All 36 jobs, in the month each one falls in, with why it matters here rather than wherever the generic advice was written. Your calendar links straight to the task you were just reminded about.
36 jobs across twelve months
The step-by-step for every job on this list, with the tools to have on hand and the mistake that costs money, is in the printable kit. This page is the schedule: what needs doing, when, and why it is timed that way here.
Must
Test every smoke and carbon monoxide detector. Replace the batteries. Replace any detector over 10 years old.
Why: sensors degrade with age whether or not the unit still chirps, and a detector past its rated life can pass a button test and still fail in a real fire.
Should
Locate your main water shutoff and make sure you can actually turn it. Cover outdoor spigots.
Why: coastal plumbing is often run through uninsulated exterior walls because it rarely needs to survive a freeze. When one comes, knowing where the shutoff is turns a flooded house into a wet floor.
Above
Look for daylight through the roof deck, damp or matted insulation, and water stains on the framing.
Why: a small roof leak shows up in the attic long before it shows up on your ceiling. Winter rain is the easiest time to catch one.
Must
Book it now, before spring swarm season fills the schedule.
Why: Formosan and native subterranean termites are endemic across the Gulf Coast, and damage is almost never covered by homeowners insurance. An annual inspection is the cheapest insurance you can buy.
This one is a job for a professional rather than a Saturday.
Should
Swap the filter and run the air conditioning briefly.
Why: finding a cooling problem in February means an appointment. Finding it in July means a wait list, a premium, and a hot house.
Above
Re-caulk gaps around windows, doors, and any penetration through the wall.
Why: caulk is the cheapest material on the house and the first line against wind-driven rain. On the coast it fails in 2–4 years.
Must
Get a professional service call before the cooling season starts.
Why: down here the system runs eight or nine months a year, roughly double the load it was rated against. Service is what buys back the years that heat takes off.
This one is a job for a professional rather than a Saturday.
Should
Clear the gutters and confirm every downspout discharges away from the foundation, not against it.
Why: water dumped at the foundation is the start of settling, slab cracks, and a wet crawlspace. All of them expensive, all of them avoidable with a splash block.
Above
Walk the perimeter after a hard rain. Look for settling, cracks, and standing water.
Why: the ground should fall away from the house. Gulf Coast soils shift, and grading that worked at closing may not work three years later.
Must
Watch for winged termites indoors and around lights. Check for mud tubes along the slab, piers, and foundation walls.
Why: a swarm is the one time termites are visible to you. Mud tubes mean an active colony is already feeding on the house.
Should
Wash the house down and inspect siding, brick, and soffits for damage or gaps.
Why: salt air and humidity feed mildew and rot, and washing is how you find the soft spot behind it. Open soffits are also how squirrels and wasps get into the attic.
Above
Check hose bibs and outdoor spigots for leaks. Service the irrigation system if you have one.
Why: a spigot that weeps against the foundation all summer does quiet, steady damage, and shows up on the water bill.
Must
Verify your coverage BEFORE the season starts: wind, and flood if you carry it. Photograph every room and the full exterior for your claim file. Trim limbs back from the roof.
Why: flood policies generally take 30 days to take effect, so June 1 is already too late to start. Photos taken before a storm are what get a claim paid after one.
Should
Start and load-test the generator. Restock water, batteries, and fuel. Confirm shutters or plywood are on hand and actually fit your openings.
Why: a generator that has sat with old fuel since last season will not start when you need it, and plywood cut to the wrong window is plywood you cannot use.
Above
Inspect soffit vents and roof edges. Secure sheds, fencing, and anything that becomes a projectile.
Why: most wind damage starts at an edge. Once wind gets under the roof edge or through an open soffit, it works on the whole roof.
What to photograph, and why cause matters more than damage →
Must
Flush the condensate drain line and check the overflow pan and float switch.
Why: a clogged condensate line is one of the most common causes of ceiling damage on the coast. The unit keeps running and quietly drains into your drywall.
Should
Clean the outdoor condenser coils and cut vegetation back two feet on all sides of the unit.
