Getting Your Home Ready For Winter – Inside And Out

Weather Protection

If you live in a climate with harsh winters, you have to make sure your home is ready to withstand strong winds, heavy rains or huge amounts of snow. As roofs, windows, walls and doors can deteriorate from one winter to the next, you should inspect your home in detail, in order to get it ready for winter.

Drafty windows are among the first things to be checked. Should you detect any cracks, holes or deteriorated seals, fix them as quickly as possible. Next, inspect your roof, trying to identify damaged or missing shingles. If you have a flat roof, you should clean off the debris accumulated on it. Check your attic, seeking for leaks or air drafts. Hire someone to do the needed repairs, if any, or take care of this job yourself.

Winterize your garage door. Apparently, a great part of the heat is lost through improperly insulated garage doors. Check the insulation of the door and lubricate all moving parts, in order to prevent them from getting stuck when heavy snowfalls are going to hit your area.

Periodic Inspections and Cleaning

If your house has a fireplace or a stove, have your chimney inspected every year. This is essential, because carbon monoxide accumulations can kill you during your sleep. In addition, consider installing a monoxide carbon detector and a smoke detector in every room that features a fireplace or a stove. Also, have your furnace system and vent inspected by a certified technician.

Check the insulation of your water lines, and do the necessary repairs. This will weatherproof them, preventing them from freezing during the cold season. Frozen water lines will cut your water supply, so you’ll have to deal with a huge problem. As it’s always better to be safe than sorry, check all plumbing systems with the greatest care.

Exterior Clean Up

Don’t forget that your yard is also part of your property. If you care about your grass, you should fertilize it during the fall. This will make it withstand the coldest months of the year. If you have cold-sensitive trees and shrubs, wrap them carefully, in order to secure the proper temperature value to allow them survive the winter.

Stay Focused and Plan

In order to ease the process of preparing your home for winter, you should make a list of all things needed to be done during late summer and fall. This list will prevent you from forgetting essential preparations that could cost you your comfort, your health, and perhaps a lot of money, if you were to fix them in conditions of extremely low temperature or high precipitation volumes.

Every home is different. You should get your customized checklist ready and set your own priorities in preparing your home for the cold season. The steps listed above can help you stay safe even during the coldest winter. However, you should take into consideration your specific climate, and prepare accordingly. For instance, if your home is in an area with frequent snow storms, you should probably prepare an emergency kit and enough food and water supplies to enable you stay inside for days or even weeks.