Autumn is a time for loving life. There’s that special nip in the air, brilliant colors on the mountainsides and tantalizing meals made from end-of-summer harvests.
As the air gets colder, maybe you’re imagining long restful evenings reading beside the fireplace or playing with your children in the snow. That happy, secure, nesting feeling with family is one of the joys of owning a home.
Making a home secure for cold weather takes work, though. Here’s what you can do to lock down potential problems before they become huge winter issues.
Examine the Exterior
Start winterizing at the edge of your property and move inward.
Love up your landscaping
It’s easier to take care of yard and garden projects outside before the weather gets too cold. Start by checking your perimeter.
- Clean up the trash around the edges of your yard
- Rinse and air-dry your trash and recycling bins
- Check your fences and gates for loose boards, and make any needed repairs.
Moving inward, start with your largest projects first.
- Prune your trees and shrubs. Haul away the dead branches.
- Rake up your leaves and compost them for some excellent garden soil in the spring, or use them to mulch around perennials.
- Clean out your gardens, and divide or move your perennials as needed. Mulch around your plants. Remember, to keep your plants healthy, don’t cover the center of the plant.
- Take care of your lawn. Mow it one last time, and aerate it if it’s needed. Don’t forget to fertilize your lawn!
At the edge of your house
- Check to make sure doors, windows and locks on your sheds and/or garage are working properly. Repair what needs repairing.
- Clean out your gutters and downspouts.
- Is your paint peeling? Scrape the peeling paint away and give your house a fresh coat. It’ll be a nice cold-weather makeover that could boost the value of your house, but more than that, it could help protect your siding and trim from further weather damage.
- Walk around your house to make sure the siding isn’t peeling away anywhere. It only takes one good wind storm to tear siding away, so make sure everything is nailed down tight.
- While you’re at it, check the trim around your doors, windows, railings, and If there are gaps, caulk them up to keep drafts and pests from worming their way in.
- Check your decks, patios, and sidewalks to make sure there aren’t loose boards or uneven patio stones that could cause someone to trip when it’s icy out. Repair areas that need some work.
- Check the roofs on your home, garage, and Make sure there aren’t any damaged shingles. If there are, replace them. Also, check the flashing around stovepipes and skylights.
- Remove or winterize air conditioners and swamp coolers.
- Check around your foundation to make sure there aren’t any places where vermin can get in. Use sealing foam to plug up any holes.
- Put everything away. Clean and store your garden tools, outdoor toys, and garden hoses. Shut off the exterior faucets and consider wrapping heat tape around exterior water pipes.
Investigate the Interior
Once you’re comfortable about how the outside of your home looks and feels, you can focus on the inside.
Start in the kitchen and laundry areas
- Check under and around your appliances to make sure that mice or other pests can’t find a way to get into your home.
- Clean out your dryer vents.
- Add weather stripping around your exterior doors.
Do some safety checks
- Make sure your smoke alarms, carbon monoxide detectors, and fire extinguishers are up to date.
- Check your furnace. Replace the filters as needed.
- If you use a wood-burning stove or fireplace, have the chimney cleaned. Check the wood-box and make sure it’s free of spiders.
Last-minute preparations
Before winter sets in, make sure you’ve got what you need on hand. Is your snow-blower working? Do you need to refill a propane tank or woodshed? Is your house insurance up to date?
Once those projects are done, grab your family, head indoors and enjoy your winter-ready home!