Winter may not seem like the best time for home maintenance chores, but for many projects, it is … [+]
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We think of spring and summer as prime home maintenance and construction seasons. However, just as you make New Years’ resolutions for yourself, so is winter an excellent time to assess your home’s state of health and wellness.
“We spend 90% of our time indoors,” says Dan DiClerico, home expert for Home Advisor. “It is not realistic to think that our indoor space only needs attention during part of the year. It is important to have a seasonal checklist, both for ongoing maintenance and for improvement projects.”
On the maintenance side of things, DiClerico suggests that this is the best time to assess your home for winter damage.
“A lot of that is water related,” he says.
Now is the time to inspect your roof for leaks.
“Pay close attention to the gutter system,” DiClerico says. “Often, the gutters pull away from the house, or the leader pipe is no longer connected. These things happen without our noticing, and, over time, small problems like a disconnected gutter become the source of much bigger problems.”
While inspecting your roof, look for missing roof shingles, another easy fix when it’s simply a missing shingle. But, if left unaddressed, that single missing shingle can result in big, expensive leaks.
This is also an excellent time to inspect your deck.
“If it is not covered with snow, look it over for soft spots, especially where the deck connects to the house,” DiClerico says. “Look for nails or screws that need to be fastened or replaced. Scrub or pressure wash any mildew you find – this is a good time to remove it, when the mildew is not actively growing.”
Give the same level of attention to the basement, if your home has one.
“A lot of basements flood this time of year,” DiClerico says. “Inspect your basement and foundation wall to isolate the source of water. On the outside, make sure that the soil is graded away from the foundation and that the gutter system channels water away from, not towards the house.”
Outdoors, inspect the trees on your property for damage from ice and snow. Before trees leaf out is the best time to remove dead or diseased limbs.
“Once the leaves come out, it’s hard to see those limbs, and the work is more difficult because of all the foliage.”
It may seem counterintuitive, but fall is the best time to fertilize your lawn. If you did not do it before winter set in, do it in the spring.
“Now is an excellent time to look for lawn problems,” DiClerico says. “Again, if the lawn is not covered with snow, you can get a good look at what is happening.”
Under snow cover, voles continue to make their tunnels and feed on grasses, operating in the insulated space between the grass and the snow. This causes a great deal of damage to lawns. But voles can also damage trees as they chew off bark from below the snow line. They can actually girdle and kill small trees.
“De-thatch the lawn now,” DiClerico says. “It removes the excess dead grass that they feed on.”
Other pests to look for now are termites and carpenter ants. They make their presence known to coincide with the start of spring training.
Have your air conditioning system serviced now, before industry specialists get busy. By the same token, have your heating system serviced in the summer.
The winter season is a good time for remodeling jobs, again because contractors are not as busy at this time of year. A kitchen remodel, for example, is usually not weather-dependent and can be done in the winter.
DiClerico adds, “This is a good time of year to take advantage of deep discounts on roofing, siding or decking material costs.”
And, he adds, for any project that includes digging holes, like installing a deck or a fence, it is easier when the ground is harder.
“Not frozen solid,” he says, “But firm, between frozen and a muddy mess.”