Winter Home Prep: Part 1

United Country Midwest Lifestyle Properties agents know the work it took to find you your dream home! Keeping your dream home in tip-top shape will take work as well. Winter home prep is perhaps the biggest jobs you’ll perform for your home. Let us help you with a list of items for you to perform as you prepare for Old Man Winter! SMART TIP: Keep a notebook dated with your seasonal cleaning and fixing. Keep receipts and date each time you make a repair, replace something or fix it.

Up on the roof

When preparing for winter, it’s important to check up, down and all around your home. Winter snows in the Midwest will give your roof a workout. It’s best to get up there and check for any missing shingles. Nobody wants melting snow leaking in through your roof in February. A quick look up on your roof will let you know if you have loose or missing shingles.

While you’re checking your roof, you might as well check your gutters for leaves and twigs. SMART TIP: A great tool for scooping out gutter debris is an old metal serving spatula. Run the metal spatula under the gutter debris and flip it out into a waiting trash can below. Give your gutters a rinse by running a hose down the downspouts and letting water run through the rain gutters.

If you burn wood in your fireplace or insert, give the chimney a check and the inside of your insert. Inspect the bricking or stone work for cracks or joints that need tuck pointing. Some folks are up to the challenge of cleaning their fireplace chimney to remove any creosote buildup. You can easily purchase a chimney cleaning kit at a local hardware store. Catch a YouTube video for a quick tutorial on cleaning or brick and mortar tuck pointing repair.

Whether you clean your own chimney or have it professionally done, having a fireplace chimney inspected by a professional chimney sweep every other year is a wise move. Most chimney sweeps perform a cleaning followed by an inspection. This inspection looks for any cracks in the chimney, baffles needing replacement, and broken bricking within your fireplace insert. SMART TIP: Firewood MUST be seasoned.  Wood species drying time varies. Purchase a Moisture Meter and test regularity. Burning wood requires an average moisture level of 17%.

Windows, doors, vents, lighting and siding

Grab a cup of coffee and take a stroll around your house. Check the windows for any loose caulking, or caulk in need of replacing. Look for paint coming loose on your wood siding or touch-ups needed on your composite siding. While you are walking around, find your dryer vent. Make sure there is no lint caught at the end of the vent.

The next vent to check would be your furnace venting. Cut back or remove any shrubbery has grown too close to the venting. To prevent snow and ice from building up and closing the venting, cut down any landscaping grasses. SMART TIP: After snow accumulates, weekly take a walk around and check your furnace venting and keep it clear of snow.

You should ensure that storm doors close well and remove window screens for cleaning. Depending on your preference, possibly store the screens for the winter to prevent damage. SMART TIP: If you’re not replacing the screens back in the window, be sure to label each screen with a felt-tip marker with each screen’s proper location.

Outside lighting becomes your best-friend during the short sun light season. This job will be better with a buddy and your phone. Have someone turn on each light while you note which lights are working. Check those lights not working and see if they need a new light bulb or a fixture replacement. SMART TIP: Take each bulb that needs replacing with you to the hardware store to ensure you get the right replacement.

Don’t forget to check outdoor water faucets! Make sure they are frost proof, and if not, buy an insulated faucet cover and cover that faucet! Stay tuned for more Winter Home Prep in our next article Winter Home Pre: Part Two.

United Country Midwest Lifestyle Properties. Call us at 608-742-5000 and see why people and properties are our two favorite investments!