4 Easy Steps to Put together Your Dwelling for Winter

Anthony Carrino, a home designer, developer, host of HGTV’s Kitchen Cousins, and a Trane Residential partner, recommends checking your heater around this time too. “Waiting until it gets cold to turn on your heat is a mistake,” he says. “It’s like stretching before you run, you want to give the system a little bit of time to go from cooling into heating.” This also gives you time to recognize a potential problem before you’re in desperate need of warm air.

If you’re planning on leaving town for the winter, still turn on your heating. “You don’t want to ever shut your heat down,” Carrino says. “Heat in your home is what’s going to keep your pipes from freezing.” While you’re at it, change your HVAC filter too. “I like to recommend doing it with the change of every season,” he says. “It’s not usually top of mind, even though it should be because we’re breathing that air.”

Seal up your home

If you’ve already determined that you don’t need new windows, you should still check for drafts. Carrino suggests taking a match and slowly tracing it around the edges of your windows. “You’ll see a flicker if you’ve got big drafts,” he explains.

Harrison also points out how “many people may not be aware that adjusting your windows is possible.” As she further explains, most windows supplied in the last 15 years with multi-point locking will have adjustments where you can increase the weather seal compression. “Look for spaces for Allen keys in the locking bolt plates,” she says.

If this isn’t a part of your windows, you’ve got a few other options for solving the problem. According to Carrino, the simplest solution is bubble wrap. “You just take a spray bottle, mist one side with water, and that little bit of water will help the bubble wrap stick to your windows and insulate them.”

Alternatively, you could carefully remove the trim around your windows and apply some expanding insulation foam before adding the trim back. The same process could be done around your doors, and it might also help to purchase a few draft stoppers to keep air from coming in through the bottom.

This is also the perfect time to insulate the plumbing around your home. As Rodriguez-Zaba says, “It’s one of the best things to do.” You’ll want to get pipe insulation at a hardware store—often it looks like pool noodles—and cut them to size to fit around the plumbing in your house. If you plan on leaving your home for the entire season, Rodriguez-Zaba says draining your pipes can also provide an extra level of protection so they don’t burst while you’re away.

While insulating your pipes, make a note of where your water shut-off is. If you do have an issue, you’ll want to be able to turn off the water as quickly as possible.

Don’t forget the yard

Now that your home is in good shape for the winter, don’t forget to give the outside of your house some attention too. “Make sure you clear out all your gutters,” Rodriguez-Zaba says. “It’s also really good to take the hose out.” You’ll want to disconnect it from the faucets before draining and storing it in the garage. You can protect the spigots with insulated outdoor covers.

It’s also smart to prune tree branches to minimize the risk of them falling on your roof during a winter storm. “Pruning tree branches is best done with an extension pole with a hand saw attachment,” John Bodrozic, cofounder of Home Zada, explains. Bigger branches or those that are higher up may require professional service.

Finish by showing your outdoor furniture and appliances some love. “Generally these things are built like cars,” Metin Ozkuzey, president of Designer Appliances, says of outdoor kitchen equipment. “Nothing will happen to them if you leave them in the snow and rain.” Still, he recommends getting covers just so you don’t have any issues with the ignitions. For higher-end appliances, go for a cover and a tarp or bring them into a garage or shed for an extra safety net.