Home maintenance & repair tips for Winter

Now that we’re coming into the cold and dark period things get a little tougher in many ways. The kids are not able to play outside as much, we are more likely to get depressed and bored, putting on weight as we’re not active enough. Winter can be a bit of a drag. So when we consider that it’s also the time of year when home repairs are most common and costly then it fast becomes some peoples least favourite season. But if we know what we are doing we can prepare and react quickly to the trials of winter when it comes to homeownership. Follow these essential home maintenance hints and tips to get the best out of your home during the coldest of all the seasons.

Outside Taps

One thing that’s easy to forget that you really shouldn’t forget is to check if your outdoor water taps are turned off. If you don’t do this it’s possible that you could end up with a burst pipe as the frozen water in the ends can expand and cause damage that way. So make sure that you take care of this simple fix. 

Pipes in General

Moving on from the outdoor taps, other pipes in the house could burst as well although this is less common. How this can happen is if we have a real freeze in the weather and the heating is left off for prolonged periods and static water is left in the pipes. This is especially important if you are going away on a trip, as the heating being off can cause this so ensure that you leave the heating on a timer to come on twice a day, at least for a short period.

Storm Damage 

Clearly, winter is the time of year when we are more likely to encounter storm damage. High winds and rains can cause huge amounts of damage and it’s difficult to predict when they may come so it’s important to prepare. Make sure all the doors and windows are sealed and water-tight, you should also make sure you check any vents and, if you have one, get the chimney checked. But if you do encounter storm damage it’s essential to get it checked out as soon as possible and you should research your contractors beforehand to know who to go to. Have a reputable roofing contractor ready and waiting in your address book so that you know who you are going to call before it happens.

Get the Garden & Outside Ready as Well

The outside of the house is just as important to get ready prepared for winter as much as the inside. Firstly there is general garden maintenance you need to take care of for the garden to remain good over the cold months. But there are ongoing things to take care of such as making sure the paths are de-iced and safe as this can be the cause of fairly serious accidents which no-one wants.

Do you have any essential home maintenance tips to share? I would love to hear in the comments below if you do.