The Ultimate Winter Home Maintenance Checklist For Raleigh Homeowners

Have you ever thought about needing a winter home maintenance checklist to ensure your living space remains functional and cozy when the temperatures drop? Whether you like it or not, winter is coming. Despite the freezing rain, sleet, and occasional bursts of snow, the winter months can often take a toll. But before you can begin hibernating indoors, there are a few things that you can do for your home inside and out. 

As much as you and your vehicles need to be ready for the winter weather, so does your home. A home winterizing checklist will come in handy and help the process of preparing your living space for the cold weather so that when winter storms strike, your home and all of its systems are protected. 

Nothing is worse than dealing with leaks, drafts, and burst pipes during the cold months. Especially when you are paying more for heating costs, costly repairs to systems that could be winterized are avoidable. In this winter home maintenance checklist, our Raleigh handyman team will be going through the most important aspects of home winterizing. 

While most aspects you will be able to do on your own, Mr. Handyman of NE Raleigh to Clayton Area can help with tasks that could be too big on your own. From clearing out clogged gutters and chimney sweeps, Mr. Handyman will ensure your home is equipped for a harsh winter. Follow our home winterizing checklist, and your home (and energy costs) will thank you.  

What This Winter Home Maintenance Checklist Will Do For You

Cold temperatures are difficult on a person's body. Our cardiovascular systems go into overdrive to make our blood thicken. Our joints stiffen, making mobility difficult. Well, homes aren't all that different. The cold season can be difficult for your home, your lawn, and your utility bills. Luckily, following our winter home maintenance checklist you'll be able to alleviate any causes of winter damage to your property. Your energy savings will be greater, and your home will come out strong for the spring and summer! Following this home winterizing checklist will increase and prevent:

• Structural Damage: Cold winters can be hard on your home's exterior. The snow, sleet, ice buildup, and more can cause all sorts of water damage if your home isn't properly winterized. 
• Energy Consumption: Air leakage from windows and doors that aren't energy efficient can have an impact on your energy bills. Your HVAC system will go into overdrive to compensate for the lack of insulation. Proper insulation to both your windows, doors, crawl spaces, and attics will ensure your heating is evenly distributed. 
• Your Safety: Creaky doors or deck stairs, or gutters with icicles hanging off of them will begin to deteriorate without prior maintenance.  

The good news about home winterizing is that it doesn't have to cost too much money or take too much time. Plan to use the weekend while leaves are still on the ground, and you will be good to go. To save even more time, our Raleigh handyman can perform specific steps from this winter home maintenance checklist for you!  

1. Inspect Smoke Detectors and Carbon Monoxide Detectors 

Did you know that heating in winter is a leading cause of property and house fires? It is against many building and safety codes if your smoke alarms aren't working, so your smoke detectors should be working and updated year-round. Change out the batteries in smoke detectors if yours is beeping. Furthermore, carbon monoxide poisoning becomes a greater threat in the winter since your windows and doors are sealed up. So if you need to replace and install detectors, that is a great place to start for home winterizing.  

2.  Feel For Air Leaks and Check Weather Stripping

As the next part of our winter home maintenance checklist, it's time to feel around your windows. Drafty windows can lead to expensive energy bills when that precious warm air escapes through your window units. Check out the condition of your weather stripping. If it has deteriorated or begun to peel, it's time to replace it. Sealing up gaps around windows with weather stripping, caulking, and an application of sealant will ensure that every part of your window is insulated. Garage doors, window frames, window screens, all that jazz. 

If your windows are in need of professional repair, our handyman can assist with window repair. If you have old windows, you may want to consider replacing them with energy-efficient windows. New windows will have a great impact on your energy savings. Improperly insulated windows result in a significant amount of heat loss. So in order to make sure your heating bills don't go up, make sure your windows are protected.  

3. Time For Gutter Cleaning

When was the last time you had clean gutters? What do you think about your gutters? Most homeowners put off gutter cleaning until something drastic like a leak or gutter overflowing occurs. Mr. Handyman of NE Raleigh to Clayton Area recommends gutter cleaning biannually. One service for the spring and one service for the fall. When your gutters are clogged, they aren't able to direct storm water efficiently away from your home. The water instead pours straight down your home's siding and into your home's foundation, leading to potential damage. Maintaining the structural integrity of your home with biannual gutter cleanings can ensure your gutters are maintaining proper drainage. If last winter you noticed icicles hanging off your gutters, that is a clear sign that your gutters are clogged with debris, allowing water to seep under your roof shingles. Gutter cleaning or gutter repair can be a challenging task if you aren't comfortable with heights for a prolonged period of time. Call a professional handyman team for gutter cleaning or gutter repair needs. Be sure this task is always on your winter home maintenance checklist.  

