Preparing Your Home For Winter: Essential Tips for Homeowners

As winter approaches, it's time to prepare your home. Here are essential tips for homeowners as the cold weather sets in.

As the winter season is approaching, it is essential to remember that you must prepare your home because it can threaten your home with harsh weather conditions. 

Most of these steps are things you can do yourself, and they will help cut your utility costs, protect your investment, and possibly increase the value of your home. Low temperatures can wreak your home in many ways that you need to be prepared for. 

During the holidays and winter months, protecting your home in many ways, especially your pipes, is a good idea. Knowing where certain things are around your home is essential to determining what needs to be protected and minimizing damages. 

Following specific steps and tips can save your home from damage. Keep reading to learn more about essential tips to prepare your house for the cold if you live in a colder environment or are looking to buy a home in a place that experiences cold weather to understand what you need to know. 

Here are the essential tips for homeowners preparing your home for winter. 

1. Clean Your Gutters

Cleaning your gutters before winter arrives is crucial. It prevents leaves and debris from causing blockages, slowing down water drainage, increasing the likelihood of ice dams, and putting extra strain on your gutters and roof. 

You can clean gutters yourself or hire a company. If you do it yourself, you should start by securing your ladder with someone else's help. Then, clean out the debris with gloves or a scoop and check for leaks or cracks to ensure they are secured. 

When you are done, run water through the downspouts to identify and clear any blockages. If you find stubborn clogs or safety issues, you might consider hiring professional help.  

2. Trim Tree Branches

As winter approaches, the weight of snow and brisk winds can challenge even the healthiest trees. Therefore, it is important to pay special attention to branches that may overhang your home. Regular trimming of these branches is highly recommended to safeguard your roof from potential damage. 

For optimal tree health, prune in late winter or early spring when plants are still in their dormant phase. This timing allows them to recover more effectively and will inspire fresh growth as warmer weather arrives. Proper pruning techniques should be explored to make clean cuts and avoid removing more than one-third of the foliage at once.

Many often overlook this crucial aspect of tree care, particularly in areas that experience heavy snowfall. By preparing your trees ahead of winter, you can prevent significant issues down the line.

3. Re-caulk Windows and Doors

Re-caulking your windows and doors in preparation for winter helps to prevent air and water infiltration, keeping the heat inside your home. This added insulation reduces heat loss through the windows, which can lead to savings on your heating bills. There are various effective methods for re-caulking, regardless of the weather conditions.

4. Get Roof Inspected

Many insurance and home maintenance professionals emphasize the importance of regular roof inspections. Prior to the winter season, having your roof examined is essential for several reasons. It not only prepares your roof for the challenging winter weather but also helps identify potential issues early, preventing extensive snow damage.

Furthermore, an inspection can reveal any weather-related problems from previous seasons, such as spring or summer, allowing you to winterize your roof and mitigate new damage adequately. A well-cared-for roof also enhances your home's insulation, which can ultimately lead to reduced utility bills. Taking this proactive step can significantly benefit both your home and your budget.

5. Inspect Home Systems

As we approach the winter season, it's a great time to have your HVAC systems inspected. This will help ensure that your home is warmed evenly, keeping you cozy and free from drafts. Please take a moment to check for any plumbing or sewer issues, as well as potential frozen pipes. If you observe any damage, I recommend reaching out to a professional inspector promptly.

Additionally, it's wise to conduct a visual check of your electrical systems for any signs of wear or damage—just remember not to touch anything! Enlisting the help of an expert for this task is always a safer choice.

If you own carbon monoxide detectors, kindly change their batteries and test them if your model allows it. Since carbon monoxide is odorless and colorless, having functional detectors is crucial for your safety during the winter months, especially as data from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) indicates that carbon monoxide poisoning is more prevalent during this time. 

6. Enhance Home Insulation

Improving your home insulation for winter can help keep your space warm and cozy. If you have a screen door, consider replacing the screen in your storm door with a glass panel to prevent drafts. You don't need to be a homeowner to find ways to enhance your home insulation and save on utility bills.

You can seal doorways with weatherstripping to reduce drafts and use double draft stoppers for larger gaps. Adding a layer of protection to drafty windows with plastic sheeting and hanging thermal-backed curtains can also help keep the cold out—these are all affordable and temporary solutions.

For homeowners looking to fully insulate their homes, consider insulating exterior foundation walls, sealing exterior holes with pest-resistant foam, insulating rim joists with rigid insulation, and caulking around room air conditioners.

7. Protect Plumbing

Insulating the pipes in your home's crawl space, attic, and garage is important in winter to protect your plumbing from freezing temperatures. You can use pipe insulation, heat tape, or thermostatically controlled heat cables. Additionally, seal any leaks that allow cold air inside, especially if they are near pipes.

