Preparing Your Home For The Winter Months

No one wants to say goodbye to summer, but as the days get shorter, the air gets crisper and leaves begin falling, it is the perfect time to begin preparing for the cold months ahead! Whether you are packing up the cottage or doing some fall maintenance around the house, a few hours of work over the next few months means you’ll be ready to enjoy next summer as soon as temperatures move into the positives.

First, make sure your home will be warm for the months ahead. Start by checking your HVAC system, fireplaces, windows and doors. An HVAC system in disrepair can lead to high energy costs, uneven temperatures and frequent repairs. Making sure your fireplace is functioning and nothing is blocking the chimney, will make those cozy nights that much more enjoyable. Finally, inspecting windows and doors is important to make sure that none of that valuable heat escapes to the great outdoors.

Next, start bringing in any outdoor furniture. Putting furniture, especially items such as mattresses, couches, and pillows into dry and sealed storage means they’ll be ready to enjoy once the warm weather is here again. Pro-tip: Use thick plastic to wrap and add in a scented dryer sheet to deter unwanted critters.

Making sure your roof and gutters are in good condition will reduce the risk of leaks and other damage caused by colder weather. The expanding and contracting of ice in gutters could cause significant damage to your home and the last thing you’d want to be doing is climbing a ladder when it’s -20ºC outside. This is also a great opportunity to resolve any landscaping issues that may have been forgotten over the summer.

Finally, do a check of your pipes, faucets, and fixtures. Bursts can damage belongings under sinks and cause leaks. If you live in an older home or travel frequently in the winter months, this is one you’ll want to add to your checklist.

We hope this inspires you to take on some projects to update, refurbish and clean parts of your home that may have gone unnoticed. Your home will look better, you can prevent larger issues and you’ll sleep better at night.