If you want to have a cozy winter, you should ensure your home is well-prepared before the season arrives. This is especially important if you plan to move into a new home. No one wants their winter holidays ruined by leaks in the walls or ceiling, drafts, or even flooded basements. Therefore, here is some advice for preparing your home for the winter weather.
Planning a move in fall or winter…
First, it is essential to ensure your new house is ready for the winter. Moving all the furniture into your new home will be the least of your worries if the house has leaks or drafts.
Therefore, pay a visit to your new home several times. Pay attention to every nook and cranny, and call professionals for help. Professionals can identify the issue and fix it much safer and quicker. Trying to fix things on your own without any experience can only cause more damage and expenses.
Additionally, fall and winter often have wet days, making the moving process difficult. You will need to adequately cover your furniture for the move. Experts at Excalibur Moving and Storage advise getting water-proof covers, such as bubble wrap or plastic sheets. It will keep your furniture dry and safe from scratching during the move.
Professional movers often provide their furniture covers free of charge just for such occasions. Check with your moving company to see if they provide such services.
Check your pipe insulation
Temperatures can get relatively low in winter. In an improperly insulated water pipe, the water flowing through it can get frozen and in turn cause a burst pipe emergency. This is why it is essential to check your pipe insulation before winter.
You should especially pay attention to the pipes around your home that are directly exposed to cold. They can usually be found in house basements and crawl spaces. These pipes are usually forgotten about since they are often located out of sight.
Sweep your chimneys and order firewood
It is essential to check your chimney and the fireplace before the cold weather arrives. Throughout the year, we tend to forget about our chimneys, which gather all kinds of debris. Fall is primarily a season when it needs cleaning. All those leaves falling from trees can collect and dry up inside.
If not cleaned properly, this can cause significant damage to your home. This is how many accidental house fires happen every year. A well-swept chimney should be at the top of your list when preparing your home for the winter.
Another thing to consider is ordering firewood early. Ordering it early will be cheaper than getting the wood right before winter. However, it will also give enough time for the wood to dry properly. Make sure your firewood is placed in a dry place with good airflow. This will help keep your firewood dry throughout the winter.
Keeping your chimney clean is essential if you want to have a cozy fire during cold winter nights
Put away the unnecessary items
With winter on its way, we will spend much more time indoors. That means we no longer need our outdoor chairs, hammocks, parasols, etc. It is time to put away seasonal items and make some room. One of the critical tips for winter storage is to pay extra attention to storing large and bulky items. Don’t let any extra space go to waste in your garage or basement. Piling up things without order will make finding what you need more difficult. Your future self will thank you for the extra time you’ve put into being tidy and organized.
Check for drafts
This is probably one of the most important things to check when preparing your home for the winter. The doors and windows in your new home may be letting in the draft. This is difficult to check when inspecting the house in warm seasons. However, it is pretty essential to get it sorted before winter. Drafty doors and windows will cost you a lot of heat which will get out of your home.
Additionally, you will need to spend a lot more energy to keep your house warm. To avoid wasting money on high electricity bills or additional firewood, get your windows properly insulated. One of the cheapest fixes is placing insulation tape around your window and door frames.
Having your windows properly insulated will keep the cold out and the heat in!
Have your drainage system checked
Like your gutters, other drainage system elements can get clogged over time. This is why it is advised to have your drains checked and cleaned before winter arrives. The autumn season is a mix of rain and falling leaves. This combination can be detrimental to your drainage system.
One of the main indications that your drains need cleaning is slower water flow. You can easily unscrew the pipes under your sink and clean them. However, you should contact your local plumber for professional drain cleaning services if you don’t have any plumbing experience.
Keeping your drainage system clean will let the water flow away from your home with ease
Inspect the roof and the gutters
Roofs are essential to keeping our homes dry and warm. However, they go through a lot during the year. Before winter arrives, you should check the state of your roof and see if anything needs repairing or replacing. Your roof tiles or slates might have gotten loose over time and need replacing.
Additionally, the gutters on your roof also need checking. They can get clogged very quickly and become unable to drain the rainwater or melting snow away from your house. The fix for this is usually relatively easy; you just need to take out the leaves manually.
Final thoughts
As you can see, there is a lot of work to put in when preparing your home for the winter. However, this will ensure you have warm and safe winter holidays with your friends and family. Nothing is cozier than a warm fire on a snowy winter’s day. We hope these tips have helped you identify some things that need fixing around your home.