Winter proof your home before the icy weather sets in
In the lull following the storm, when the wind eases, the rain stops and the sun attempts to break through the cloud, far-sighted homeowners are engrossing themselves with winter weather preparations. After the previous few years of icy cold, snowy winters people aren’t taking any chances. Full on home lock-down mode requires replacing and/or repairing broken guttering; fixing the roof; giving the garden an overhaul and double checking doors and windows for drafts and cracks.
Inside the work continues; the boiler and central heating system need to checked; if insulation isn’t up to scratch it needs to be quickly upgraded and chimneys, for people fortunate enough to have open fires, need to be cleaned and unblocked. As a good spring clean de-clutters and aerates your home a winter once over makes sure warm air won’t escape and cold air can’t seep in. If you don’t fancy giving up all of your restful weekend to prepare your home, here are three places you should focus your attention.
The front door
Your front door must fit snugly into the door space. You shouldn’t be able to see any light around the edges; if you can, you should replace the draft excluder or perhaps get a replacement door. When replacing a front door, consider solid wood styles instead of man-made alternatives as these are better insulators and are less likely to let out heat. Although, you will need to treat or purchase treated doors to protect the wood from water damage. Todd Doors has a selection of solid wood external doors that are ideal.
The roof
A leaky roof lets in water and heat out. Water coming in can result in big areas of water damage and damp, while heat loss will reduce the overall temperature throughout the house. To stop heat loss and damp, make sure all roof tiles are in place and secured. It may seem like an expensive and annoying job to give your roof a service, however attempting to deal with problems in the middle of winter is ten times as hard.
The boiler
Get your boiler serviced prior to winter. Over time our boilers are worn down and succumb to the same ‘wear and tear’ as other household goods. However, while you can go without a microwave for seven days you can’t do without a boiler when it’s just over zero degrees outside.
Mike Smith is a self employed home renovator. He recommends Todd Doors for quality bifold doors.
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