As the cold months roll in, everyone rushes to finish prepping their homes and properties for winter. There’s a lot to do to ensure your home makes it through the winter without problems or damage to your belongings. With all the hustle and bustle, it’s easy to forget a task or two. That’s why we’ll look at nine ways you can prepare your home for winter!
Why Should I Prep My Home for Winter?
Low temperatures, ice, and snow can be a nightmare. But these three can cause major problems for your home and property. One of the biggest problems the winter can have on your home is water damage. If left alone, your pipes can freeze and burst. This could cost you thousands of dollars to pay for repairs and replacements. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg of things you could be left repairing come spring.
But when snow is piled heavily onto an unprepared roof, or you’re ready to use your chimney for the first time since last Christmas, you’ll want to be prepared. Having to winter-proof your home when temperatures are already cold is a hassle no one wants.
Protect Your Pipes
The first way you can prepare your home for the winter is to properly protect your pipes. You’ll want to locate your home’s main pipe system first. Then you can install pipe insulation around them. A little bit of time and effort spent wrapping the pipes now could save you anywhere from $500-$2,000 dollars in the future if your pipes were to burst. Pipe insulation isn’t particularly expensive and can be found at your local home improvement store.
Prepare Your Chimney, Furnace, or Fireplace
One of the most essential appliances in your home during the winter is your furnace. You’ll want to have your furnace, chimney, or fireplace serviced before winter hits. Your heating system should be inspected at least once a year. You absolutely want to ensure it’s checked before winter hits, and you need to use it.
This can save you from a breakdown in the future if somewhere were to be wrong with it. Your chimney and fireplace should be serviced and cleaned before use. In some cases, birds will even build nests in chimneys. You’ll want to check on yours before you turn on any heating.
Insulate Your Attic
Insulating your attic is a great way to prepare your home for winter, make life a little easier, and save money. If your attic is improperly insulated, this can cause energy bills to spike as your home won’t be able to hold a temperature the way you’d like. You’ll want to have your attic’s insulation inspected. It usually lasts around a decade before you need any repairs done. But an inspector can let you know for sure that you’re insulation is ready for this winter.
Check Your Gutters
This winter preparation is easily forgotten, but is very important. If your gutters are clogged, this can cause water to back up and freeze in them. This can cause problems that could even lead to gutter replacements down the road. You want to make sure your gutters are ready for this winter by cleaning them out. This way, water can drain properly from your room once the snow starts falling.
Inspect Your Patio
If your patio has any loose stones, you’ll want to replace these before winter hits. A loose stone or two will only worsen once the snow is on the ground. The constant thawing and freezing of the ground will push your loose patio stones even further from where they need to be. It’s better to call a repairman in the fall to fix these stones.
Change Over to Storm Windows
Another great way you can prepare your home is by switching out the screens and windows with storm windows. You don’t want to rely on a flimsy screen to hold up this winter. If your home has one, you also want to winterize your screen room. You can easily replace screens with storm or winter-proof windows and covers.
You can find storm-proof windows and screen covers at your local hardware shop or online. These aren’t inexpensive, but they are worth the price. You’ll want to choose these based on how tough winters are in your area.
Inspect Your Roof
You don’t want any loose tiles or shingles this winter. The heavy snow, high winds, and other brutalities that come along with this time of year will only worsen the problem. In general, you’ll want your roof inspected before winter. That way, a roofer can catch any budding problems.
Otherwise, these issues may become significant when you’re already in the middle of winter. For example, a crack or hole in your roof can make it more difficult to heat your home. You’ll want to schedule an annual roof inspection in the summer or fall, that way roofers have time to fix any issues before winter starts.
Check Trees Near Your Home
You’ll want to check the trees that are on your property and inspect their limbs. If they have ailing limbs which hang over your home, you’ll want to look into having these replaced. Otherwise, snow or ice could weigh these down and cause them to fall onto your home. Be sure to check the trees that hang over other valuable property as well, such as sheds and vehicles.
Mark Significant Objects in Your Yard
Once the snow has started to pile up and the world looks white, finding your driveway might not be as easy. Adding markers to significant objects in your yard will only help your future self. You can use fiberglass marking poles and add these to things like your driveway, garden beds, and anything else that you might need. This can save you the trouble of digging around in the snow. Plus, you won’t need to shovel every bit of snow off your property to find your things.
