Brrrr! Weather-Proof Your Home In 10 Ways

Fall is well and truly upon us, and this means the browning of the leaves, the blowing of the wind and the time to ‘clean house’. We hear a lot about spring cleaning when the warmer weather is dawning, but there’s a lot to be done in Fall just as much as there is in spring. One of the biggest things that has to be done as the temperatures drop is to prepare the house for the cold weather. You can swap your wardrobe, upgrade your winter boots and make sure your car is scraped of frost every morning, but if you’re coming home to a cold house that is leaking warmth, none of the rest of it matters.

Quite apart from the fact you deserve to be in toasty warm comfort, the more your home is chilly, the more energy you burn through trying to warm it up. Cranking up the thermostat and leaving the hot water on all day will do nothing for the temperature on the inside of your home unless you work on getting it winter ready. It doesn’t matter whether your house is made of stone slabs, bricks or timber like the ones you find at www.DavisFrame.com, if you’re not treating your home the right way you will be spending so much money! The gas and electricity bills are always going to go up in the colder season as we use more energy to try and keep warm, but you don’t have to spend as much as you think.

Freezing weather does more than make us upgrade in our homes or wardrobes. It can make us utterly miserable! Did you know that even your mood can be affected by the weather? It makes us want to hibernate, for a start, as the early mornings that are still shrouded in darkness feel wrong to wake up in. We tend to eat more in the colder months, too, for insulation. So, you see how humans naturally start to try and keep warm through the winter? Well, it’s time to look to the house you’re living in and figure out ways you can keep it warm and ready for you at any time. We’ve got 10 of the best ways you can get your house perfectly weather tight before the snow begins to fall and the temperatures drop into the minus numbers. Check out our list below and get started now, while it’s starting to get chilly!

Weather-Proof Home 

Check The Roof

Did you know that most of the heat of the home dissipates through the roof? The roof of a house doesn’t get nearly as much attention as the interior, and it’s a shame given what it goes through. The roof endures rain, hail, snow, heavy winds and being covered in the debris of nature. It’s the first place you should go to when it comes to weather-proofing your home. Checking for broken tiles, slate, chimney stability and gutters are all imperative so that you can make sure there are no cracks that will let water sink into the house. If these cracks are left untreated, you’ll end up a lot colder than expected!

Clean The Gutters

We mentioned the gutters above as part of your roof, and they are, but you do need to pay some special attention here. Gutter Cleaning Portland says that gutters are the perfect place for animals to nest, and they are also perfect for gathering leaves, sticks and other rubbish that has been blown upward by the wind. The gutters will shift a lot of water for you through the winter months, so you need to ensure they are cleaned out, dried out properly and any cracks or breaks patched up. If you leave any debris, the blockages can cause a water build up and if this water then freezes, you’re looking at cracked gutters!

Drain The Drains

Guttering feeds into drains, and so it makes sense that these can build up as much as gutters can. Cleaning out the drains doesn’t have to be a job done by you – if you prefer to call in the professionals you should do it! You will notice if the drains need doing simply because toilets, sinks and the bath will take a lot longer to drain out. Get it done before the cold truly sets in.

Loft Inspections

If you are fortunate enough to have a loft space, you’ll know that this is how all the heat escapes from your house and out through the roof. Insulation like this is so important for a loft, as you want the heat to bounce back down into the home and not escape through the walls. Gaps in insulation can be easily filled, you just have to know where to shop. Cracks in the walls can also be sealed up so that heat bounces down again, and you can ensure that the loft stays closed through the winter months, keeping the heat where you want it.

Rising Damp

While this sounds like a film, it’s not. It’s pretty serious! Winter is a damp time, meaning that you have your home at risk of expensive repairs. Always gravitate toward the windows when looking for damp in the home, as this is where it tends to begin. Checking for damp is easy; discolouration, speckles that are green or black and bubbling wallpaper and paint are all classic signs that the walls are not as dry as you’d like. Get this dealt with ASAP to save yourself a lot of bother and cash.

Garden Protection

You have spent most of the year looking after your garden, making sure the furniture and the outlay is nice and putting in a pond with marine life. Dealing with the garden before the cold weather sets in means that you’re not dealing with frozen furniture. Get your furniture stored in the garage and covered in tarpaulin. It’s also a good time to check for loose fence panels and check the screws are all intact – windy weather can get a little bit much at this time of the year.

Mind The Gap

It’s not just the cold you need to think about entering your home on the chilly winter nights, but the rodents and insects looking for somewhere to hunker down for warmth! A big part of weatherproofing your home is ensuring you don’t have any unwanted house guests through the colder months. Identifying the cracks and gaps throughout the home that could prove problematic is a big step to take to ensuring you won’t be laying down traps or fumigating!

Boil Over

Your boiler is an essential tool for warmth. Hot baths, hot radiators and cosy evenings rely on your boiler. It’s important that you get a yearly boiler service just before the cold months, as replacing a burst boiler or one that has pipework about to crack is going to prove expensive. In the winter, the boiler works a lot harder to keep the temperature up at the new level. Keep your thermostat timed and programmed for a certain temperature to ensure that you aren’t wasting any heat, either.

Draughts – Not Just A Game

You know years ago, when your grandmother handed you that long, knitted snake thing and you had no idea what it was for? Well, now you know it’s a draught excluder and it’s designed to go along the French doors of the home to keep the draughts out. If you have the heating on through the winter, you need to make sure you’ve gone through the entire house and sorted the potential draughts that are coming in. If this means treating the windows, then you need to ensure you do that as well to keep the heat firmly inside where it should be.

Interior Fun

Now you’ve sorted out all the possible heat escapes and issues with pipework, you need to think about your interiors. Break out the fleece bedroom blankets and add flannel sheets to the beds. It’s getting colder out there and if you’re adding to your wardrobe, you also need to add to your duvet tog level. Thicker winter duvets on the bed along with a rug laid down on wooden floors through the house can not only give your home a new look, it can keep you toasty! Don’t forget to hang those floor-length curtains, either, as they are brilliant for making a room cosy.

Weatherproofing and preparing a house is a smart idea for every home, whether house or apartment. You’d prepare your house for the summer by stripping back to let the house feel cool, so it makes sense to add layers to your home to give you the feeling of warmth and comfort. When you take the time to ensure you have done all the exterior jobs, you can then focus on the interiors, and we all know how much fun it is to shop for bedding and blankets. Get your home winter ready and enjoy a season of comfort, joy and total warmth!