Checklist to Prepare Your Home for the Cold Season

Homes require occupants. When they are neglected, they degrade rapidly. I make a respectable living by purchasing abandoned houses whose owners can no longer maintain because they require too much effort. Spend some time safeguarding your investment. The fall is a great time to start planning for home maintenance and preparing it for the coming winter. You can do the following things to get ready for the season and maintain a pleasant home:

 

Check the Heating and Cooling System in Your House

Many heating and air conditioning systems endure 12 to 15 years on average. At ten years, I observe systems that are essentially dead; at 20 years, I watch systems that are functioning correctly. This is mainly due to how they are maintained.

 

Take advantage of this opportunity to, at the very least, change your filters before it gets chilly. I advise having a trustworthy HVAC contractor examine the system. Even better, consider signing a yearly maintenance contract. Ask the contractor to inspect your system to ensure that your heat will function when you require it.

 

Finding an HVAC issue in the cool fall months is preferable to discovering a broken furnace in the middle of a bitterly cold winter.

 

Seal, Paint, and Caulk Exterior Wood

 

Your home’s exterior wood trim has to be weatherproofed in its entirety. However, the wood trim around your outside doors and windows is only a one-inch-thick wood board that deteriorates exceptionally quickly if not maintained, unlike the pressure-treated or rot-resistant wood species used on your deck. I notice a lot of decaying wood around the edges of exterior doors and bay windows.

 

It is expensive and difficult to replace this trim, and even professionals sometimes have trouble making the restoration seem good. The best course of action is to prevent it from rotting from the start place, which entails maintaining it coated and caulked. Most people can complete this task alone if they remain on top. When the wood has rotted and has to be replaced, you’ll probably need to engage a skilled trim carpenter to take over the project. Take the time to inspect your home to ensure that no caulk is breaking and that the paint is not flaking and chipping away before that occurs. If so, remove the damaged paint or caulk and replace it.

Brickwork and Hard Surfaces Should be Sealed

 

Your patio also needs maintenance. Be sure to protect any concrete walks, patios, or driveways you have. All of your flat external concrete surfaces should every so often be sealed with a concrete sealant. Every concrete flat-work will ultimately crack. Control joints are intentionally inserted into your concrete by good masons to limit cracking. Before applying a sealer, inspect your concrete thoroughly and fill in any cracks to prevent water from seeping in and freezing over the winter. This should guarantee the long-term durability of your costly concrete installation.

 

Examine your Drainage

 

Verify that the earth around your foundation hasn’t changed, leaving spaces where water could collect. Simply fill in any low areas with soil if you see any. Next, walk around and inspect your gutter downspouts. Verify that water is being transported away from the house.

 

Clear the Gutters

 

It’s time to clean the gutters once the leaves have fallen from the trees. When your gutters overflow from a backup, the water pours down your house and accelerates the degradation of your facade.

Working on these projects may seem daunting, but we promise you you will thank yourself when the winter arrives; you and your family are well protected for the long cold months we’re about to endure.