Getting your home ready for winter
Winter is around the corner and although I really don't want to let go of my golf game I have to accept the fact that our agricultural community needs the snow and freezing temperatures. The snow pack in the mountains assures us that we will have sufficient irrigation water for our farmland and the freezing temperatures will assure that certain pests will be killed so they don't become too much of a pest for the following year.
So I had better accept winter as part of Idaho's beautiful 4 seasons and just get over it. I want to share with you what I highly recommend you and I do to get our homes ready for winter.
Home Cracks is a big one and is overlooked by the majority. Homes settle over the years and caulking around our windows and doors shrinks and cracks allowing valuable heat to escape. I have seen homes that are less that 2 years old have a scary amount of serious cracks that can easily be taken care of. A good handyman can easily and inexpensively reseal the caulking around your doors and windows that allow hundreds of dollars of heat to escape.
Fallen Insulation is just that. Over the years it is very common for insulation in crawl areas to become loose and fall free from the floor joists. I have seen this more than you can ever imagine. Contractors are not perfect and sometimes insulation in crawl areas is not secured properly and can fall loose and allow cold air to permeate through your floor. A good handyman can easily secure loose insulation, again very inexpensively.
Dryer vents is another big one that is more common than you can ever imagine. I have seen more dryer vent tubes come loose and allow heat to get into a crawl area which can cause excessive heat which in turn can create mold.
Foundation Vents are those vents that are around the perimiter of your concrete foundation if you have a crawl space. Some contractors recommend that you open these in the spring and close them in the winter. I am not endorsing this but some say that closing your vents in the winter will keep excessive cold air from entering your crawl space.
Sprinkler Blowout is a very common but often overlooked maintenance. Again this is a no brainer but you would be surprised how many people don't do it and then it ends up costing them a lot of money in the spring when they face broken sprinkler lines.
There it is, my tips to get your home ready for winter. I have referenced a "Handyman" in my post. I have a very good and inexpensive handyman I have used for over 15 years. If you would like to have your home checked for any of these items than call me at 208-880-2333 or email me at george@tallabas.com