Preparing Your Home For Winter

4 min read

Chicago winters always offer a peak into a magical kingdom that we like to call a winter paradise. Each year, the winter brings a light blanket of powdery snow, magical light displays, and a mix of unique holiday traditions that make the holidays even more magical.

However, the festivities don’t need to get in the way of your home preparations. Chicago winters are also known for being especially cold, with this year being no exception. These extremely low temperatures can do a number on your plumbing and cause significant water damage to your home.

Although you can always rely on Restoration 1 to provide water damage restoration in Chicago North Shore, it’s also recommended to prep your home for the winter season to avoid having to rely on restoration services altogether. Consider the following winter preparation tips to ensure your home is winter-ready.

Inspect Your Roof

Perhaps your most crucial winter preparation task is to inspect your roof or have it inspected professionally. This ensures that your first line of defense from the elements is in top shape, especially as the snow continues to accumulate throughout the season.

Check for loose, broken, or missing shingles. If any require replacement, make sure to replace them right away. Neglecting to do this early on can make it more challenging as the winter progresses. Additionally, the damage could accumulate, causing your repair bills to add up.

Clean Your Gutters

Although cleaning your gutters should be done every season, the most critical time to accomplish this is at the end of autumn or right before winter. As you might expect, autumn brings a lot of falling leaves, twigs, and plenty of other small debris that could end up on your gutters. These, combined with accumulated snow, puts too much weight on your gutters, affecting their optimal function.

Further, the accumulation of debris impedes water flow. Although this might not be an issue when water remains frozen, you may soon require restoration services come springtime when all that snow melts.

Recaulk Windows and Doors

Recaulking windows and doors is essential in preventing water damage and heat loss. This low-cost method of winter home maintenance can ultimately lead to more savings as you minimize energy costs and avoid needing winter restoration in Chicago North Shore.

Caulk the outside perimeter of your windows’ and doors’ molding for added insulation. Then, apply a thin line of exterior silicone caulk across the molding to fill all the tiny cracks and crevices.

Reverse Your Ceiling Fans

As most of us learned in school, cold air sinks while warm air rises. If you ever feel cold inside your home, all that warm air resides near your ceiling. You can take advantage of all that warm air by reversing the rotation of your ceiling fan.

Reversing the direction of your fans creates an updraft that combines the heated air with cool air and redistributes it around the room. This helps you reduce your energy consumption by being less reliant on your heating system, keeping you warm all winter.

Prune Your Trees

As mentioned above, winter snow can accumulate as the winter progresses. This can be extremely heavy, not just on your gutters but also on the trees around your home. When the weight is too much to bear, branches can break, land on your roof, and damage your home. If you face this damage on your property, you can always call on restoration experts to perform home restoration on your Chicago North Shore home. Of course, this can be avoided by pruning your trees and cutting back branches to keep your home safe throughout the winter.

Call Restoration 1 For Home Restoration in Chicago North Shore

Prevention is always better than any quick fix. Unfortunately, property damage issues can arise at any time, no matter how much you prepare. These can be incredibly stressful, especially when they happen around the holidays. If any of these issues come up, you can rely on Restoration 1 to assist you with home restoration in Chicago North Shore. Solve your wintertime property damage woes by getting in touch with Restoration 1. Get in touch with our experts today to schedule a consultation!