How to Winterize Your Home

Something often overlooked when winterizing your home is the outside of your home as well as the inside. We’ll be taking a look at both to make sure you’re ready for the coming months of cold.

Seal Any Cracks Or Gaps

Often times a house may shift and begin to settle, especially with older homes small openings begin to appear. Sometimes around the door frame, windows, and near the roofline. Make sure that all of your property is checked inside and out for and gaps or cracks that can be filled. Often caulking and all weatherstripping will do the trick but a professional may need to be called if you see serious issues around load-bearing walls or the foundation. Additionally, when planting new shrubs, and trees consider how aggressive the root systems are they can affect foundation cracking, shifting, and settling.

Make Sure The Gutters Are Okay

Gutters often start to get clogged during the fall when leaves being to fall or you experience more precipitation of any kind. Making sure they are clean, and still load-bearing is important to extend their life and to make sure they function properly.

Be clear to any children or elderly that while icicles may look cool that they can be dangerous. Oftentimes people with no experience stand directly underneath them when knocking them off the side of their roof. This can cause unnecessary personal risk to someone who’s just trying to help.

Make Sure Your Landscape Is Okay

Most plants go into a hibernation period during the winter to conserve resources. Make sure to do your tree trimming, as any snow or storms that come through can cause weak branches and limbs to snap. Falling onto your property could cause damage.

Look for signs of unhealthy limbs that may be struggling or need to be removed ahead of time. Secondly, by making sure you take care of this well in advance you can make sure your tree has the time to recover and be ready for winter. Trimming trees is something that might need a professional. Smaller branches and offshoots can be handled by homeowners if they are so inclined, but larger branches and thick growths should be left to the professionals to avoid damage to your home, and ensure the longevity and health of your trees and landscape.

The same goes with any shrubbery that needs major maintenance, better to do it as the weather cools than during the heat of the summer or in winter.

Lastly, make sure to clear out any branches or debris in your yard that is easy to see now but may be dangerous once covered up in snow or pushed around by a storm. A rake, shovel, or other sharp objects may be unassuming in the fall but dangerous in the winter.

Regulate The Heat

While staying toasty inside by the fire is great for you it can cause issues for your home. On especially cold nights make sure that pipes have open access to heated air. Just opening your cabinet doors where exposed pipes are is enough to stop a burst from happening.

Take A Look At The Roof

While it may be too late to have a new roof installed checking it out and making sure there are no obvious signs of holes, patching, sagging, or missing shingles is important. Minor patches and fixes can stop a drip from turning into a much larger issue as the season goes on.

As always, if you require services in making sure that your trees are healthy and ready for the winter please reach out to us!