Somewhere Safe And Cozy: Ensuring Your Home Can Withstand Any Weather

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Somewhere Safe And Cozy: Ensuring Your Home Can Withstand Any Weather

You’re probably enjoying warm, sunny weather, and the last thing that you want to be thinking about is fall and winter, or any unappealing weather conditions and the cold air they bring with them. However, it won’t be very long (sorry) before the leaves will begin to change their color and begin to drop to the ground. Therefore, it’s the perfect time to ensure that the outside of your property will withstand the changes in weather that are around the corner. There are also an array of weather, wear and tear, and various elements that can affect your home in any season, so it’s always a good time to check and ensure that your house’s structure is ready for whatever happens.

Ensuring that your home’s exterior is well maintained will give you the peace of mind to enjoy the wet and colder months, snuggled up with cocoa inside the house. The following are the areas you’ll need to check over to make sure that no amount of rain, snow, or general age and time, will affect your cozy comfort when you’re inside.

Somewhere Safe And Cozy: Ensuring Your Home Can Withstand Any Weather

Image source: https://kaboompics.com/photo/3890/cat-lying-on-a-windowsill

Check Your Doors And Windows

It’s no surprise that your windows and doors will play a major role in how cozy your house is during the fall and winter. Gaps in the framework of badly fitted windows and doors, and worn or rotted sealant will mean that droughts and water will be able to find their way into your home. The valuable heat that you pay for will also be able to escape through any crevice, so it’s a smart choice to take a look at the condition of the areas that let your light in, and begin the weatherproofing process as soon as possible. Sooner rather than later is also always the best time to combat any water damage that may have resulted due to weather, burst pipes, or water being able to get in and gather.

Very often, the weather from the previous winter can affect the condition of your window and door surrounds; particularly the sealant. Take a look to see if there is mold in your window pane seals and around the frame work; if so, it can be replaced and improved with ease. It’s worth asking a building professional to come and check what needs doing, as you don’t want to affect the security of your windows and you’ll want the job to be done so that it lasts for the years ahead. Taking care of water removal lowers overall cost of repair, so ensure that it’s something that takes priority with the renovation and protection of your home. Temperature can also play a significant role in their condition; heat will make wooden window and door frame expand, which means that when they contract during the winter, it can leave damage and gaps.

Again, it’s worth seeking professional help and advice on whether the wood can be repaired with ease, or if you’ll need to replace some or all of your windows. It can be a big investment to purchase fresh panes and frames for the whole house; however, it will save you money on energy bills and stop you from shivering through until spring time, so it’s worth considering. Make sure that your doors and windows close properly and no air can get through once you’ve pulled them to. Areas like your garage and any back doors to your house can be forgotten; however, by ensuring they are able to keep out draughts and damp, you’ll prevent further weather damage and stay warm this winter. Replace burst window panes so that water can’t penetrate your home, and make sure that handles and hinges are rust free and functioning properly, so there’ll be no risk of mold growing on your beautiful blinds and curtains.

Somewhere Safe And Cozy: Ensuring Your Home Can Withstand Any Weather

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Look After Those Outside Walls

There’s no better time than good-weather days to start protecting your home. Your walls and fences will need to be weatherproofed as soon as you’re able to prevent the damage that bad weather can cause. A decent coat of water repellent on your exterior bricks and stonework will help to keep moisture from seeping into your walls. Bricks are known for being porous, so can often become weak and crumble from heavy rain and frost; therefore, it’s worth investing in coating your home before the storms draw in. Painting your house walls could be a DIY project for you or your partner; however, if you’re unsure of how confident you’ll be up a ladder, it’s best to hire professional help. Make sure you invest in quality coatings so that you will know they’ll last for the foreseeable future. If you live in a particularly cold area of the country; this may be a job that you have to repeat annually, so bear that in mind.

The same goes for any woodwork on the exterior of your home, and while you’re at it, your surrounding fences; you’ll need to give them a thorough coat of protective wood sealant and stain, so that water will roll off and won’t begin to rot the wood. Again, the products you invest in will make a major difference to the outcome of the job, so decide if you want an oil-based product or an acrylic. Water and weatherproofing your woodwork is another great way to prevent the weather from affecting your window and door frames that were previously discussed. You can always add a pop of color and some character to your house by painting the wooden frames that surround your doors and windows; so be brave and creative with your choices.

Somewhere Safe And Cozy: Ensuring Your Home Can Withstand Any Weather

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The Icing On The Cake (or your roof)

The roof on your home is the hat to your house and is there to protect it from the weather, keep it warm, and prevent damp from affecting the condition of your interior. Therefore, you’ll need to find a home repairs specialist to check your roof for damage, missing slates, panels, and tiles, and to figure out the work that needs to be done before winter hits home. Making sure that your roof is air, water, and frost tight, will prevent your home from getting cold during bad weather, and will help to protect the woodwork and walls inside your house. Damp and water damage can take hold very quickly, and can lead to your home’s structure being compromised.

Mold and damp can also become a dangerous health risk to your family, so preventing it, while it’s still warm, is a wise choice. Quality and thorough insulation in your home, particularly in the roof and ceilings, is the best way to save money on your energy bills, as heat won’t be able to escape. Make sure that you take a look in your attic to check out the condition of your insulation and if it’s needs replacing; again, it may be time to call somebody qualified to assist you. Remember; if you have a damaged roof that’s letting the weather penetrate your home, it won’t matter how good your insulation is, and the problems will begin.

Also, insulation will work for your home during the summer months and will help to ensure that heat cannot impact the temperature of your property. It’s worth looking into the various types of insulation, like fiberglass, loose fill, or foam boards so that you can choose an option that’s suitable for your budget and situation.

Somewhere Safe And Cozy: Ensuring Your Home Can Withstand Any Weather

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Just like your attic and roof area; your basement will affect the warmth and condition of your house, and if left in a bad way, it can cause long term structural damage. Your basement will be fully, or partially, underground, so by looking after it adequately, you’ll be protecting the foundations of your property. Whether you call in a professional team of builders to do the work, or you decide to take on a DIY job yourself; there a few things to consider that will affect the function and quality of your basement during the winter weather. When there is heavy rainfall; it can gather together and begin to seep into your home if the land surrounding your property doesn’t slope away from the building.

Therefore, you’ll need to do an outside check to make sure that rain will run down and away from your basement and foundations. If this isn’t the case with your home; you can always add dirt around the base of your home and create your own slope and move any water away from the brick and woodwork below. Guttering should be cleared out, and the drainpipes surrounding your building should be expelling the rain water a decent distance away from your basement walls, again, so that damp and moisture won’t penetrate your foundations. Repair any cracks in the walls and ceiling of your basement; both outside and in, so that they don’t get any worse during the cold weather and won’t let the cold air inside your home.

As previously mentioned; the brick, stone, and wood sealants are the perfect way to help protect the exterior of your property and should be used accordingly in your basement area. Maintaining and looking after all of your outdoor drainage and plumbing areas is a crucial way to ensure that water moves away from your house in all the right directions and won’t damage your home. By eliminating draughts and water damage, repairing cracks and crevices, and sealing your walls, windows, and doors correctly; you’ll be able to enjoy the colder months in cozy comfort.

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