If you are experiencing freezing weather and do not plan to use your hose bib this winter, be sure to disconnect the garden hose and shut off and drain the water. During cold snaps, you can help prevent frozen pipes by letting warm water drip from your faucet overnight, opening cabinet doors to allow heat to reach uninsulated pipes, and keeping your thermostat set to 60 degrees Fahrenheit in the winter.

According to HomeAdvisor, a burst pipe can cost about $500 to repair and may cause as much as $3,000 in additional damage. Protect your home to avoid these costs.

8. Service Furnace/Chimney

Fireplaces, chimneys, and other heating equipment are among the leading causes of home fires, according to the Consumer Product Safety Commission. It's important to have these systems serviced and inspected annually. Additionally, ensure that the inspector examines the condition of the chimney brick periodically, as regular maintenance is necessary to prevent water leaks.

9. Repair Outdoors

Roof Inspections

If you suspect that your roof has loose, damaged, or missing shingles, it's important to have a licensed roofing contractor inspect it and make any necessary repairs before the first snowfall. A cubic foot of snow weighs about 20 pounds, and that pressure can cause loose shingles to shift even more, allowing water or moisture to penetrate your roof and potentially lead to leaks.

Repair Patios/Pavers

If you spot a loose patio or paving stone, it's wise to address it before winter, as the freeze-thaw cycle may worsen the situation. Consider having a skilled mason or handyman reset the stones in the fall to ensure your outdoor space remains beautiful and safe. 

Secure Water Sources

It's advisable to drain and store any garden hoses or sprinklers before the first frost to prevent them from freezing and bursting. First, turn off the water supply valve indoors for hose bibs, then open the outdoor spigot. If you only turn off the outdoor spigot, trapped water may freeze and cause a burst pipe.

Garden Beds, Paths, Driveways

After a heavy snowfall, it can be not easy to distinguish where driveways, flower beds, and walkways end and where your yard begins. To provide a clear path for blowing or shoveling snow, consider using fiberglass snow poles or driveway markers placed every few feet along the edges of these areas. This will help keep your yard and the exterior of your home looking pristine.

10. Reverse Your Ceiling Fan

As winter approaches, preparing your home can be both simple and rewarding. One particularly effective adjustment is to reverse your ceiling fans to rotate clockwise during these colder months. This small change can lead to a remarkable reduction in heating costs, potentially saving you up to 10%.

The clockwise motion creates an updraft that gently brings the warm air, which tends to rise back down into your living space, ensuring a cozy and even temperature throughout your home.

Enhancing air circulation with your ceiling fans allows you to lower your thermostat setting without sacrificing comfort, resulting in energy savings and cost efficiency. There are numerous easy ways to get your home ready for winter, so make sure to explore these straightforward steps and enjoy a warm and inviting atmosphere during the season ahead.

Methodology

We used information from different sources and our data to create this guide on essential tips for homeowners to prepare their homes for winter. 

• Bankrate
• HomeAdvisor
• Energy Star

The following are a few sources we used to gather most of our information on preparing your home for winter. 

FAQS

Do I need to prepare my home for the cold weather?

Regardless of whether you are a homeowner or a renter, it's important to prepare your home for the cold months to prevent damage and reduce energy costs. This is especially critical for homeowners, even in temperate regions.

What are some cheap ways to prepare a house for cold weather?

You can affordably prepare for the cold by adding insulation to pipes and sealing gaps around windows and doors. It's also important to take care of your landscape by trimming trees and ensuring your heating system is tuned up for optimal performance to avoid unexpected repairs. Additionally, check your roof for any damage and make sure to install smoke and carbon monoxide detectors for safety.

What are some winter safety tips for a house?

It's important to keep a few things in mind when winter arrives. First, take steps to prevent your pipes from freezing, and if they do freeze, make sure to follow the proper precautions. Additionally, ensure that you have a carbon monoxide detector installed. This silent threat claims nearly 1,000 lives each year.

How do I prepare my house for freezing temperatures?

To keep cold air out, tightly close all doors and windows and repair any broken or drafty ones. Additionally, check for leaks in crawl spaces and basements and winterize unheated areas to prevent the cold from entering.

Preparing Your Home For Winter: Essential Tips for Homeowners - The Bottom Line

As winter approaches, preparing your home for cold weather and the potential for snow is important. Taking proactive steps can help reduce utility bills, protect your investments, and even increase your home's value. Fortunately, many of these tasks can be done on your own.

 

It's crucial to dedicate time to winterizing your home. Don't be tempted to overlook this preparation. Cold weather and winter storms can damage and stress your home's systems, so performing routine maintenance is essential to prepare for the chilly months ahead.

If you are considering moving or selling, contact us or visit our website. Our team at Raleigh Realty is here to help you with any home buying or selling needs.