With autumn’s arrival and winter shortly behind, it’s time to get your new home ready for winter before the inclement weather arrives.

It is important to keep an eye on your house, especially before wintery weather arrives. Every little drip, creak or crack is important to address early before it becomes a costly expense. With the cooler weather fast approaching it is good home ownership to take a look and get familiar with your house during the seasonal change. Here are some winter maintenance reminders for your home:  

• Check your windows and doors, inside and outside for cracks or separations around the frames or windowpanes. Apply caulking to any damaged areas, or spaces that could become a problem with potential cold and wet weather. This will prevent water penetration or heat loss, along with preventing any costly heating bills.
• Look for damage or wear to the weather-stripping on your exterior doors and windows and replace if necessary. This keeps warm air from seeping out of your home unnecessarily.
• Make sure to inspect your eavestroughs and downspouts. Remove any leaves or debris that can create messy blockages that could build up over time. If you see cracks or seam separations in your eavestroughs, fix them with caulking or call a professional. 
• Shut off your home’s exterior water supply and drain all exterior water lines and hoses. You should leave the taps open a bit – this will prevent any remaining water in the lines from freezing and damaging the water supply line. 
• Take a look at your roof before the snow falls. Double check if any shingles have been lost over the changing blustery fall weather to winter season. If you are missing some shingles it is best to have a professional roofing company inspect the roof to ensure that shingles, flashing and chimney caps are all in place and properly sealed. A leak can be costly especially over winter.
• Clean and test all your exhaust fans, including dryer vents, stove vents and furnace vents. Animals look for little places to hide as the weather grows cooler, so double check there are no blockages. Clean or replace your furnace filter and consider having your furnace serviced to prepare it for winter. 
• If you have a gas or wood-burning stove or fireplace and chimney dampers make sure to inspect it or have it inspected by a professional. Many professionals will clean and service your chimney properly before the cold weather hits.
• Test all smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors to make sure they are in good working order. Replace any batteries that need replacing, it’s important to keep these devices in working order.

Good home ownership is taking the necessary actions to protect your house from damage, so don’t hesitate to call an inspector, or a professional maintenance person to take care of anything out of the ordinary. Your wallet, your family and your neighbours will always appreciate a smart homeowner who maintains their house and yard!