Proactive homeowners have learned that the best time to prepare their home for winter is now: at the end of the summer. As you review the appearance and condition of your home and your property, you may find that parts of your home need to be remodeled. When you make this decision, it’s time to interview residential remodeling services to hire the best team of professionals.
1. Perform Pool Maintenance
As summer ends and the weather in your community turns colder, you must winterize your swimming pool. This must be done in order to prevent your pool from becoming overrun with algae and mold. This process is complicated, so you may need assistance from a company specializing in pool maintenance services.
Do you know how to tell if it’s time to close your pool for the season? Most pool winterization tasks are performed during the autumn months. However, experts advise that you can keep the pool open until the outdoor temperatures are consistently below 65 degrees. When you’ve found the best choice of residential remodeling services to hire, clean your pool and balance the water’s chemical levels before the team arrives.
The professionals on the pool winterization team will place a water shock treatment and an algaecide into the pool. These chemicals will adjust the water balance to protect it while the pool is covered. The team will also dismantle all the lines leading to and from the pool to complete the service. After their service is completed, you can cover the pool until springtime.
2. Hire Fence Installation Services
Take a look at all the fences on your property. If any of them are damaged, replace them before the winter weather starts. Cold weather and snow will put your fence at greater risk for further damage to your fences.
Before winter comes, remove any damaged parts that you find on any part of your fences. Small cracks in the fences can be sealed and temporarily fixed with wood putty. If a post or slat in the fence is severely damaged, it should be replaced. Contact one of the local wood fence companies to buy the wood you need or for help to repair the fence.
In addition to making your fence safer for the winter, a remodeled fence will increase your home’s curb appeal. When interviewing other residential remodeling services to hire, ask them if they can assist with or recommend companies for your fence maintenance services. Even if you don’t need fence installation services now, having a reliable fence service company you can contact in the future may prove valuable.
3. Contract with Tree Trimming Services
Winter winds and storms can put you at risk for building or auto damage from trees. Trees can fall and damage your home, car, or garage. Before winter, when considering which residential remodeling services to hire, inspect all trees on your property to determine if any are ready for potential breakage.
If you find trees showing signs of infection or the trunk is hollow, they must be removed. Calling one of the local tree removal services will help you determine which trees are too sick to survive the winter. If any trees need to be removed, the arborists can safely remove them.
If you have any seedling trees in your yard, use fertilizer spikes in the Fall to get the soil ready to facilitate maximum growth in Spring. Add some mulch to the soil around your trees to conserve water. Cover the trees with burlap material and then, cover them with tree wrap. If you are working with an arborist company, ask them for advice about protecting young trees from winter weather.
4. Find Spray Foam Insulation Services
Homeowners looking for the best way to keep their homes warm during the winter months will often choose to have spray foam insulation installed. Homeowners who’ve used this type of insulation have reported that it provides exceptional comfort. Because of its ability to use less energy to heat your home, you’ll save money on your heating bill. If you’re making a list of residential remodeling services to hire, spray foam insulation installation contractors should be on your list.
When foam insulation is installed into open cavities in your walls, it results in an air barrier. Cold air can’t enter the home at any location where the insulation has been sprayed. The foam combines two liquids. Together, the two liquids undergo a chemical reaction, and form an impenetrable mass of insulation.
Contractors who install spray foam insulation will first cover any items in the room. The two chemicals that make the spray foam are mixed in a truck that’s outside your home. The installation crew will prep the areas in your home where the foam will be installed. After the insulation solutions are mixed, they will flow into the house through a hose.
5. Acquire Septic Pumping Services
Although we may not enjoy thinking about our septic system, homeowners know that the system needs to keep working efficiently. Cold winter weather can compromise the flow of waste into your septic system. Having a contract with one of the local septic pumping companies should be an essential part of your home maintenance checklist.
Septic systems need regular cleaning and inspections, and it would be dangerous for you to try to clean your septic system yourself. Professional septic workers are trained with special methods that avoid direct contact. Disposal of the waste in your system also must be done by a unique method- one not directly available to homeowners.
While performing a cleaning or inspection, a septic worker can advise you on what steps to take to better manage your septic system. Suppose your septic system needs to be renovated or has a major overhaul. In that case, you will need to include a septic system contractor on your list of residential remodeling services to hire.
