winter home maintenance tasks have warm weather projects for me because I can not seem to get into the right frame of mind to work when the temperature in the 80s. Winter preparedness projects should be done in cold weather, so you can just feel the tip of the conditions for which you have prepared.
We are awaiting the first frost of the year tonight, so probably should not bring any survivors in the sensitive plants that have somehow managed to live through a miserable hot summer. Everything else can wait until after the evening's chill.
clean up the yard. Disconnect the hose and store it in the garage, garden shed or under the floor. Concrete bird baths should be taken down and turned upside down so that water will not pool and freeze, eroding the surface of the pool. Anything else that could be affected by freezing weather should be stored somewhere where they are protected.
chairs and tables that will stay in the winter weather should be covered. I wrap a thick black plastic over my grills and lawn furniture and provide firewood from pieces I took from my stack of wood that I bought for the fireplace.
Check for air leaks around windows and doors. If any seal has become brittle and pulling away from the opening frames, it is best to dig up and replace it with new material.
Prague bar below the door to my house usually needs to be adjusted or replaced. Cold air can really work up the utility bill if they are not properly placed, not to mention the mice who slip through even the smallest crack.
All pipes that are exposed to the elements should be isolated. Mine are wearing foam insulation that can be purchased at just about any hardware store. If you have discovered something else that should be protected from the cold, such as the bare spot where wind-blown insulation side near the opening or openings for ventilation, then buy the appropriate type of coverage.
Check the chimney to make sure that it would not burn the house down when you first light a fire this winter. Most of us do not have a wire brush and extension pole to clean chimneys and fireplaces. I do not feel comfortable about my ability to remove all creosote and soot left in the chimney and fireplace inserts from last year fires in makeshift tools. If the chimney sweep is not in your phonebook, your storage hardware should know one.
to get their charts. Fallen leaves are compacted can dislodge even the tightest hanging gutters and make it a hassle to put back in the spring. Even those with the kind of gutter covers seem to eventually become clogged with trash. Clean those gutters before winter.
While you have the water out, raise it several feet, climb onto the roof to see if you have any cracks or loose shingles in the valleys, especially the trim around the bathroom and kitchen vents. These are the places that always seems to me the problem in the winter months.
If you have trees near the house, make sure the limbs are cut far enough from the structure to avoid damage when the cold winds blow. It does not take much wind lifted shingles or pull nails from a piece of vinyl siding.
There are many other things you can do to make their winter home on the inside. Just thinking about the job I was waiting for me on the outside makes me tired.