Fall Home Maintenance Checklist for North Texas
Updated September 29, 2026
Fall is the best time to catch up on the house in Dallas-Fort Worth. The summer heat is gone, contractors are less booked than in spring, and you have until the first hard freeze, usually in mid to late November, to get ahead of winter. Here's what to check and when to call a pro.
1. Service the heater before you need it
The first cold snap is when every furnace in the Metroplex gets switched on, and it's when HVAC companies get slammed. Change the filter, test the heat on a mild day, and book a tune-up now if it smells like burning dust for more than a few minutes or doesn't come on at all.
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2. Look at the roof after hail season
Spring hail and summer storms leave damage you can't see from the driveway. From the ground, look for missing or curled shingles and granules collecting in the gutters. If you had a hailstorm this year, a roofer can inspect it before winter rain finds the weak spots.
3. Clean the gutters once the leaves drop
Live oaks, pecans and cedar elms drop late here, so the best time is usually November, sometimes twice. Clogged gutters overflow against the foundation, which matters a lot on North Texas clay.
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4. Water the foundation
Our clay soil shrinks when it dries out and swells when it gets wet, and that movement cracks slabs. Keep watering around the foundation through a dry fall. Watch for new cracks in drywall, doors that suddenly stick, or gaps around window frames. Those are signs the slab is moving.
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5. Trim trees before winter storms
Ice storms snap overloaded branches, and a limb over the roof or a power line is the big risk. Fall and winter are good times to prune most trees here, and tree crews are easier to book than after a storm.
6. Seal up the house against pests
Mice, roaches and scorpions head indoors as nights cool off. Check weatherstripping, the gaps under exterior doors, and anywhere pipes or cables come through the walls. A fall pest treatment around the perimeter stops a lot of it before it starts.
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7. Get the yard ready
Early fall is when to put down pre-emergent for winter weeds. Feed the lawn once more before the grass goes dormant, and cut back irrigation as temperatures drop.
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8. Protect the pipes before the first freeze
After February 2021, nobody in Texas needs to be told twice. Unhook garden hoses, cover the outdoor faucets, insulate exposed pipes in the attic and garage, and know where your main water shutoff is. If a faucet already drips or a pipe runs through an outside wall, get it looked at now.
9. Wash it down while the weather's nice
Fall's mild, dry days are ideal for washing the driveway, siding and fence, and for restaining a deck or fence before winter.
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10. Check the windows and garage door
Drafty windows and a garage door that doesn't seal will run up the heating bill all winter. Replace worn weatherstripping, and have the garage door springs checked if the door is slow or noisy.
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Hiring a contractor this fall
- Get two or three quotes for anything over a few hundred dollars.
- Check that they're local. After a big storm, out-of-state crews knock on doors and disappear once the work is done.
- Read recent reviews and ask how they handle warranty calls.
- Never pay in full up front. A deposit is normal. The whole job isn't.
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