Why: a coil that cannot breathe makes the compressor work harder in the hottest months, which is exactly how a 12-year unit becomes an 8-year unit.
Above
Check that soffit and ridge vents are clear, and measure insulation depth.
Why: a poorly vented attic bakes the roof deck from underneath and shortens shingle life, on top of what it costs you in cooling.
Must
Check under every sink, behind every toilet, and around the base of the water heater.
Why: slow leaks are found by looking, not by waiting. In this humidity a cabinet leak becomes mold long before it becomes a stain you notice.
Should
Inspect the crawlspace or under-house area for moisture, pests, and vapor barrier damage.
Why: it is the part of the house nobody looks at and the part humidity attacks hardest. Rot and pests both start down there.
Above
Measure indoor relative humidity. Aim for 45–55%. Run a dehumidifier if you are above that.
Why: above 60% indoors you are growing mold and inviting dust mites, whatever the thermostat says.
Must
Re-check your supply kit, your documents, and your evacuation plan. Confirm your insurance is still active and paid.
Why: this is the peak of the season. A lapsed policy or an expired document is something you want to find now, not while you are packing.
Should
Clear the gutters a second time.
Why: summer storms fill them fast, and a full gutter in a tropical downpour sends the whole roof's water straight down your wall.
Above
Photograph big-ticket items and store the photos somewhere off-site or in the cloud.
Why: proof of ownership is what turns a claim into a payment, and it is worthless if it only exists on a phone that went with the house.
Must
Clean the full dryer vent run, not just the lint trap.
Why: dryer lint is a leading cause of house fires, and coastal humidity makes it pack into the duct harder and faster.
Should
Inspect the roof from the ground with binoculars after the summer storm run. Look for lifted, curled, or missing shingles.
Why: you can see almost everything that matters from the driveway, and nobody has ever fallen off a driveway.
Four Gulf states pay toward a stronger roof →
Above
Test the sump pump if you have one. Clear drainage swales and ditches.
Why: a sump pump that has not run in months is a sump pump you should not assume works. Blocked ditches move the water to your yard.
Must
Drain and flush the tank to clear sediment.
Why: sediment insulates the burner from the water and cooks the tank from the inside. Gulf Coast water heaters are already short-lived; this is most of the difference between 8 years and 12.
Should
Check weatherstripping, door sweeps, and the attic hatch seal.
Why: those gaps are your largest uncontrolled air exchange, which on the coast means you are paying to dehumidify the outdoors.
Above
Service the fireplace or chimney before first use.
Why: an unused flue collects nests, debris, and moisture damage over a long warm season.
This one is a job for a professional rather than a Saturday.
Must
Walk the roof line and the whole property for storm damage. File any claims now, not in spring.
Why: hurricane season closes November 30. Insurers get much harder to convince about damage the longer you wait, and most policies require prompt notice.
Should
Replace the HVAC filter and run the heat once.
Why: the burner or heat strips have sat unused since spring. Better to smell the dust burn off in November than to find a dead system during a cold snap.
Above
Clear the gutters after leaf drop. Check the fascia and trim for rot.
Why: fascia is where a gutter that overflowed all year finally shows the damage, and rotten fascia is how the gutter comes off in the next storm.
Must
Insulate exposed pipes, cover spigots, and confirm you know where the main shutoff is.
Why: coastal homes are built for heat, not cold. A hard freeze here bursts pipes that would be fine anywhere north of us.
Should
Press test and reset on every GFCI outlet. Label the breaker panel if it is not already labeled.
Why: a GFCI that will not trip is not protecting anyone, and a labeled panel is what lets you kill the right circuit in a hurry.
Above
Update your Big Ticket Watch List with anything you replaced or serviced this year.
Why: the list is what turns a surprise roof into a planned roof. One update a year keeps it honest.
These same thirty-six jobs are three free calendars you subscribe to once. They arrive in the month they matter, so you do not have to remember this page exists. No signup and no card.
If you would rather have it on paper, there is a printable kit as well, twenty-seven pages and undated. And if you want to know what is already overdue rather than what is due this month, that is fifteen seconds and one number.
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