It just takes a step outside to realize that there's no debating that autumn's begun. If you had any illusion of a late, hot summer, the brisk air hits you in the face with the reality: fall has arrived.

Now is a perfect time to prepare your home for what the prognosticators are saying will be another cold, wet winter.

Keep out the chill

First, take care of the obvious. Do you have a broken or cracked window that needs to be replaced?

While you're making an assessment of your windows, clean the slider tracks and weep holes of your vinyl and aluminum windows and make sure your wood windows open and close properly.

If they are painted shut, slide a razor or putty knife down the edges and use some muscle to make them operable. Then, rub a paraffin block or soap bar on the wood track to lubricate the slider. Remember, your bedroom windows also serve as fire escapes.

Now, take a look at the weather stripping and caulking around the doors and windows. Can you see daylight around the door seals? Are the door and window trims and caulking cracked, peeling or just plain missing?

If so, you'll need to carefully remove what's left and redo. Good weather seals and caulking are like the buttons and zippers on your rain coat - they not only keep drafts out, but also keep the wind-driven rain from penetrating the weatherproof exterior.

Going to the top

You may need to spend a dry autumn afternoon on your roof.

So, carefully go on a little exploring expedition and check out the roofing, but watch your step.

Find and replace the wind-damaged shingles from last winter's storms. The sun may not be hot enough now to seal them down so you'll want to put a dab of roofing mastic under each roof tab you lift or install.

Take a breather and look at the beautiful scenery from your high perch. Oops, is some of the vegetation that you're viewing growing on your roof or in your gutters? If so, you have a problem.

All such growing things belong in the garden. Moss, plants and scattered leaves are signs of needed maintenance. Vegetation will shorten a roof's life substantially if left unattended.

So, remove anything that is growing or has fallen from trees with a broom and a hose. Then, spray a half-water, half-Clorox solution on the roof to kill the roots and mildew. A final hosing can be done the next day.

Caution: Wear rubber gear and cover the plants below with plastic or your clothes will rot and your plants will spot!

You can also install zinc strips to prevent moss growth from happening every year. Ask for assistance at your favorite lumberyard.

Wait, it's not time to climb down from the roof yet.

What about your roof's flashings, varge boards, gutters and downspouts? All of these should be examined too.

Metal flashing, used at all edges of the roof or where the roof meets a wall, chimney or skylight, is vital to weatherproofing and usually lasts the life of the roofing.

But, if your home's flashings are rusty or missing and the roofing is still good, just replace the bad ones.

Varge boards are the trim boards at the side edges of the roof, from peak to eave. Fascia boards are the trim boards at the bottom of the roof behind the gutters.

These two types protect the roof's ends and edges from rain and separate the exposed roof framing parts from water and contact with moist gutters.

Maintained, they should last the life of your house. However, take a look to make sure they're still firmly in place and well painted.

Gutters and downspouts convey the rain to the ground. They help prevent water damage to the windows, doors, siding and trim of your house. But they can't do their job properly when they're damaged, missing or blocked with leaves.

Clean out the debris and repair them as necessary. If you have trees hanging over your house, you may want to prune them back. However, rollout leaf screens are cheap and effectively prevent clogging.

Out on a limb

We hate to leave you on the roof like this, but you'll have to wait until next week to hear about chimney care and other fall home maintenance tips.

Meanwhile, this should keep you busy.

Dave Murnen is the construction department manager and Pat Beaty is a construction specialist at Aberdeen Neighborhood Housing Services. Do you have questions about home repair, remodeling, becoming a homeowner or a member of our contractor pool? Call 533-7828 or visit us at 710 E. Market St. in Aberdeen.