Sunday, November 1: The Turn
Three things happen at once. Daylight saving time ends at 2 a.m. The last Halloween-weekend guests check out into a 5:28 p.m. sunset. And demand steps down hard — the first weekend of November is one of the softest of the year before the holiday bookings arrive. The work below is best done in the first ten days of the month, while the calendar has gaps and before the first hard freeze.
Fire: The Month of Nightly Fires Is Over
Chimney sweep
Thirty nights of guest-built fires in a wood-burning fireplace or stove is a creosote month. Book the sweep now; the good ones fill up before the holidays. Check the damper, the glass, and the screen while they’re there.
Fire pit cleanout
All ash out, ring or pit inspected for cracks, the base cleared. If the pit gets little use in winter, cover it. If it gets a lot (it will — winter guests love it), restock the extinguishing kit and the kindling.
Firewood for winter
Winter is the second fire season. Order seasoned wood now for a covered, off-the-ground stack; Hocking Hills Firewood delivers, and a standing order beats a January scramble.
Ash disposal
Check that the metal ash bucket survived October and its lid still fits. Replace the guest instructions if they’ve faded.
Water and Freeze Protection
- Outdoor showers, hoses, and spigots — drain and disconnect. Frost-free spigots still fail with a hose attached. The first hard freeze in the hollows can come in early November.
- Gutters and downspouts — clean them now. Leaf-clogged gutters overflow onto walkways and steps, which becomes ice, which becomes a guest fall.
- Crawl space and pipe insulation — check heat tape and insulation on any exposed run. Rural cabins lose pipes in the first cold snap, not the coldest one.
- Hot tub: do not winterize. The hot tub is the winter amenity that fills November through February. Keep it running, keep it covered, and set your thermostat and freeze-protection mode. Do a full drain, clean, and refill now after the October load. Rural utilities covers well and septic in cold weather.
The Detector Ritual
Time change weekend is battery weekend. Smoke and CO detectors in every sleeping area and on every level, batteries replaced, test buttons pressed, expiration dates checked (detectors expire; most are stamped). Add a CO detector near the fireplace if there isn’t one. The fire extinguisher’s gauge is in the green. This is the ten-minute task that matters most on the list.
Outside
Deck furniture cleaned and stored or covered. Cushions inside. Path and porch lighting timers reset for the new sunset — the connected ones updated themselves; the plug-in ones didn’t. Driveway checked for the ruts a month of traffic left, and gravel added before it freezes into place. Leaves cleared from the deck, the roof valleys, and the hot tub cover. Snow shovel and ice melt staged by the door, because the first guests who need them will not tell you until it’s too late. Emergency access covers the winter driveway conversation.
Inside
- Furnace — filter changed, service call scheduled if it’s been a year.
- Blankets and throws — October wore them out. Launder, replace the worst, and add a couple; winter guests use every one.
- The guidebook — the October seasonal insert comes out November 1. A winter version goes in: fireplace instructions, the driveway, ice on the trails, and the holiday events. The October insert shows the format.
- Damage walk-through — a slow one, with photos. Burn marks, wax, scuffs, the hot tub filter, the drains. Anything from Halloween weekend goes through the platform’s process this week or not at all.
The Money Side
Pricing reset. October rates held into November don’t book. Step down to your shoulder pricing for the first three November weekends, with one-night minimums midweek, and set Thanksgiving week and the December holidays separately — they’re their own peaks. The seasonal pricing guide has the curve. The review push. October guests who haven’t reviewed get one friendly nudge this week; peak-season reviews are the ones that carry your winter listing. Lodging tax. A big October means a big filing; the tax guide covers what’s due and when. Restock budget. Firewood, chemicals, towels, blankets, and the chimney sweep are the November spend; plan for it out of October’s revenue while it’s still in the account.
And Then
The quiet weeks of early November are the best time of year to fix the thing you noticed in September and didn’t have a gap to address — the sticky lock, the slow drain, the porch board. Do it now. The holiday bookings start the week of Thanksgiving, and the next long gap is March.
Frequently Asked Questions
Should I winterize the hot tub at my Hocking Hills rental?
No — the hot tub is the winter amenity that drives November through February bookings. Drain, clean, and refill it after the October load, keep it heated and covered with freeze protection on, and winterize the outdoor showers, hoses, and spigots instead.
When should I schedule a chimney sweep for a rental cabin?
Right after peak season — the first week of November. A month of nightly guest-built fires produces creosote, and sweeps book up before the holidays. Have the damper, glass, and screen checked at the same visit.
How should I adjust pricing after peak foliage season?
Step down to shoulder rates for the first three November weekends with one-night minimums midweek, then set Thanksgiving week and the December holidays as their own peaks. October rates held into early November mostly produce empty nights.
Price the Off-Season Right
The year-round rate curve, from peak foliage to the March lull.
Read the seasonal pricing guide →