Protecting Your Home From the Ravages of Winter
The winter months are killer on most homes: heavy precipitation mixed with subzero temperatures really do a number on home exteriors, water pipes-you name it.
The ravages of winter, though considerable, can also be largely prevented through clever home improvement in the lead up to the seasonal change.
In fact, when home owners play it smart and keep themselves occupied with tiny projects throughout the year rather than letting such projects mount and having conditions generally deteriorate, such prevention work is remarkably easy and efficient.
Wherever you're at in your home renovation work, below are a few specific ideas for getting your home into better shape for the chilly months from December to March: New windows: The worst thing about winter for many people is the way that the cold manages to creep into their homes-mostly through drafty, cracked old window units.
Not only does this problem make home heating less efficient, but deteriorated windows can also potentially allow moisture to penetrate, potentially damaging wood and other materials in the process.
In light of all this, putting in replacement windows is a great idea to confront the winter months properly.
While touch up work can be done to old windows, such as filling in cracks with special expanding foam, sometimes it is best to just go with an entire new unit.
Some new windows actually have superior, highly engineered glass panes that insulate better and are more resistant to shattering.
Insulated piping: Beyond feeling generally uncomfortable due to the cold, perhaps the single worst thing that can happen to a home during the winter months is for water pipes to start bursting! This can also be prevented through forward-thinking home improvement work, such as putting insulating sleeves around exposed sections of water piping.
While this can be done to pipes throughout the home, it is particularly important to do this for sections of pipe that are in an unheated basement or attic, as well as for sections of pipe that are outside and won't have their supply shut off during the coldest weeks of the year.
New siding: Just as our own skin can be damaged by the conditions of winter climes, so can the skin of our homes be damaged.
Siding is essentially the epidermis of any home, and a lot of people have materials in place that are not suited to the intensity of the winter conditions in their particular area.
To protect your home from further damage and to generally give it a bit of a facelift, consider having your old, cracked and ugly materials replaced with new and highly durable vinyl siding or even brick and stone veneers.
There are many options as far as materials are concerned, and many colors to choose from as well.
This sort of project offers a perfect excuse to go ahead and install new insulation materials in wall studs and to take care of any structural problems in the walls of your home, which can also help you prepare for winter.
The ravages of winter, though considerable, can also be largely prevented through clever home improvement in the lead up to the seasonal change.
In fact, when home owners play it smart and keep themselves occupied with tiny projects throughout the year rather than letting such projects mount and having conditions generally deteriorate, such prevention work is remarkably easy and efficient.
Wherever you're at in your home renovation work, below are a few specific ideas for getting your home into better shape for the chilly months from December to March: New windows: The worst thing about winter for many people is the way that the cold manages to creep into their homes-mostly through drafty, cracked old window units.
Not only does this problem make home heating less efficient, but deteriorated windows can also potentially allow moisture to penetrate, potentially damaging wood and other materials in the process.
In light of all this, putting in replacement windows is a great idea to confront the winter months properly.
While touch up work can be done to old windows, such as filling in cracks with special expanding foam, sometimes it is best to just go with an entire new unit.
Some new windows actually have superior, highly engineered glass panes that insulate better and are more resistant to shattering.
Insulated piping: Beyond feeling generally uncomfortable due to the cold, perhaps the single worst thing that can happen to a home during the winter months is for water pipes to start bursting! This can also be prevented through forward-thinking home improvement work, such as putting insulating sleeves around exposed sections of water piping.
While this can be done to pipes throughout the home, it is particularly important to do this for sections of pipe that are in an unheated basement or attic, as well as for sections of pipe that are outside and won't have their supply shut off during the coldest weeks of the year.
New siding: Just as our own skin can be damaged by the conditions of winter climes, so can the skin of our homes be damaged.
Siding is essentially the epidermis of any home, and a lot of people have materials in place that are not suited to the intensity of the winter conditions in their particular area.
To protect your home from further damage and to generally give it a bit of a facelift, consider having your old, cracked and ugly materials replaced with new and highly durable vinyl siding or even brick and stone veneers.
There are many options as far as materials are concerned, and many colors to choose from as well.
This sort of project offers a perfect excuse to go ahead and install new insulation materials in wall studs and to take care of any structural problems in the walls of your home, which can also help you prepare for winter.
