While fall is a beautiful time of year, we all know that a long, cold winter is looming. These home winterization tips will help you clean and repair your place and keep it warm and secure. Taking a few preventative steps now will help you protect your investment, reduce energy costs, and keep you comfortable during the chilly months.
Home Winterization Checklist
Create a Routine: We always advise clients to change the batteries in smoke and CO detectors each fall and spring. Staying on this schedule will keep your home safe and take the guesswork out of maintaining these devices.
Protect Your Property: As the temps drop you may find that you have unwanted house guests. Assess your home’s foundation and plug any holes that might allow rodents and other pests to enter. Cover all vent openings to prevent insects and animals from getting inside the home.
Conduct Maintenance: Even if you don’t have a wood burning fireplace, cleaning the chimney once or twice a year will help with heating system ventilation. If you’ve never had your chimney maintained, we can recommend a chimney sweep who will provide cleaning and evaluate and structural issues or concerns. pdate Your Heating System: If you didn’t have your heating system serviced over the summer, now is the time to change filters, clean the interior and conduct routine maintenance.
Invest in Insulation: Adding some insulation to the house will help keep heating costs down and your home toasty warm. While most newer homes are fully insulated during construction, older homes and historic properties can be updated with blown-in insulation in a variety of forms.
Prepare the Plumbing: If you have cold areas in the basement, wrapping pipes may keep them warm enough to avoid damage on exceptionally cold winter days. Outside the home, collect and drain garden hoses and shut off and in-ground sprinkler systems.
Home renovation expert Bob Villa recommends that you assess your roof, gutters and drains before snow beings to fall. Replace any missing or damaged shingles, check flashing along the roof line and around the chimney, clean gutters and downspouts and check fasteners to ensure that the weight of snow and ice won’t cause the gutters to sag or come loose. Finally, clear any storm drains to prevent winter blockages.
A little preparation goes a long way. While it is tempting to complete winterization projects on your own, there’s no substitute for professional help. If you have questions about home maintenance, don’t hesitate to reach out. We maintain a network of service providers that we have personally vetted and would be happy to make a recommendation.
Share: