Preparing for Winter

Safeguarding your home for the winter season can go a long way to protecting your household for extreme weather conditions. Ice, wind and snow storms can cause serious damage to your home and your belongings. If your house is not properly weather proofed, winter conditions can cause structural damage that can cause cracks and leaks over time.

At Paul Davis Guelph-Wellington County, we recognize that the best way to prevent your house from buckling under the extreme conditions of winter is to take some storm proofing precautions. Here are just a few of the ways that you can prepare your home for winter from the dedicated team at Paul Davis Guelph-Wellington County.

Securing Your Roof

Your roof is one part of your home that is working overtime during winter months, keeping everything inside protected from the elements.
Snow, sleet, rain, hail, wind, and cold weather wreak havoc on roofs during winter months, so it’s a good idea to check the condition of your roof before snow falls.

  • Walk around outside and make visual observations. How sound are the roof shingles? If your visual inspection identifies missing shingles, take action quickly to avoid water seeping into your walls.
  • Additionally, look for ice dams at the edge of your roof. These dams prevent melting ice and snow from draining off of the roof. Water then backs up underneath the shingles and can cause substantial damage. Take a moment to inspect your gutters to make sure water can drain away from the home’s foundation.
  • Don’t forget to check your windows, too. Remember, not all roof damage is visible from the outside. Take a minute and check the attic, living room, bathrooms, bedrooms, etc., for signs of leaks. With a sound roof over your head you can relax and welcome the remainder of winter.

Seal The Cracks

One of the best ways to prevent winter damage to your home is to seal all the gaps and cracks in your foundation and walls. Using foam or caulk to seal these open areas helps to prevent drafts, water damage, and rodents from hiding out in your home during the colder months. If cracks and holes in the structure of your property cause damage to your home this winter, the experienced technicians at Paul Davis Guelph-Wellington County can seal and restore your home quickly and efficiently.

Upgrade Your Glass

The glass of your windows and doors are especially vulnerable to the harsh conditions of winter. A strong wind can easily smash through glass during a severe storm, causing significant damage and leaving your home unprotected against the elements. Keep your home protected by investing in double or triple pane glass for your windows and doors. For a shorter-term but more cost effective option, place a polyurethane film over your windows and doors to give them some extra support during the winter.

Check Your Plumbing

Winter comes along and apparently tries to destroy our water lines every year. The best way to minimize the damage from cold weather on household plumbing is to do a little preventive winterizing. A good starting point is to winterize outside faucets and fixtures. These few steps will take a small amount of time but they could save you a lot of money and inconvenience.

Clean Your Furnace Filters

Finally, if you haven’t yet changed or cleaned your furnace filters this season, take a few moments to do so. This not only promotes better circulation of air within your home, it can prevent hazards such as fire. January also marks an ideal time to check your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors.

What To Do If You Experience Winter Damage

If your home is damaged during an unruly winter weather event in the Kitchener area, contact us immediately at Paul Davis. Our trained and certified restoration experts will assess the damage and create a restoration plan based on your specific needs. We will not only restore all structural damage, including flooding, broken glass, and water and fire damage, but we can also restore damage possessions using in-place and ultrasonic restoration methods. For more information about our comprehensive list of restoration services, contact us today at Paul Davis Guelph-Wellington County.