3 Winter Home Prep Steps That You’re Skipping

Setting up your home for winter is an important thing to do each fall. You must ensure that your home is insulated, that all the outside work is done not to cause a mess. That all of it comes together so you can stay nice and cozy during the winter. Winterizing your home can help it last longer while preventing a lot of damage in the process.

As you work through your home to get it ready for winter, there are likely a few steps that you will forget. The three winter home prep steps that you are most likely skipping and need to take care of right away include:

Sealing Up the Exterior

It is essential to protect your home from extreme temperatures that may show up during the winter. Take some time to seal the outside of your home to keep as much heat inside the home as possible. While also preventing damage in the winter. A simple exterior coating can give you an easy method to help meet both of these goals.

There are two ways to add that exterior coating. A fresh coat of paint can work well to protect the side of the house. But it may not last for more than one winter before it starts to flake and peel off. The second option of siding is often more efficient to get the work done. It can prevent heat transfer, prevents damage during the winter, and is designed to last a long time.

While you are sealing up the exterior of your home, take some time to prep your door locks for the cold. It is possible that the coils of your home could freeze shut during the cold winter months and make it hard to get back inside. The cold may also contract the locks, so the key will no longer fit in. Preparing the door locks for the cold can prevent this from happening.

Inspect the Roof

Even when your roof is brand new, there is the potential that winter can cause some damage to it. Small cracks or areas worn out over the years can be vulnerable to water seeping right into your home. Then when the temperature drops, water freezes and expands, causing more cracks and damage to the roof. Without proper care, this can lead to more leaks and damages inside the home.

Before the bad weather starts to hit your area, consider having the roof inspected. A trained professional is best for this. They can take the time to look at the top from all angles to see any issues you need to be aware of. If anything is found, you can get it fixed before winter comes and causes the damage.

Another thing to remember is if you have a fireplace with a chimney, get those inspected simultaneously as the roof. These are areas where a lot of cold can seep into the home, and they get stuck with the lower temperatures of winter. Have your inspector look at bricks and mortar for damage as well as the liner and flashing to avoid any problems later on.

Insulate Windows and Clear Gutters

Your gutters will often take a beating during the fall, with all those beautiful leaves falling and getting in the way. If you do not clean out the gutters once most of the leaves have fallen, they will stay there, getting stuck and blocking everything in their past. Any water that gets stuck in the gutters will turn into ice before it can drain out, causing cracks and other damage to your channels. 

While cleaning out the gutters, inspect them to see whether they have any cracks or damage. This is the perfect time to get everything fixed on the channels before the temperatures drop and you have a bigger mess on your hands. 

You can also check out the windows and see if anything needs to be fixed or repaired on those. These are one of the biggest culprits to allowing heat out of the home during the winter. If anything is wrong with the windows, make sure to get them fixed as quickly as possible. When possible, add in some more insulation to help keep out the cold winter air and prevent your home from running too much electricity through the winter.

Bonus: As you work to help prepare your home for winter, do not forget that your sump pump needs attention. It may not rain a lot during the winter, but when all that snow starts to melt, you may need some help keeping the water out of your basement. You do not want to find out the sump pump stops working right as the snow starts melting. Check it before the temperature drops too much and get it fixed to save time and hassle later on.

Keeping Your Home Safe in Winter

These steps may seem like a lot of work, but it is essential to take the proper steps to keep your home safe in winter. This will help prevent cracking and breaking in the home when water turns into ice and gets into places it should not. By adding these few steps to your regular checklist, you will find that it is easier to keep your home safe through the winter.