Home Hibernation: the “Bear” Essentials of Preparing Your Home for Winter

After Labor Day, we know it’s mostly downhill weatherwise. Sure there’s Indian summer, but once the kids are back in school it’s not long after that the sun disappears until about April and Joe Rao is giddily talking about whopper snowstorms and messy commutes.

What about your home during these rougher weather months?

Last week’s Speculator included tips on extending the life of your home from house restorer and real estate agent Carolyn Okay of Larchmont and contractor Don Holohan of Mount Kisco. Being rather Chatty Cathys, Okay and Holohan have additional advice on ways to avoid pricey contractor invoices by winterizing your home before the white stuff hits the shovel. And it’s not quite Labor Day so even you procrastinators will have no excuse not to get started!

Running an (Air) Tight Ship: Sealing Out the Elements

Keeping your home properly sealed will not only preserve it but will save money on energy and avoid battles in your basement between the Orkin Man in one corner and Those Things With Lots of Legs and Rizzo the Rat in the other. A good handyman service will provide a winterizing inspection (Holohan offers a one-time evaluation for most homes for $150) that should include all surfaces: siding, fencing, asphalt, concrete, windows, doors, moldings, trims, gutters, roofing and chimneys (see last week’s blog for more specific tips on roofing, chimney, and gutter upkeep). The inspector will be looking to seal and or caulk any leaks or cracks around doors and windows, as well as siding and trim. He may also recommend resealing fences, siding, decks, drives, and walkways. Inspection of the footing drains is another important part of winterizing as clogged pipes can cause water to infiltrate the basement causing mildew, mold, and wood rot.
Ask about a new product—removable caulking—that seals off windows and doors during the winter and comes off easily in spring. Like pulling a string!

Getting Hosed

Turning off sprinklers and hose bibs is also a big money and investment saver. One broken pipe inside or near a foundation can be an exceptionally expensive oversight.
If you have an older water system, you probably have a gate valve (it looks like a faucet handle). These shutoff valves are usually located in the extra-webby, extra scary part of your basement. I suggest bringing a high-beam flashlight and a golf club—the boogeyman will likely be kept at bay.

Conditioning Your Air Conditioning

Don't forget your A/C units. Window units need to be cleaned, removed, covered, and stored.
Have central air you say? No unsightly units hanging precariously out of your manse’s windows? Well la-de-da. There’s still maintenance to be done. Central air compressors—those big, noisy boxy looking things that Fido buries his bones behind—should be cleaned with a nozzle and garden hose then covered to prevent dirt, snow, and other debris from accumulating.

Light It Up

Before the Great Storm of 2008 hits is a good time to check exterior lights for new bulbs. There are lots of new bug-free fluorescents that save substantially on energy bills.

This blog was put together with the help of:
—Carolyn Okay, Tash Properties/Vintage Home Restoration (914) 630-4081; cbokay@verizon.net. Also a real estate agent for Sotheby’s International Realty in Larchmont (914) 833-5952
—Don Holohan, BDW Construction/Northern Westchester Handyman (914) 879-3564 or (914) 242-0834; belladrywall@optonline.net