With the colder season upon us, many homeowners take advantage of the fall weather to prep their homes before snow hits the ground. In fact, the best thing you can do as a homeowner is maintenance before the winter. It’ll help you save money on heating costs, and prevent damage that can get worse with the extreme temperatures of winter.
Save on Heating Costs
Heating your home can be expensive, and you could be spending more money to heat a home that has cracks, leaks, or lacks insulation. So, in order to keep the heat in this fall consider:
1. Installing thicker drapes or curtains in your home
2. Insulating hot water and gas pipes
3. Caulking / sealing cracks in windows, skylights, vents, door frames, etc.
4. Replacing filters in your furnace or air vents
5. Getting regular maintenance checks on your home heating system
6. Lowering the temperature on your hot water heater
External Home Checkup
Before the sleet, ice, and snow set in, make sure to do an external check up on your home after you’ve performed any maintenance on the inside. Things like mold, mildew, water damage, peeling paint, and roof damage can occur after a while, especially when you live in an area prone to extreme weather. It’s important to get these problems fixed on your home before they turn into a major situation.
Additionally, you may also notice pests such as, house flies, mice, snakes, spiders, etc. now making way into your home. Even if you maintain a clean home, common creatures may still find their way in to stay warm. So, set up a few humane traps or spray pest repellent around the edges of your home to keep unwanted critters out.
Safety First
Taking the time to inspect your home and prepare it is important any time of year. However, so isn’t ensuring the safety of your family.
As it gets colder many of us rely on our fireplaces and heaters to keep us warm. However, these can pose a potential danger when they’re not maintained. So, take some time to inspect your fireplace and chimney. Check to make sure it’s free of obstructions like leaves, bird nests, and other debri. Professional chimney sweeps can be costly, however, they prevent fires and built up chemicals from entering the home.
You should also inspect the integrity of your home’s chimney too, cracks, loose brick, or crumbling can indicate something serious. Don’t take a chance if you spot something, have a professional inspector come out to take a look. Again, it can be costly, but if your chimney collapses that’s a danger and expense many homeowners shouldn’t have to deal with.
Speaking of fireplace safety, you should also check to make sure your gas and smoke detectors are working. Of course, this should be done every month, but fire danger increases in the colder months, so be prepared. Smoke detectors save lives! Don’t put your family at risk because your home doesn’t have a working detector.
Landscaping Cleanup
As it gets cooler, lawn maintenance is still important. Fallen leaves, overgrown shrubbery, and twigs and sticks can cause problems for you in the spring if they aren’t cleaned up. Your lawn needs to breathe, so take the time to rake and maintain it. Fallen leaves can cause bare or yellowed spots, so unless you want a patchy lawn, take the time to clean it up.
Don’t forget to prune trees, shrubs, and other vegetation you’ve worked hard to grow. Plants need TLC during the changing seasons, so be sure to provide it.
Some homeowners even wrap trees and bushes with burlap before the first frost. This ensures the plant doesn’t brown, freeze, or die when night falls.
Landscaping can be a chore, especially in the fall, but you’ll thank yourself later when early spring rolls around and there’s not much clean up!
Preparation Tips
This may be a lot to take on, but winter isn’t here yet! You still have time to prep your home from the cold. Dedicate a few weekends to a family clean up and delegate tasks to every member. And if you need extra hands, asking friends and family doesn’t hurt- just be sure to return the favor! As a homeowner you’ve invested a lot into your family nest, you’ve worked hard to make it your own, so keep a running checklist of what needs to be done before it’s too late!
Are there any preparations you take for your home before it gets too cold? We’d love to hear about it in the comments below!