While you are enjoying these glorious fall days, we’ve got the perfect excuse to get you out in the sunshine…readying your home for the arrival of Jack Frost and his usual antics of freezing temperatures, ice, and snow. If you’re wondering, “How can I winterize my home?” just work through this checklist from your roofing and exterior maintenance experts at HomeWise and you’ll be ready, no matter what winter tries to bring your way. 

Costs of Failing to Winterize My Home

It may be tempting to assume that all is well outside your home, but left unchecked, potential damage can lead to leaks, fires, ruptured pipes, and unnecessary energy expenditures. Normal wear and tear of the surfaces of your home and the growth of your landscaping can cause you expensive and dangerous problems. 

Convinced? Let’s get to work.

1. Inspect the Roof

Roof shingles can be damaged by wind, hail, sun, and more. Shingles may be cracked or missing altogether, leaving vulnerable places for moisture to seep in. Underneath the surface, eaves and supports can sustain water damage and begin to decay, causing weakness that leave the roof unable to manage the weight of snow and ice.

In inspecting the roof, it is also vital to check the rubber and seals around the chimney and vent pipes. These can be damaged by squirrels or dry rot over time, and nothing can sneak into tiny cracks and crevices better than water.

2. Put Away Tools

The lawn mower, edger, leaf blower, and other gardening tools have earned a well-deserved rest after keeping your landscaping trim and beautiful all summer. This is the perfect time to have them serviced, blades sharpened, and store them away in a safe, dry place until spring time returns.

3. Remove Dangerous Limbs

Diseased or dead limbs are especially dangerous when heavy-laden with ice and snow. The added weight leaves them liable to fall, crushing anything- or anyone- that is unfortunate enough to be below. Remove any that pose a threat, but hold off on major aesthetic pruning until near the end of winter if you want to maximize spring growth.

Don’t forget to examine limbs that are hanging over the house. To protect your home, cut away all limbs that could fall upon or against it.

4. Shut off Exterior Water Supply

Shutting off all exterior water supply lines will prevent bursting pipes when water freezes within them. After turning off the water valve, drain any lingering water from the pipes and hoses, and don’t forget about emptying out the irrigation system!

5. Inspect and Clean Chimney and Fireplace

Nothing warms up a cozy winter evening like a blazing fire in the hearth, but a poorly functioning chimney puts you at risk for both house fire and noxious gasses. A thorough chimney inspection and cleaning will make sure it vents properly, no hazardous debris is present, and that the damper is intact.

6. Keep the Cold Outside

At every entry point of your house, every window and door, cold air seeks to find its way in. Sealing windows with exterior caulk and doors with fresh weather stripping will trap warm air indoors and keep the cold out where it belongs.  

7. Heater Repair

It’s been several months since your heater has been called into action, and over those months, it may have collected more than just dust. Call your HVAC technician and have a thorough inspection and cleaning of all of the unit’s components before you wake up one frosty morning with icicles dangling from your toes.

8. Clean Out Gutters

Fall leaves can create a messy jam in gutters, causing water to back up and overflow. Standing water can freeze into ice dams that will weigh down, damage, and eventually strip your rain gutters right off of the house. In doing so, they can pull at the house’s exterior and cause damage to the structure itself.

If you don’t have them already, you may want to consider installing gutter guards to help prevent leaf clogs from ever forming.

9. Divert Water From the House

Take a close look at the downspouts of your gutters. Have summer rainfalls caused a washout at the base? That hole is the perfect place for water to gather, leaving a slick hazard for anyone who steps nearby. Allowing water to collect near the foundation of your house and freeze can also be problematic. For a quick solution, divert the water away from your house with a downspout extension.

10. Nourish Your Lawn

When you do that last mowing of the season, instead of bagging up your clippings, mulch them into small pieces and redistribute them across the lawn. These leaf and grass bits will sink down among the living grass blades and slowly decompose over the winter, enriching the soil and providing nutrients to help your lawn thrive in the springtime.

Finished?

If you’ve made it to the end of this list, you deserve a well-earned respite! Now you can relax and enjoy the season with peace of mind, knowing your family and your property are prepared for the winter. If at any point in your preparations you’ve spotted concerns or need assistance with repairs to your home’s exterior, give HomeWise a call. Our expert team will treat your home like it’s our own, and customer satisfaction is always our top priority. We look forward to working with you soon.