How to Protect Your Home Exterior This Winter
Are you a first-time homeowner? If so, we have some tips you need to know about how to winterize your home.
Alternatively, if you’ve owned your home for many years, fall is still the best time to brush up on these tips. After all, you don’t want to leave your home exterior unprotected when the harsh winter weather hits. If you do, you’ll probably have to wait until spring to repair any problems that develop.
Why not avoid such problems altogether by taking preventative action now? Follow the steps in this guide to keep your home exterior in good repair all winter long.
1. Clean Your Roof/Gutter Before Winter
Your gutter is there to protect your roof and siding from excess water. When it gets clogged, rainwater spills onto your home exterior where it doesn’t belong.
Eventually, this causes water damage. Even worse, this spillage can become deadly icicles in wintertime.
To protect against these scenarios, clear off any debris from your roof so it won’t clog the gutter. Clean the gutter itself, too. Also, check your gutter for dents, wear, and damage and do any necessary repairs.
2. Pressure Wash Your Home Exterior
Pressure washing clears all dirt and grime off your home exterior so it isn’t stuck there all winter. And, besides making your house look nice, it’s a great way to test the state of your exterior paint.
3. Exterior Painting
The paint on your home exterior is what protects the siding from weather, rot, mold infestation, and other damaging elements. It also discourages termites and other pests by sealing up easy entryways, like cracks. But that’s only true if the paint is in good repair.
So, after pressure washing, check for chips, cracks, fading, or wear in your home’s exterior paint. If you notice this, contact professional exterior painting services to protect your home with a new coat of paint.
4. Seal Your Windows and Doors
Poor weather sealing doesn’t just raise your heating bill in winter. It also allows moisture to sneak into the breaches. This will quickly cause extensive damage due to the fluctuating/extreme temperatures of wintertime.
Check all your windows and doors for leaks and seal them well. You can probably get professional help with leak detection via an energy audit by your electric company.
5. Ventilate Your Attic
A poorly ventilated attic gets warm in wintertime from your heating system. This causes snow on your roof to melt and then refreeze in clumps. These “ice dams” clog your gutters and cause icicles to form.
6. Blow Out Your Sprinklers
Lastly, don’t forget to blow out your sprinkler system before winter. If you do, the water within will freeze and expand, bursting the pipes. For this same reason, unhook any exterior hoses and store them inside.
Protect Your Home Exterior This Winter
Don’t ignore these important home exterior maintenance tips. Keep your home protected this winter by following the steps above.
Do you need exterior painting done before winter hits? If so, Elite Pro Painting can help. Call us at (317) 406-9599 or contact us here for a free quote.
