Cold weather can be very tough on your home and your wallet!  Temperature difference between the inside of your home and the outdoors can be 50+ degrees and so its important for a home owner to keep an eye on things and make sure that their home gets a little bit of TLC.  This is a great way to prevent major repairs and keep home ownerships costs down.

Here are some tips to keep your home running smoothly when the New England winter weather is upon us.

• Keep your home warm and cozy by insulating it; this will help keep the cool air out and the warm air inside.  Lack of insulation or poor insulation can be quite costly in running the heat.
• Make sure you seal up any openings in the outside of your house – this will help keep drafts out.  Consider running your hand over your basement walls.  Do you feel a draft?  Can you hear a breeze?  You may have some spots that need to be sealed.
• Don’t forget to get your furnace serviced and inspected before the cold season – it’ll help keep it running smoothly and safely.  Plus, you don’t want to be calling a plumber at 2 in the morning because the furnace died!
• If you want to stop ice dams forming, make sure your gutters and downspouts are free of any rubbish.
• Think about getting storm windows or window film – it would give you an extra layer of insulation.
• Make sure to put weather stripping on all your doors and windows if you haven’t already. This will help keep out any cold air and prevent drafts.  Weather stripping is a very cheap insulation booster that provides you comfort and keeps your heating bills down.
• Get your chimney cleaned and checked regularly to stop fires and dangerous levels of carbon monoxide.
• Make sure you shovel the snow/ice away from your driveway and pathways so you don’t slip and fall.
• Keep your roof in tip-top shape, that way it can withstand heavy snow and you don’t have to deal with leaks or any issues.
• It’s wise to have an emergency winter kit ready, in case you ever experience a power outage or any other kind of emergency. It should include things like flashlights, blankets and food that won’t go bad.

We generally recommend that you spend about an hour or so walking around your home before winter starts and inspecting everything.  Does anything seem to be off, rotten, squeaky, bent or wet when it shouldn’t be?  You may see signs of something that might go wrong and can possibly be easily fixed now before it completely fails and costs you a ton down the road.

If you need help with any TLC projects for your home then give our handymen a call at 781-888-7225 and let us help you and your home out!