There is a Chill in the Air: Winterizing your home for the Season

Since the leaves are changing and about to fall as we speak, the time is now to look towards the significantly colder weather that will come as we transition from autumn to winter. While the transition from summer to fall can be gradual, the former change can be far more dramatic, so it is crucial that your home has been properly readied. Take a look at a few of our top recommendations for successfully preparing for the snow and ice of winter.

1. Attic Insulation

Since your attic is open to outside airflow through the openings in your soffit and gable vents, it is extremely important that the boundary between the conditioned area of your home and the attic is well insulated. As hot air naturally rises, it can easily escape into the attic, raising your heating bills and simply making your home feel cold. Additionally, the warm air can keep water on your roof liquid until the temperature drops significantly enough to freeze it, creating a dangerous buildup of ice.

2. Furnace Maintenance

You have done a good job making sure the warm air stays in, now, give some attention to the asset that produces it. Even if your furnace is functioning properly at the moment, have a certified HVAC technician perform preventative maintenance to make sure no issues will arise when the coldest air of the year occurs. There is nothing worse than having your system shut down when you need it the most. Additionally, there are simple steps you can take yourself such as changing out air filters which can greatly increase the longevity of the system.

3. Carbon Monoxide Safety

Even with your HVAC system functioning properly, you must always be prepared in case a problem occurs. With your home being properly sealed and insulated, any issues with ductwork or venting of HVAC waste air to the outside can cause carbon monoxide levels to rise very quickly. Install sufficient detectors to make sure that if levels do begin to rise, you’re notified with enough time to correct the problem and remove your family from harm’s way.

4. Reverse Ceiling Fan Blades

This is a simple task that can make your heating system run much more efficiently in the winter. By reversing your fan blades, instead of air being pushed down into the room, air is brought towards the ceiling. By forcing air up, the warm air that gathers higher up in the room is forced back down to the living area. Since this warm is not being wasted in the part of the room where no one is residing, you are able to keep your thermostat at a lower setting thus saving energy and money.

5. Inspect Weak/Dead Tree Limbs

With a chance of an extra snowy winter this year in the mid-Atlantic east coast due to the El Nino weather event, it is more important than ever to inspect the trees that are within falling distance of your home. If a tree is dead, have it completely removed or just the branches which are no longer alive. Even if a tree is alive and well, if it overhangs your home, a large amount of snow could still snap a branch off creating costly damage. A proactive move is to remove these branches prior to an unfortunate situation occurring. Another good tip is that dead are dying trees are not always obvious. Sometimes it’s good to have a lawn care specialist come out and take a survey to identify possible issues.

6. Mark Paths and Driveway for Easy Snow Removal

While you know exactly the position and boundaries of your driveway and walkways, the person who may be clearing snow from them may not. A simple trick that can save time and therefore money is prior to a snowstorm, mark the outline of these surfaces with steaks. This allows whoever is clearing them to be able to complete the task in the most efficient way possible.

7. Luxury Upgrades

While all of the previous recommendations can seem like mundane tasks that must get done, we will close with some possibilities that are geared towards yourself as a homeowner. If finances allow, consider adding an item such as a heated towel rack to your bathroom. Additionally, a larger project such as heated floors can truly bring luxury to your bathroom during a cold winter. While these items may seem superfluous, once you experience them, you will fail to remember how you got by without them!

Want more insight into how RessaBuilt can help you transform your home? Check out the informative articles on our blog, or contact us to get your own home remodeling project started.