Is Your Home Ready for A Chicago Winter?

Can you feel it? The crisp Chicago air creeping in, stronger winds, and before you know it we’ll be digging our cars out of snow and trying to figure out how we can save ourselves (and our homes) from the beautiful but freezing Chicago winter.

If you haven’t started prepping your house for winter yet, we’re here to tell you: do NOT put this off any longer. If you do, you could be dealing with some pretty annoying and expensive fixes during the happiest time of the year!

Read on for CBI’s important and easy tips to implement in winter-prepping your home this winter.

Prep Your Home for Winter Weather

Save money, stay warm, and protect your home with these simple steps!

Mind your Pipes

Check appliance connections, under sinks, and overhead plumbing pipes in the basement and make sure you insulate these areas.

Protect both hot and cold water pipes no matter what the forecast may be, as this preemptive measure could save you from a major debacle down the road.

Additional steps include leaving the heat on (around 55 degrees is sufficient) when you leave the house and shutting off your water and draining the pipes if you’re going on extended vacation over the holiday.

Look Over your Landscape

While you cover any plants that need protection from the cold, take a look around the rest of your landscape and assess any potential problem areas.

Are there any trees or branches too close to your home?

Get them trimmed before any winter storms make their appearance. Also check that water drains away from the home so you can ensure your foundation is safe and regularly check that your drains don’t get clogged.

Take Care of your Roof

Buying a roof rake to regularly remove any snowfall will help keep your roof healthy all winter long. As will checking for ice dams.

Make sure your roof doesn’t become home to any ice dams this winter by insulating and ventilating your attic. Ice dams can put stress on your roof and block drains until your roof is weakened and your home is at risk.

Check your Furnace

Turn on the heat and blower to make sure both are functioning optimally, and go ahead and clean/change out the filter. Make sure to replace every 2–3 months.

Keeping your home clean and as dust-free as possible can also prolong the life of your filter. Save yourself money and stay warm by implementing these easy steps!

Seal Windows and Doors

Caulk around windows and install or replace weather stripping around doors to keep the winter breeze out of your home!

Double or triple-pane windows and insulated doors can also help keep your home efficient and warm.

Finally, if you have a garage, make sure it’s well-insulated and not costing you in energy spending this holiday season!

We hope these 5 simple tips will help keep your property and your loved ones safe and comfortable throughout this winter season.

If you want a professional and impartial opinion on how to improve your home or make sure everything is in working order before we’re in full winter weather, schedule your inspection today!