Time to Tackle Home Winterization
Get your home ready for snow and cold now
By Deborah Jeanne Sergeant
Your fuzzy sweaters may be in storage for a while, but it’s time to get those home repairs scheduled.
Contractors appreciate timing jobs for when the weather is nice. It’s also helpful for them for planning their work rather than receiving dozens of “emergency” calls once the snow flies. Especially pertinent are winterization tasks to keep your home energy efficient and cozy for the season.
Sabrina Harris, owner of Handyman Home Care in Rochester, encourages homeowners to have their furnace checked.
“You should have that, and your hot water heater tank checked yearly,” Harris said.
By having these appliances looked at, your hot water heater and furnace will run more efficiently, saving you energy. According to www.energystar.gov, the average household spends $2,000 on energy with about half of that going toward heating and cooling costs.
Are your gutters clear? Or even in place? Clearing, repairing and replacing gutters and downspouts will keep the melting snow from pooling near your home’s foundation this winter.
“That’s so important,” Harris said. “You need to have covers on them to keep leaves out.”
Your home can feel drafty for many reasons. Harris encourages homeowners to “fix your roof. Replace any rotten wood. Insulate and get new windows and doors—those are two other ways to keep the drafts down.”
According to www.energystar.gov, a well-insulated home without air leaks can save homeowners 10% on their energy bills. Insulating homes doesn’t mean tearing up your house. Mike Caldarelli, owner of Mike’s Home Repair Services in Rochester, said that his company can blow insulation into walls, using a minimally invasive system.
Replacement windows can reduce drafts. They start at about $150 and can save you about 12% on your energy bills.
“If there’s damage to the window frames it would have to be repaired,” Caldarelli said. “It could take one to two days to replace all the windows in a home, depending on the size of the home.”
In addition to preventing water damage, replacing or repairing the roof can keep your home better insulated. And there’s no time like the present to have roof work done.
“You can’t do it in the winter because the shingles don’t seal then,” Caldarelli said.
If you have deck damage, repairing it now can save you more costly repair later. Resealing now can prevent water from seeping into the wood during the freeze-thaw cycles of winter.
Even though weeks of sunny days stretch before us, consider the winterization projects you should have completed before the snow flies.
“It can take a few weeks to start if I’ve been busy,” Caldarelli said.
Do It Yourself
A few DIY projects and strategies can help your home stay warmer this winter—no handyman skills or tools required.
• Just before it turns cold, seal windows on the inside with plastic. The budget-friendly kits are readily available at hardware or general merchandise stores and are easy to install.
• Test areas around windows and doors to find air leaks by having someone else inside feel for air as you blast it from the outside with a can of compressed air (look for it among office supplies). Caulk around window and doorframes. Buy a few draft blockers. Some are rubbery and permanently installed for frequently used doors. For seldom used doors, the stuffed type provides a decorative touch.
• Close off spare bedrooms and close the vents so you’re not heating space no one uses regularly.
• Clean your heat vents before you turn on your furnace.
• Set ceiling fans to clockwise mode to push warm air down.