As the dog days of summer dwindle down, some folks across the country are getting a little anxious over what is coming down the road.
Yes, there is autumn to enjoy for a few months, but then Old Man Winter sets his sights on two-thirds of the country, something that many people look at with the ultimate disdain.
Even though there are those people who are counting the days until those first snowflakes fall and the temperatures dip below freezing, many others are not in such an endearing mood for winter.
With the latter as the case, is your home ready for Old Man Winter?
Being Prepared Before the Rough Weather Comes
Whether you live in the Northeast, Midwest, Big Sky country etc. you know that winters can be quite difficult.
With that being the case, what are your plans to get your home ready to face three to four months of tough weather conditions?
Among the priorities you should focus on if you live in an area that will all but certainly be hit with freezing temps and potentially heavy snow or ice:
- Home – First and foremost, is your home ready to do battle with Old Man Winter? Depending on where exactly you live, you may or may not be faced with a big battle. As several recent winters have shown, those areas expected to get hammered did in fact get off rather easy. Meantime, some regions that were not forecast to have as much of a problem with wintertime weather ended up shoveling more snow and heating their homes higher than normal. In order to make sure your home is prepared, spend time now (or into the fall season before it really starts to get cold) to make sure all your door and window fixtures are properly aligned. Is your home’s heating system ready for several months of below freezing temps? If you have a fireplace, is the chimney cleaned out, safe and ready to go to keep you and yours warm? Also look to your attic or basement (if applicable) to make sure insulation is properly fitted. While it may seem like a lot to cover, the last thing you want to have besides being uncomfortable is literally throwing money out the door;
- Garage – When it comes to your garage, how ready is it for another round with wintertime? Just as the inside of your home can have deficiencies, your garage can follow suit. If you are looking for garage door maintenance in New York or another region of the country where weather is typically a factor, be sure to get any problems taken care of now, not when the temps dip below freezing or you have to encounter your first snow or ice storm. Also make sure your garage is properly organized so that you are not susceptible to falling over items, especially when you may encounter wet spots after bringing your vehicle in from a storm. Lastly, proper insulation is key in a garage, so make sure you have just that;
- Outdoor items – Finally, if you have items outside such as porch or patio furniture, a swimming pool etc. make sure they are properly covered for the wintertime months. It just takes a few periods of cold weather and/or storms to ruin such items if they are not taken care of. If you have an outdoor doghouse or other such arrangements for outside dogs and cats, make sure you do not leave them out there when temps get really cold. Even if you have an insulated dog house, insulated rabbit or chicken coops etc. they can prove not enough to keep your pets warm and safe when winter really hits with a vengeance.
In the event you need to find garage specialist, home handymen etc. to get your house ready for winter, using the Internet is a great way to go.
By doing a simple Google search of what you need; you can typically locate help within minutes.
Be sure to look for those individuals/businesses willing to go that extra mile for you with not only their products, but also customer service. By returning calls, doing exemplary work, and following up with you when the job is done, you will separate the great companies and individuals from the average ones.
So, is your home ready to face another season from Old Man Winter?
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