Preparing For Winter: What Your Home Needs

by Grace Motley

As a new homeowner, the coming of your first winter in your new home can seem overwhelming and daunting. Having rented before, your landlord was in charge of winterizing the property and taking care of any issues that needed to be addressed before the cold set in. This may leave you feeling unsure and unprepared for your own preparations. It just takes a few simple steps to make sure that your home will endure the winter unscathed. All you have to do is learn what to do and make sure you act before the cold weather sets in.

Prepare Your Pipes

Your plumbing can take a hit during the winter too if you are not proactive. If your interior pipes are not already insulated, go to your local hardware store and buy some inexpensive pipe insulation. All you have to do is slip it around your pipes.

This will help prevent your pipes from freezing during the winter. Frozen pipes are not only frustrating because you will have no water supply, but they can also cause pipes to crack and burst leading to costly repairs.

Additionally, make sure you turn off the water supply to outside faucets before the first freeze of the year. This will also work in your favor in your efforts to prevent frozen pipes.If your pipes freeze and burst in the winter, you will find yourself with a flooded home and in need of flood damage restoration (water damage restoration). Make sure to take all of the precautions you can to prevent your home from flooding.

Inspect the Yard

In order to be well-prepared for winter, you have to recognize any potential problems surrounding your home. One issue that is often overlooked is the landscaping surrounding the house.

If you have trees, for example, look at them closely. Because it is still early in the fall, your trees should still look healthy and vibrant. Do you have any trees that have no leaves on or around them ? Does a part of a tree look good but the rest is rotting and lifeless? If so then, this can be a problem come winter.

Dead trees are weaker than those that are still alive. Heavy snow or ice in the winter can cause a dead tree to fall. And the last thing you want is for a tree to fall on your house in an ice storm.

So, if you have a dead tree anywhere near your home, you should call a tree removal service before the onset of winter to take care of it. You will rest assured that no rogue branches will find their way into your home this winter.

Get Your Roof Checked

Roofing contractors, such as those like Complete Restoration Services, recommend that you get your roof inspected by a professional once annually. There is no better time of year to have this inspection performed than immediately preceding winter. The cold season is tough on your roof and you want it to be in the best condition possible.

An inspection will ensure that you get any missing or damaged shingles replaced, and debris removed from on top of your roof. And while you're at it, cleaning out the gutters is important throughout the fall as well. Clogged gutters can lead to severe roof damage.

Winterizing your house may seem like a daunting and overwhelming task. However, if you just take it one small step at a time, you will do just fine. Follow these guidelines and your first winter in your new home will be pleasant and incident free.

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