4. Check Your Plumbing

Your plumbing, if not properly winterized and maintained, can struggle in the winter. We rely on our hot water supply all year, but nothing is better than soaking in a hot bath in a cold snap. You'll want to make sure your water pipes and exterior pipes are properly insulated before the temperatures drop to freezing. Frozen pipes can lead to costly water damage and extensive damages to your property. You can use fiberglass insulation to wrap around the pipes to regulate their temperatures. Additionally, it is important to verify that your water heater thermostat is set to the correct temperature and check your water heater for leaks. Outside, if you have any outdoor faucets like spigots or hose bibs, make sure they are turned off for the winter. Every exterior faucet has a shutoff valve in its piping, but before you turn it off, make sure to drain out the remaining water to avoid it from freezing.  

5.  Check And Test Your HVAC And Heating System

Imagine this: in the peak of a heavy snowstorm, you go to turn up your furnace, but it won't budge. To avoid this unfortunate scenario, the next part of our winter home maintenance checklist is to test your heating system. You should change out your furnace filters. This will ensure your heating system is working efficiently and effectively. Furthermore, air filters will improve your indoor air quality by reducing the amount of dust, allergens, and airborne particles. You should replace your furnace filters about every one to three months for optimal energy efficiency.  

6.  Time To Winterize Your Exterior Doors

Just like your windows, doors, when improperly sealed, can cause a significant amount of air to leak into your home, causing your HVAC system and your heating bills to go into overdrive. Ensure that any gaps around doors are properly sealed. To test for any gaps, you can use a dollar bill or a piece of paper. Just close the door on the bill or paper, and if you can slide it easily without any resistance, those gaps will need to be properly sealed. However, sometimes when there are gaps around the door, it can point to a greater issue with the structure of your door. The door alignment may be off, the strike plate may be broken, or the door frame may need repair. You can call on our Raleigh handyman for a professional inspection to check for any underlying issues. If you require door repair, our Raleigh handyman can help. Your exterior doors are the first line of defense against intruders and the protection against the elements. As an important part of this winter home maintenance checklist, make sure your doors are properly winterized. 

7. Check Your Winter Tool Supply 

As a simple part of our home winterizing checklist, you will want to evaluate your winter tool supply. Go into your garage or shed and check if you have all the necessary snow removal tools. Things like shovels, ice scrapers, snow blowers, and ice melt will become your best friends in the colder months. If your snow blower won't start up, or you don't have enough snow shovels, head out to your local hardware store for replacements. 

8. Yard Cleanup 

It's time to roll up your sleeves and grab your garden gloves! Having a clean, manicured lawn before the snow falls will ensure that your yard will look fresh during the winter season. Clear away those autumn leaves with a rake, and you will get a clean yard and a good arm workout in! After twigs and leaves have been cleared off your lawn, it's time to put away the following items: 

• Outdoor furniture
• Garden hoses
• Sprinkler systems
• Fallen tree limbs
• Barbecues 
• Awnings 

9. Inspect For Roof Damage

The next step for home winterizing is checking your roof for damage. Maintaining the structural integrity of your roof is crucial. You should check for any missing shingles and any potential signs of leaks or water damage. When it comes to your roof, being proactive is better than reactive. Santa and his sleigh need a strong roof too!  

10. Check Out Your Attic Insulation

If your attic isn't properly insulated, it can impact the energy efficiency of your home. Without proper insulation, it can cause air leakage and heat loss. Your energy bills will increase, and your living environment will not be comfortable.  

11. Winterize Your Deck and Patio 

As the last step in our winter home maintenance checklist, it's time to winterize your deck and patio. You can start by giving your deck or patio a good scrub or call Mr. Handyman for pressure washing services. If you have a wooden deck, you should add a layer of paint or stain to its surface to ensure moisture won't be able to seep into the boards. When there is moisture buildup in wood, it can lead to wood rot. Not only is wood rot unattractive, but it also compromises the structural integrity of your deck. When you go to winterize your deck, if you notice there are nails sticking out, wobbly or creaky deck steps, and a wide range of other signs of disrepair, count on an expert Raleigh handyman for deck repair. Our team will ensure that your deck is in great shape during the winter, and ready to relax on in the summer! While it's always sad when you have to put your patio furniture away for the winter, it's another thing to have a patio so damaged you can't use it when the sun comes out. 

Get Ready for Winter! Have Mr. Handyman Complete Your Home Winterizing Checklist in Raleigh!

Winter is coming, and that means it is your job as a homeowner to ensure all your ducks are in a row before that snow hits the ground. At Mr. Handyman of NE Raleigh to Clayton Area, our handyman crew can ensure your home and property are properly winterized. With a team of dedicated and experienced professionals, you can always count on our handyman to handle the tasks that you can't do on your own. To learn more about what you can do for home winterizing, contact our excellent customer service team today! We proudly serve the homeowners in Raleigh and the surrounding areas of Archer Lodge, Creedmoor, Middlesex, and beyond.