The American winter months are nice when they first start; but eventually, the discomforts of the cold will settle, and you’ll find yourself itching for when spring starts to come.
Before you sulk and hope for the warmer seasons, however, take time to enjoy winter, especially right from the comforts of your home. Engulf yourself in the magical white scenery from your window, all while staying warm and well.
This may be ideal, but it’s not a given in every household. A responsible homeowner would know winter is always something to be prepared for.
When the fall season starts, that should also be the go-signal for you to start thinking about preparing your home for winter. Those home preparation and maintenance tasks must cover not just the home’s interior but also the exterior.
While the former helps give you a comfortable indoor ambiance despite the cold, the exterior goes through all the heavy lifting. It’s, after all, what’s exposed to the harsh weather elements.
Here are some of the most useful tips to prepare your home’s exterior for winter.
Table of Contents
Pressure Wash Your Home’s Walls
Pressure washing your home’s exterior is something you have to do now while you can. It’s hard to predict how bad the snowfall can be or how long the winter season this time around will last when it’s at its peak.
So, don’t let your guard down by thinking you can move the pressure washing Sarasota FL tasks for later, as the snow will still fall on your walls anyway. Nonetheless, this notion may not necessarily be the best route to take. A more prudent move is to pressure wash early on and not wait for when winter is over.
You never know how much dirt, moisture, and grime your walls and roof will have to put up with when the snow starts to fall. You’ll want to start on an empty slate, meaning that your walls and roof are clean, so there isn’t any previous build-up adding to what winter brings.
Otherwise, damage to your roof and exterior walls may happen, and that’s not something you’ll want to deal with once the weather starts to get better. Don’t wait until later, and ring in pressure washing services in Venice FL now.
middle aged home Inspector taking notes during an inspection. selective focus side view of a man wearing winter clothes stands outdoor in the snow
Install A Storm Door
One of the most important parts of your home is your doors. During the warmer months, opening your door proves to be beneficial for your home so that you can bring cold air from the outside to the inside. Once temperatures start to drop, the door can also be a nuisance, such that your home can’t stay warm, with cold air sweeping through.
Installing a storm door is one of the best protective layers to preserve the heat and warmth from the inside. Usually made of wood, aluminum, or plastic, a storm door also as added insulation across your door as well. You’ll be glad to have that, particularly when the weather drops to freezing points.
Prune Tree Branches
When a winter storm is likely strong, you’ll want to check around your property, especially if you have trees. If branches are too close to your home’s exterior, prune or cut them.
That way, you won’t have to worry about the likelihood of those branches falling on your home’s exterior. The smaller branches may be easy enough for you to tackle independently. Yet leave the bigger and chunkier ones to the experts or a professional tree pruning service.
Caulk Around Windows And Doors
The gaps between the siding and window or door frames shouldn’t be any bigger than the width of a nickel or your local centavo coin. If it is, caulking it up is essential, particularly in preparation for winter.
When it comes to your exterior caulk, opt for a silicone one. This is best, given how it won’t sink, and it’s also impervious to the harsh outdoor weather elements.
Clean The Gutters
Your gutters can easily be one of the dirtiest parts of your home’s exterior. The reason is a lot of debris can get stuck in it, whatever the season is. The negative thing is that if your gutters are full of debris, water can’t flow through easily.
Rather, water will back up against the house and damage everything – the roofing, the trims, and the siding, among many things.
You’ll have to pay for this service, but it’s definitely worth it. In the process, the repair team will also look for any missing or damaged parts, so those can be repaired.
Conclusion
Taking this all in may seem like quite a lot of work, but it does make a huge difference in making your home more prepared to withstand the weather conditions come winter. There’s no place like home, and you’ll want to find comfort in your own space, away from the cold temperatures outside.
Keep in mind your home’s interior, and give the same weight of attention to the exterior with practical ideas like those above. Lastly, when unsure, don’t shy away from seeking the help of tradesmen to help you out with tasks that may already seem too technical for you to do.
