Before the Rains Come: A Ben Lomond Fall Checklist
Every Ben Lomond homeowner I know has some version of the same September ritual, the mental walk around the property trying to remember what needs attention before the rain starts. Redwood duff on the roof, a culvert that clogged last winter, a generator nobody's tested since March. This is my version of that checklist, built specifically for the kind of creek-adjacent, tree-covered, private-road properties that make up most of Ben Lomond.
Drainage Comes First
Walk your property both uphill and downhill from the house and actually watch where water wants to go. Clear any drainage swales of debris, and make sure culverts, especially the ones under your driveway or a shared private road, are open and not half-choked with redwood needles and leaf litter from last fall. Check that your downspouts discharge well away from the foundation rather than pooling right against it, and if you're on a shared road with neighbors, take a look at the roadside drainage too. A clogged culvert on someone else's stretch of road can still flood your driveway.
Roofs and Gutters
Redwood needles and bay leaves accumulate fast under a mountain canopy, and a roof that looked clean in July can be genuinely dangerous by November. Clear needles and branches, check for loose or damaged roofing and any gutters that are overflowing or pulling away from the fascia, and look at any tree limbs hanging over the house that a winter storm could bring down. If you have a sump pump, test it now, not during the first heavy rain when you actually need to know it works.
Exterior Wood and Structure
Check underneath decks and stairs, door thresholds, and any spot where wood meets soil directly, these are the classic rot points on mountain homes. Soft spots in deck boards and staining on siding are both worth investigating before winter moisture makes small problems into expensive ones.
Slopes and Retaining Walls
Look for new cracks or leaning in any retaining walls, signs of erosion or newly exposed soil, and any new water pathways that weren't there last year. This isn't the season to start major grading work, but it's exactly the season to notice a problem before the first real storm tests it.
Fire Safety and Vegetation
Clear dead vegetation and debris from around the structure, not just the roof and gutters
Maintain clearance along your driveway and any shared access road
Make sure propane tanks have proper vegetation clearance
Confirm the vegetation clearing you did for fire season also serves you for drainage heading into winter
Storm Preparedness
Locate flashlights and make sure they actually work
Test your generator and confirm you have fuel on hand
Check that outdoor extension cords are weather-rated, not just whatever was in the garage
If you're on well water, think through your plan for water access during a power outage
Keep tarps somewhere accessible, not buried in the back of a shed you won't reach in a storm
None of this is glamorous, and none of it is optional if you want to get through a mountain winter without a surprise. Take an afternoon before the rains actually start, work through it room by room and corner by corner, and you'll spend a lot less time in January wishing you had. If you're new to Ben Lomond and want the fuller picture of what mountain home ownership actually involves, I'm always happy to talk through it.
This checklist covers general seasonal maintenance. For structural, drainage, or electrical work, consult a licensed contractor familiar with mountain properties.