Winterize the Exterior of Your Home

We know how quickly winter is approaching.  Here are a few ways to help prepare the exterior of your home for winter.  

• Keep your gutters clear

• Winterize your water systems

• Wash your exterior before it gets too cold

• Cover or store outdoor furniture

FALL YARD CARE

• Remove weeds from grass and beds. Some weeds like dandelions, buttercups, and clover produce flowers -- they still need to be removed. Here are some photos of common Pacific Northwest weeds.

• Have any plants died from the summer heat? Remove them now.

• Rake your leaves throughout the fall to help ensure leaves aren't blowing into a neighbor's yard. Run your lawn mower over one of the last leaf dumps; the shredded leaves will turn to compost, which will help feed your lawn.

• Edge and mow until growing season is over. This includes the parking strip.

• Treat yard with winterizing fertilizer.

• Fall is a good time to prune mature trees. This includes any "sprouts" that have grown at the base of the tree.

• Prevent potential issues from wind by checking to see if any tree branches are too close to your home and cut (or hire someone to cut) them back now.

• Close the valve of all exterior faucets and cover your spigots before the first frost.

RECOMMENDED SERVICE PROVIDERS
Looking to hire a professional for your house projects and/or maintenance? Check out the Service Provider List on the portal by clicking on Shared Documents. If you have recently used a company that you would recommend to neighbors, email their info to us, and we'll add them to the list! 

Work you CAN do at your home -- even in the rain!

We know that the weather this spring has been especially wet and dreary, and it’s been difficult to get out to do yard work. However, it IS possible to maintain your yard and home. Here are some things you can do at your property now, even in the rain.

• Remove weeds from all barked/gravel areas, the wet soil makes them easy to remove!

• Install new bark, it helps prevent weeds and looks sharp too. A few bags make an impact.

• Cut back any dead plants and make sure all leaves are removed from yard

• Put out hanging baskets or flower pots, we’ve seen some lovely ones at our local stores.

• Edge your lawn in preparation for mowing, a clean edge makes for a lovely frame for grass

• You can mow with your blade moved up, we’ve already mowed our yard 4 times this year. It’s a little soggy, but is healthier than letting it get too long.

• If all else fails- hire someone to come do a cleanup, they have good equipment that mows well even in wet conditions. Plus, it saves you the back ache!

• Tidy your porch and side yard areas

• Hire someone to clean interior and exterior of gutters

• Check roof for moss- never power wash, have special treatment used that is activated by rain- we have plenty of that!

• Get bids for paint for fading shingles or siding

Remember, home values are kept high by a lovely neighborhood. It’s also part of the community rules to keep yards mowed, weed free and home exteriors maintained and tidy.

We have a great service provider list with some wonderful contractors that many of our neighborhoods have used. Log in to the portal and click on Shared Documents. If you have someone amazing to recommend, please share that with us and we can add them as we update our list. Please don’t hesitate to reach out to us with any questions or concerns. Our goal is to help the community in any way we can!

HOA Rules and You

It’s a good time to be reminded about the standards for the community, as our property managers will be starting up spring walkthroughs soon. Their approach is gentle, using little reminders before jumping to formal violation letters. In case you’re new to the process for handling rules compliance in our HOA, we’ve included an infographic in this post to help. You’ll also receive a spring newsletter in your inbox soon, with tips for exterior maintenance. Thanks for doing your part!

Fall Leaves and Holiday Lights

Our fall community walk throughs this month will include making sure that yards are free of leaves and dead plants, so bundle up for a quick yardwork session.

It’s that time of year again — Holiday Lights Contest in The Meadows! Judges will be by the week of the week of Christmas. Prizes will be awarded! Residents can enjoy the light displays all season long — just be sure to take them down by January 15th.

4th of July in The Meadows

Our neighborhood is going to have a little 4th of July parade and chalk walk. Everyone can participate, whether you’re a walker, bike-rider, stroller, or just a driveway decorator! Here’s how it works:

1) DECORATE Decorate your driveway or street with festive chalk drawings before noon on Sunday, July 4th. Decorate your bike, stroller, wagon etc. in holiday décor or meet at the playground on 34th Ave SE if you need supplies at 11am, we will have lots to choose from. The HOA will also provide chalk if needed. Let us know if you need some at support@mclarinmgmt.com and we can drop some off for you.

2) WALK, RIDE, OR STROLL through the community at noon. If you can’t participate, take an afternoon or evening stroll to enjoy the decorated neighborhood!

Please note that fireworks are banned in our area. For more information, including a map of where fireworks are illegal, click here. To report the illegal use of fireworks, please contact South County Fire 425-407-3999.

Happy Independence Day!