Winter is coming. Okay, maybe not for a few months, but as a homeowner, it is necessary to begin preparing for winter before its arrival. You may be thinking that fall has barely even begun. Why would you worry about winter already? Staying proactive and preparing your exterior, utilities, and home for everything winter will throw their way will keep your home in top working condition.
Colorado winters are filled with heavy snowfall and temperature drops. To stay comfortable within your home’s walls, there are specific projects that will help winterize your home. So, before winter creeps in, follow these tips to get your home winter ready.
Roof Tune Up
Your roof provides the ultimate protection for your home. A failing roof will fail to protect your home, but a solid roof will keep your home secure all winter long. Before winter arrives, have a professional inspect your roof.
Lifted shingles, cracked flashing, or missing caulk can allow water and cold air to make its way into the interior of your home, skyrocketing utility bills, lowering interior comfort, and ultimately causing interior damage. You should also make a trip to your attic to check for drafty areas in your roof. If you can see light making its way through the roof and into the attic space, your roof needs a tune up to seal the air leaks and prevent further damage. Have a professional fine tune your roof pre-winter.
Attic Care and Insulation
Your attic is a great place to add insulation. Heat rises, which means that as you spend precious energy (and money) heating your home’s interior, you don’t want that heat escaping through your roof. Insulation on your attic floor provides the perfect barrier to trap that heat inside of your interior where it belongs.
Insulation also helps prevent the formation of ice dams on your roof. Ice dams can inhibit melting snow from being able to properly drain, leading to water damage. So don’t overlook the importance of your attic.
Fine Tune Your Furnace
Don’t wait until winter hits to have your furnace checked. A broken-down furnace during the cold winter months can feel miserable. Now is the perfect time for a furnace inspection and tune up. In fact, routine tune-ups extend the life of your furnace and enhance its overall performance.
Have a professional ensure it’s in proper working condition as well as run a carbon monoxide test to check for leaks. Replace the filters to keep dust and debris from clogging its interior.
Clear Out Gutters
Gutters easily become filled with debris. And that debris can pile up and clog your down spouts. This leads to water buildup and even the formation of ice dams, as the temperature drops. Call a professional for a gutter cleaning.
The seasons are changing and transitioning into fall, so it’s important to prevent foliage from making its way into your gutters. You may even consider installing gutter guards for additional protection and easier maintenance.
Repaint Siding
Paint doesn’t just make your siding look nice. It acts as a protective barrier to the elements. Scratched or peeling paint cannot fully prevent water from penetrating and harming your siding material. Pre-winter paint plays a key role in siding care. So get out that paint brush before winter comes.
For less seasonal siding upkeep, consider installing a low maintenance form of siding. We install James Hardie® fiber cement, because it is weather resistant and its ColorPlus® technology keeps the paint and color strong, bypassing the need for additional coats from season to season.
Clean Out Your Chimney
Before the temperature drops and the fires begin blazing, have your chimney cleared out. Last year’s crud is likely lurking on its walls and in its flute, waiting to be removed. As you burn wood logs and warm your home, your chimney’s walls build up a layer of creosote, a flammable substance that should be cleaned from your chimney annually.
You should also have debris cleared from your chimney’s interior, as a fire preventative. Contact a chimney sweep to clear out the damper, flute, and crown of your chimney.
Window Update or Seal
The number one area for heat loss in a home is the windows, which means window care is extremely important for wintertime. If the areas around your windows feel drafty or the windows themselves are approaching their 20th birthday, it’s time to consider swapping out your windows before the cold Colorado winter sets in. However, for newer windows, consider replacing the seal or recaulking around the windows for additional protection.
If you are ready for replacement windows, energy-efficient windows provide added insulation to keep heat inside your home where it belongs. New windows help lower the cost of your energy bills, which every homeowner knows can skyrocket during the winter months.
Weather Strip Exterior Doors
Drafts, especially during winter, are a major no. But often the space around your doors can leak air. These leaks allow for heat loss and breezes, which leads to higher utility bills and a loss of comfort. Installing weather stripping around your exterior touching doors is a simple way to prevent this from occurring.
Weather stripping exterior doors is one of the simplest and most cost-effective ways to prepare your home for wintertime. Plus, you can easily install weather stripping yourself.
Stress-free Maintenance for a Stress-free Winter
You don’t need to feel anxious about your home’s exterior. Our main goal at Refined Exteriors is to provide you with a protective and functional space. But we also desire to increase the look and value of your home in the process. Our team works with the utmost professionalism to prepare your home for every season every year.
To alleviate worry and stress from your life this winter, contact us at (720) 360-1611 to schedule a free, no obligation consultation. Let’s make your exterior something to be proud of.
