Here’s a list of things you should do this fall to prepare your home for winter:
Must-dos:
- Furnace servicing: change filter, humidifier panel
- Shut off outside taps
- Drain garden hoses
- Clean eavestroughs/gutters and downspouts to avoid flooding
- Check flashing along eavestroughs and the roof to ensure water cannot seep through
- Check carbon monoxide/smoke detector
- Roof repairs
- Fill holes on the exterior of the house to ensure critters cannot enter
- Make sure your winter supplies are ready and in good condition: shovels, ice scrapers, salt, fuel for snow blower
- Clean dryer vents
- Chimney cleaning
- Insulate exposed piping
- Rake the leaves
And if you have time, here is the full winter-prep checklist:
- Fall gardening: remove annuals, plant bulbs, split perennials
- Hire snow removal service
- Winterize the sprinkler system
- Duct cleaning (every two or three years)
- Test sump pump & backwater valve
- Weather stripping
- Fill cracks in driveways, walkways and on steps (they can be trip hazards that get worse when water gets inside and freezes)
- Add extra insulation to the attic
- Move sensitive plants indoors
- Cover your A/C
Need help? Call one of our top rated home improvement experts in your city here.
