Fall has settled in and winter is right around the corner, with sweaters and coats hung close at hand while plans are being made for the holidays—but is your house ready for winter?
The winter months can be a harsh time on an unprepared house, and once it’s cold and snowy outside, you won’t want to be out there doing home maintenance. Thankfully, there are some things you can do now to prepare and prevent the trouble a bad winter can bring.
1. Clean the gutters. Fall is especially bad on the gutters, filling them with leaves, seeds, and sticks carried there by the wind. All of that debris can cause clogging, trapping the water in your gutter.
Not only does this lead to potential water damage as the trapped water starts to run over the sides of the gutter onto your roof, but in the winter, that trapped water can freeze. Because water expands when it freezes, this can cause permanent damage to your gutters or cause your gutters to pull away from the house, creating even more trouble.
Carefully clean your gutters or hire a professional handyman to get them ready for the season.
2. Clean up the yard. In addition to the standard yard clean-up tasks—forgotten toys, one last grass cutting, and raking—you’ll want to add storing your hoses and anything else that will be permanently damaged if its frozen.
Trees are also an important factor in your winter preparation. If there are any large limbs hanging over your home, those should be removed. Heavy snow or ice could weigh down an already large limb and cause it to fall.
3. Check for air leaks. The last thing you want to do when it’s cold outside is lose heat through a leak in the house. Check around, looking for gaps in windows and doors or any hole that allows air in and out of the house.
Not only will these help keep your house cozy, it will also make sure your energy bills don’t skyrocket needlessly in the winter months!
