How to Prepare Your Home for Winter

Winter in Philadelphia and New Jersey can be a fierce affair, and the better our homes are prepared, the better off we will be. There are several important parts of the home that should receive attention prior to winter, in order to avoid property damage and wasted money. Here are a few tips to prepare your home for winter.

Inspect and Improve Caulking: If your windows are drafty, your heating dollars are seeping through the cracks. Get your home ready for the heating season by caulking the seams around your windows.

Check Weatherstripping around Doors: When entry doors do not seal correctly, you are paying good money to heat the great outdoors. Install appropriate weatherstripping. Also, if cold air is coming in below your doors, replace your threshold or install a door bottom sweep to keep out the winter chill.

Clear Out Gutters: If water cannot flow freely through your gutters and away from your house, you are inviting trouble in the winter. Clogged gutters will fill with water and then freeze, which can break the gutter and cause leaks and roof damage. Make sure you clean the leaves out of your gutter and/or re-hang your gutters if there are low spots where water pools.

Drain and Store Hoses: Garden hoses left outside probably still have water in them, which can freeze and ruin the hose. Also, you won’t need the hoses for a few months. Drain them well, then coil and store them for the winter. It is also a good idea to buy insulating covers for your exterior spigots.

Increase your Insulation: Older homes often have inferior insulation in the attics. Improve your heat retention by adding insulation in your attic.

Repair Rotten Wood & Repaint Bare Wood: If you have any rotten or bare wood, the winter weather will introduce significant moisture into your home, which is likely to cause rot or mold. Replace rotted boards, or if there are small rotten spots, they can be scraped out and filled with wood putty, like filling a cavity. Repaint any areas of siding, trim or fascia where the previous paint has failed or bare wood is exposed. If it is late in the season, use low-temperature paints.

Service Heating Systems: Before you turn on your gas heater, have your system inspected and tuned by a professional. This reduces the risk of fire, and it increases the efficiency of your unit. Have your chimney swept and inspected by a licensed tradesman to ensure your safety and health this winter.

Brennan’s Custom Painting would love to help you prepare your home for winter this year. We can perform many of the services listed here, including gutter cleaning, weatherstripping, caulking, insulating, wood repair and painting. We can also connect you to a reliable tradesman for heater service and chimney sweeping.

Committed to excellent customer service, at Brennan’s Custom Painting we complete our work with efficiency, professionalism and courtesy. Read some testimonials to see why our customers keep coming back to us! We service New Jersey, Philadelphia and northern Delaware.