Protecting your home throughout the seasons is one thing that you need to put into consideration all year round. As a homeowner, knowing what months do the seasons’ change will help you to plan better. You definitely do not want your beautiful and cozy home destroyed by Mother Nature. You may be wondering when does winter start and how much time do you have left to prepare? Winter starts from 1st December to 28th February (or 29th February in a leap year). This means you have time in the rest of the year to take necessary measures to ensure your home is ready for the cold season. Read on to find out how.
Best way to protect your home
Protecting your home during winter is critical as wind, snow, ice, and freezing temperatures can cause significant and costly damage to your property and home. Here are some of the things to consider doing before the harsh season kicks in to ensure your premises are safe throughout the weather change.
Roof and Gutters
An ice dam occurs when the heat from your attic escapes and warms the roof. The snow on the roof will then melt and later refreeze. This will cause the formation of ice and water will be trapped in the roof. The trapped water can leak into your house and cause a lot of damage. To ensure this does not happen, you will need to:
- Clean the gutters well during Late Fall and Spring. The gutters should be unclogged to discourage ice from forming and backing up under the roof line.
- Ensure you insulate your attic in a way that will allow sufficient warmth in the house and at the same time cool it to reduce melting of snow on the roof.
- Ensure the attic air ventilation is at 5-10degrees higher than the outside environment.
- Tighten any loose bolts on your gutters to make them firm enough to withstand the weight of snow and ice.
- Get a professional to help ‘shovel’ any excessive snow from your roof and gutters.
- Check that the gutters are correctly pitched to allow for water to flow to the downspout and away from the foundation or roof of the house.
Chimney and Fireplace
- Clean the fireplace flues and chimney every once a year
- Change carbon monoxide and smoke alarm batteries every thrice a year.
- Use a fire screen to control any firewood ember when heating the home. Remember to use seasoned firewood to reduce the creosote build up.
Trim the Trees
- Heavy snow on trees can weaken the branches causing them to break off and hence, a potential accident hazard. If there any weak branches or those touching your house, cut them off to remove the threat of gutter and roof damage
Bottom line
Extreme cold weather can be harsh for your home. Being prepared for it is a sure way of making the season more bearable and even fun. The last thing you would want is to spend your Christmas holiday worrying about your home and worse still, spend the entire spring repairing damages that could easily have been avoided. The great news is that Crown Remodelling LLC is at hand to help you with all your window, siding, gutter, and roof repairs.