Preparing Your Home for Winter
It’s important to prep your home for the coming cold weather. Seasonal changes in temperature and moisture levels will require special attention for homes. This may also be a good time to consider having a professional home inspection to better assess the shape of the home.
“An annual home inspection is always a good idea so owners can prioritize home maintenance projects,’’ says Charlie Glahe, owner of WIN Home Inspection in Stapleton. “Home maintenance really goes a long way in helping to increase the value of a home.’’
WIN Home Inspection has compiled a list of home maintenance tips to save from costly replacements and repairs down the road:
Check Your Operating Systems including the furnace, fireplace, boiler, water heater, space heater, wood burning stove and the heating system. Be sure to clean and service to boost sufficiency. Fall is also a good time to check smoke, fire and carbon monoxide detectors.
Paint Your Home and do any touch-up work or repaint rooms because the weather is still warm enough to leave windows open.
Inspect Your Homes Insulation including the roof, weather-stripping and caulking. Caulking and weather-stripping keeps homes weather-tight and lowers heating and cooling bills. Look for chipped or peeling paint around windows, doors and frames and repair as necessary. Replace any loose or missing shingles on the roof and repair weak spots to prevent leakage.
Review Your Pipes for Leaks or Cracks by wrapping pipes with heating tape every winter and keep homes warm to prevent pipes from freezing. It’s also good to know where pipes are in the home and how to shut off the water to prevent pipe bursts.
Winterize Your Yard and Garden by trimming trees and shrubs. Look for broken branches and remove for safety precautions. The lawn should be fertilized to feed it through the winter. Clean out any pots and store for the winter.
Clean Gutters to ensures proper drainage and stability. Remove any debris that could clog up the gutters and cause standing/freezing water during the winter weather. Consider installing gutter guards to prevent debris from entering the gutter.
Inspect and Clean Windows to ensure there are no window leaks that may affect a future heating bill. Consider putting in storm windows to save energy and stand up better to strong winds, heavy rains and extreme cold. It may also be a good idea to remove screen windows or doors to prevent damage during storms.
About WIN
Charlie Glahe owns WIN Home Inspection and is a resident of Stapleton. His company offers home inspections, radon testing, and sewer scopes. Call 303-489-1867 to ask about our “Stapleton Special” on home inspections and radon tests in 80238!