6. Arrange for Painting Services
If the paint on the outside of your home is beginning to fade, you should consider repainting it now. Most major paint brands include warnings that most of their paint shouldn’t be used when the temperature is below 35 degrees. There are paints made for use in lower temperatures. A painting contractor must use special paint brushes with the paint if painting is done during colder weather.
If your area has a “wet” season, you should add that season to the times when you should avoid repainting your home. Paint needs enough time to dry, so you’ll want to be sure the weather forecast predicts the paint will have enough time to do so. When you add a painting contractor to your list of residential remodeling services to hire, you’ll be assured the work will display their level of expertise.
Winter is a good time for any indoor painting you may need to have done. Because the colder weather poses restrictions on when they can paint, they’ll have more availability for your indoor jobs. Some painting companies may offer special promotions at this time of year because fewer outdoor jobs may be available.
7. Obtain Paving Services
Asphalt has the tendency to crack during the winter months. Asphalt cracking is due to the expansion and contraction of the earth during weather changes. If your asphalt driveway is broken now, this is the time to get it repaired or replaced.
Asphalt can’t be poured during winter months. Summer is the time to put an asphalt contractor on your list of residential remodeling services to hire. If the asphalt is placed now, your driveway will have a better chance to withstand the temperatures and moisture of the winter weather without further damage.
During the late summer months, an asphalt repair services company can apply a preventative asphalt seal coating. These thin coatings repel moisture that would erode the asphalt in your driveway. If your asphalt driveway needs repair during winter, you can use a temporary repair process called cold patching. Once the temperature increases in spring, your driveway can be replaced.
8. Locate Roof Repair Services
You’ll want to have a strong roof when it snows or sleets this winter. Repairing the roof now will assure you of a safer winter. Although companies providing roofing services can operate during the winter, it is not as safe.
Now is the time to winterize your roof so you can rest easy during the winter. Inspect your gutters now and clean them if necessary. They can freeze and prevent roof drainage if they become clogged during winter. Go up into your attic and be sure there is no damage on its roof.
When you look at your roof, be sure all the caulking is sound. In addition, you should assess the condition of the flashing. Flashing consists of metal strips that cover the junctures between the roof and chimney or other roof joints. If there is severe roof damage, you’ll need to add a roofer to your list of residential remodeling services to hire.
9. Talk to a Garage Door Repair Service
Parking your car in the garage this winter will become very important. Your garage door should be intact. Its electrical system must be operational since snow could interfere with its ability to work.
Too much snow mixing with electricity could ignite the garage door. Look carefully at the door tracking for any faults. Let the door go up and down a few times and listen for problems. Lubricate any moving parts of the door. If there are serious glitches, contact a garage door repair service.
Don’t forget the interior of your garage. Adding insulation to your garage walls will add to the integrity of that building. To protect your car and any garage contents, include a garage door contractor with all the other residential remodeling services to hire.
10. Pay Attention to Your Electrical Services
The final entry on the group of residential remodeling services to hire is that of electrical contractors. The same dangers of electrical fires inherent in the exterior of your home extend to the interior. You’ll want to check your electrical system now – since you don’t want to be without power during the winter.
As you look around your home, check for frayed cords and damaged wiring. Touch the outlets in your home because a hot outlet means faulty wiring. If there is a “burning” smell from a news outlet, this is another sign of bad wiring.
If you see flickering lights, it can be a sign of a poor wiring connection. If this problem occurs in more than one room, it could signal a problem with the circuit. Another cause could be an overloaded extension cord. If there are too many plugs in one circuit, remove some and move the plugs to another outlet.
11. Other Features to Check
There are other things around your home that you should check before winter. If you have outdoor plumbing, the weather may make you unable to use the outdoor fixtures during winter months. Please turn off the water supply to the outdoor fixtures, so that they don’t freeze over when the cold weather occurs Cover the outdoor spigot with a foam protector.
Before winter, gather all your shovels, rock salt, and any other snow removal supplies. Keep those items near your doorway or under a covered porch or shelter. Seal and fill any cracks that you see when you inspect the doorways.
If your community is likely to get lots of snow, and you have a large property, you should look around for a local snow plowing system. Many of these companies will have promotional contracts available now since this is their off-season. If you have a lawn service, check with them. Some lawn services provide snow plowing services during the winter.
Responsible homeowners have many responsibilities. By checking all the items on the above list, you will likely find anything that may need to be taken care of before winter. Doing these tasks now, before colder weather arrives, is a proactive way to maintain the safety of your home.
