The Best Way to Protect Your Home During Winter
Winter comes with really tough weather that can be hard on your home. The worst storms can be too much for your home to handle. The last thing you want in the middle of winter is to fix your home. So, what can you do to get your home ready and keep it safe during these tough months?
Winter introduces harsh weather conditions that challenge the resilience of your home. Among these severe cold storms, your roof faces particular strain, often reaching its limits against the extremes. Dealing with repairs in the midst of winter is far from ideal. Explore the following insights to maintain and protect your house in optimal condition during winter.
Inspect Your Roofing and Siding
Your roof and siding play a crucial role in keeping your home comfortable and safe from the cold weather. Every fall, it’s a good idea to take a walk around the outside of your home and check them. If you notice any signs of home’s damage, like breakage, bowing, cracking, or missing parts, it’s important to hire a professional to fix it right away. To check your roof’s condition, you can also look up at it from inside your attic. If you see any areas where light is coming through, that means there’s a problem that must be fixed in your property.
Clean Your Gutters
It’s a good idea to keep your gutters cleaned twice a year. One of those times should be at the end of fall, just before winter kicks in. During fall, a lot of leaves fall and can block your gutters. If your gutters get clogged, it can cause problems like ice dams, water collecting on your roof, and leaks that you can not notice until spring. Cleaning your gutters is pretty straightforward, just use a ladder and some gloves to remove any debris you find. After that, use a hose to run water through the gutters and check for any remaining clogs. Repeat this process again in spring after cold weather is over.
Remove and Prevent Debris on the Roof
When you have the ladder out, take a look for sticks, branches, and other stuff on your roof. If you leave debris on the roof, and it gets covered by snow, it can cause mold and damage your roof. To avoid this, trim back any trees that hang over your roof or gutters to prevent future debris.
Insulate
Heat naturally goes up and accumulates in your attic. The attic acts like a space that lets heating gather above where you live, helping cool the rest of your home. However, this can lead to the formation of ice dams under certain conditions. Ice dams make snow build up more than usual, putting your roof at risk of new dangers and added weight.
You will prevent this is by having the right insulation. Check for any air leaks that might compromise your insulation. The goal is to make the outside of your home and your attic feel the same, except for the weather. To ensure this is done correctly, it’s a good idea to hire professionals to inspect your insulation and use their tools to find any energy leaks going up into the attic. It’s especially convenient to do this during a roof or attic remodel, as some of those spaces can be hard to access.
Implementing proper insulation, checking for air leaks, and cleaning gutters regularly are some of the tasks you can do to protect your home in winter. Keeping your home safe in winter becomes straightforward once you get the hang of it, but there’s no news and no shame in seeking professional help to ensure you haven’t overlooked anything along the way and help you out with the maintenance!
If you are looking for assistance for your upcoming home renovation project at New America Construction company we provide siding, roofing and gutters estimates for all NJ homeowners.
Call us for more information 973-804-9400
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