Protecting your Home: Fall Maintenance

It’s that time again, Ottawa: the crisp, cool months of fall. And with it being one of the busiest times of the year for homeowners – getting the kids ready for back to school, enjoying the fun-filled, fall-friendly activities around town (pumpkin picking, anyone?), and even vamping up our homes up for the holidays – it’s also the best time of year for us to take advantage of the moderately-tolerable weather and prep our homes for the cold that is to come. Here are a few guidelines on how to protect your home in the fall, and their respective reasons as to why they’re important:

Check the condition of your roof. This, of course, means everything from replacing any damaged shingles to ensuring that there haven’t been any underlining leaks. Why? Put simply: our winters can be ruthless. With all the ice, rain, and snow we get each year (not to mention the unpredictable change in temperatures) our rooftops go through a significant amount of seasonal turmoil. Needless to say, this leads to a lot of potential water damage thus wreaking havoc on your insulation quality, your wood and drywall, and even going as far as potentially harming your electrical and plumbing systems. Think of your roof as your number one source of protection as it quite literally provides us with the shelter need. Making sure that it is protecting you efficiently requires efficient, regular care. Now is your time, folks – inspect away!

While you’re taking the time needed to check on the condition of your roof, it might be a good idea to also examine your gutters and eves troughs. The ultimate goal by doing this is to direct water away from your home. A helpful hint is to run water down from the gutters and watch to see if it comes smoothly down through the downspouts. If you happen to foresee any clogging, we advise that you resolve it now before the cold hits. This will prevent any water damage. In order to avoid leaking, on the other hand, be sure to repair any cracks with the appropriate caulking.

Of course, taking proper care of the interior of our homes is just as important as proficiently being mindful of the exterior. That said, it’s important that we care for our doors and windows in order to ensure that they are accurately sealed. According to Lowe’s, our heating and cooling amount to about half of the energy costs in our homes. Therefore, by sealing and insulating any air leaks in our doors and/or windows with caulking and weather stripping, we can actually save ourselves from any unwanted drafts, as well as a significant amount of money annually.

All in all, prepping our homes for the winter is something that we should mindfully practice as each year passes. Protecting our homes now can certainly act as our line of defense for the future, especially as the winter months rapidly approach. It you’re looking for even more items to check off your to-do list, follow this resourceful and interactive link!