Fall Prevention

Beyond weatherproofing, another cost-effective investment is the installation of slip and fall prevention solutions. Slippery autumn weather like rain, sleet, and fallen leaves can make your outdoor steps, porch, deck, or ramp incredibly dangerous. While equipping your home with sufficient non-slip solutions is a financial investment, the amount of money you will save on avoiding trips to the emergency room will pay for the solutions ten times over. The safest and most cost-effective non-slip solution is a permanent one like HandiTreads. Once installed, they do not require any further maintenance. Since they’re made of hard-wearing aluminum, they won’t rust or break and are backed by a lifetime residential warranty.

HandiTreads prevent slips and falls due to their patented raised-button traction surface that dispels up to an inch of water, snow, ice, or debris with each step. Since the frequency of rainstorms picks up in the fall months and the added wind can toss slippery leaves into your path, the autumn is the perfect time to invest in a durable slip and fall solution like HandiTreads. Plus, you never know when the first snowfall of the season will be, which adds additional slip and fall hazards. Even though HandiTreads can be installed in any temperature or weather condition because there are no adhesives, it’s much more pleasant to do it in the temperate climate of fall than in winter.

With multiple sizes and shades available, HandiTreads are ideal for any outdoor structure at your home. The earth-toned shades we purposefully selected to match or complement popular deck and porch colors, making HandiTreads perfect for homeowners who value both form and function. Whether you’re walking over the porch to take the dog out, running down the steps to work, or enjoying the fall colors on the deck, HandiTreads non-slip solutions keep you and your family safe so you can enjoy everything Autumn has to offer.

Non-Slip Solutions Specific to You

Autumn is a wonderful time of transition that inspires projects that improve the future of your home. When it comes to slips and falls, it is crucial to prevent them before they are too late. By investing in comprehensive slip and fall preventions like HandiTreads, you’re not only taking the falls out of autumn but every other season for year-round safety. Use the Stop-the-Slip Configurator to find the perfect non-slip solution for your specific outdoor structure and concerns here!

Safety Concerns

Home Improvement Projects to Do This Fall