Preparing your home for wintery weather

Last updated: 4/10/2007 11:36:07 AM

Proper home maintenance can help prevent damage caused by snow, ice, and freezing temperatures. With the weather still mild, autumn is the perfect time to winter-proof your home.

Trim Back Trees
Ice, snow, and wind could cause weak trees or branches to break—damaging your home or car as well as injuring someone walking on your property.

Caulking and Weatherstripping
Many small cracks and gaps around the perimeter of your home can add up to significant heat loss during winter months. To keep the heat from escaping through these spaces, inspect the perimeter of your home and apply caulking or weatherstripping wherever necessary. Use caulking to protect water pipes and make sure that skylights and other roof openings have proper weatherstripping to prevent snowmelt from seeping in.

Repair Steps and Handrailing
This may prevent someone from falling and being seriously injured. Broken stairs and banisters can become lethal when covered with snow and ice.

Clean Out Gutters
Clean out gutters so melting snow and ice can flow freely. This can prevent ice damming—a condition where water is unable to drain through the gutters and instead seeps into the house, causing damage to ceilings and walls.

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