Spring home maintenance checklist
Updated July 2026
Spring maintenance has one job: fix what winter broke before summer stresses it. The 16 tasks below run in rough priority order — sump pump and gutters before the heavy rains, AC service before the first heat wave, then the exterior checks that catch winter damage while repairs are still cheap. Two to three weekends covers all of it, and the "cost if skipped" column shows why each one earns its slot.
| Done | Task | Why it matters | Effort | Cost if skipped |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Book an AC / heat pump tune-up | Catches refrigerant leaks and failing capacitors before the first 90° day — when every HVAC company is booked solid | Pro visit · $100–200 | $1,500–7,000 compressor or system replacement in July | |
| Replace the HVAC filter | Winter runtime loads filters with dust; a clogged filter strains the blower and raises bills 5–15% | 10 min · DIY | $450+ blower motor, higher energy bills | |
| Test the sump pump | Pour a bucket of water in the pit before spring rains arrive — the float and check valve fail silently over winter | 10 min · DIY | $2,000–10,000 flooded basement | |
| Check exterior faucets and reconnect hoses | A hose bib that froze over winter leaks inside the wall the first time you use it | 15 min · DIY | $1,000+ hidden wall/ceiling leak | |
| Clean gutters and downspouts | Winter debris plus spring seed drop clogs them right before the heaviest rain of the year | 2–3 hrs · DIY or $160–450 pro | $5,000+ fascia rot and foundation water damage | |
| Inspect the roof from the ground | Binoculars reveal shingles lost to winter wind and lifted flashing while repairs are still small | 20 min · DIY | $1,000+ leak repair plus interior ceiling damage | |
| Walk the foundation and check grading | Soil should slope away from the house; add downspout extensions where winter compacted it flat | 30 min · DIY | $2,000–10,000 wet-basement remediation | |
| Test smoke and CO detectors, swap batteries | Twice-a-year battery habit; detectors older than 10 years need replacing, not new batteries | 15 min · DIY | Not a dollar figure — this one is life safety | |
| Deep-clean the dryer vent duct | The full duct run, not just the lint trap — lint fires start in the duct, and a clogged run doubles dry times | 45 min · DIY or $90–170 pro | Dryer fires cause ~$35M damage/yr in the US | |
| Flush the water heater and check the anode rod | Sediment from a year of heating settles at the bottom and cooks the tank from inside | 45 min · DIY | $1,200–2,000 early tank replacement | |
| Inspect deck, fence and porch for rot | Sprinkle water on boards: if it soaks in instead of beading, it’s time to re-stain before summer sun | 1 hr inspect · weekend to refinish | $500+ board replacement, $8,000+ rebuild | |
| Repair window screens and check weatherstripping | Screen season is coming; torn screens and flattened weatherstripping also leak cooled air all summer | 30–60 min · DIY | Bug season indoors, 5–10% cooling loss | |
| Wash windows and inspect exterior caulk | Cracked glazing and gapped caulk let spring rain into the framing where you can’t see it | Half a day · DIY | $1,000s in hidden sill and frame rot | |
| Service the lawn mower | Fresh oil, new plug, sharpened blade — dull blades tear grass and invite lawn disease | 45 min · DIY or $80–120 shop | Brown, disease-prone lawn; $400+ mower replacement | |
| Apply pre-emergent and mulch the beds | Pre-emergent only works before weeds sprout — timing is everything; mulch locks in spring moisture | 2–3 hrs · DIY | A summer of weeding or a lawn-service bill | |
| Look for termites and carpenter ants | Both swarm in spring — mud tubes on the foundation and sawdust piles are the tell; many pest companies inspect free | 30 min · DIY or free pro inspection | $3,000 average termite damage repair |
If you only do three things
Test the sump pump, book the AC tune-up, and clean the gutters. Those three cover the season's biggest dollar-per-minute risks: basement flooding, a mid-heat-wave AC failure, and the slow foundation damage that clogged gutters feed all year. Everything else on the list matters, but those three are the difference between a $400 spring and a $10,000 one.
Paper checklists get done once. OnOtto does this every spring. Add the Spring pack and each task becomes a persistent recurring reminder — assigned across your household, back again next year without you thinking about it.
Put this checklist on autopilot — free for 30 daysFrequently asked questions
What is the most important spring maintenance task?
Two tie for first: service the AC before the first heat wave (a $150 tune-up beats a $5,000 emergency replacement in a July heat dome, when every HVAC company has a two-week waitlist) and test the sump pump before spring rains — it's a 10-minute bucket test standing between you and a flooded basement.
When should I start spring home maintenance?
As soon as overnight temperatures stay reliably above freezing — March in most of the southern US, April to early May in northern states. The sequencing matters more than the date: sump pump and gutters before the rainy stretch, AC service before the first heat, pre-emergent before soil hits about 55°F.
How long does this checklist take?
Spread across two or three weekends: roughly one weekend outside (gutters, roof check, foundation walk, deck), one inside (filters, detectors, dryer vent, water heater), plus scheduling the two pro visits. Doing it in bites is exactly why a checklist that persists — on paper or in an app — beats trying to remember it all.
What does spring maintenance cost versus what it saves?
Budget roughly $300–700 for the season if you hire out the AC tune-up and gutter cleaning and DIY the rest. Against that: the single most common spring-negligence bills are flooded basements ($2,000–10,000), summer AC failures ($1,500–7,000), and gutter-fed rot ($5,000+). Use our cost calculator for a number tuned to your home.