The Vanderveen House

Tips from accidental real estate investors

  • Start Here
    • About Us
    • Policies and Contact
  • Fix and Flip Houses
    • 1st House: Run down bungalow
    • 2nd House: New build
    • Flip House
    • 3rd house: Outdated split level
  • Buy and hold properties
    • 4th house: New build raised bungalow
    • Construction schedule & budget worksheet
    • Rental House
    • Cabin in the Woods
  • DIY Projects
    • Craft Ideas
    • Furniture Makeovers
    • Woodworking
    • Outdoor Ideas
    • Gardening
Home » Buy and hold real estate investing properties » 4th House: Raised Bungalow Build » Preparing Your Home For Winter

4th House: Raised Bungalow Build

Preparing Your Home For Winter

I don’t know about you, but winter is my least favorite season. Getting your home ready for winter before the snow hits will help you avoid extra costs and prevent damage to your home. The thought of saving money on energy costs and preventing major damage gives me some peace of mind going into the winter. Here are a few of my top tips for preparing your home for winter.
 
Tops tips for getting your home ready for winter
 

Inspect Your Heating System

 
Keeping your furnace system clean and well maintained will save you money, and keep your family safe. If you have a wood burning fireplace or furnace, clean the chimney every year to prevent a chimney fire. If you burn wood, stack it in a dry place that is easily accessible.
Tips to prepare your home for winter
Check your furnace filter and replace it if needed. Furnace filters come in a variety of types, but there is something for any budget. If it’s been a while, have your ducts cleaned before starting the furnace the first time to reduce the amount of dust in the air.
 
 
To save money on energy costs, set your thermostat to go down a few degrees at night while you sleep, then back up to a comfortable temperature during the day. Now that the temperature has gone done and the windows are always closed, make sure your air exchanger is working. This helps reduce condensation build up around the windows.
Get your home ready for winter
 
This is also a good time to make sure carbon monoxide alarms and smoke detectors are working.
 

Eliminate Air Leaks

 
Air leaks around windows and doors can send your heat, and your money, right out the door. Check your windows for drafts or condensation. Add weather stripping or use spray foam insulation to fill in any holes and eliminate the air leaks. Replace old weather stripping if needed.
 
 
If you have pipes or ducts that go through an exterior wall, check that the caulking goes entirely around the pipe and there are no air leaks. If you need to, you can put shrink wrap plastic around your windows to keep the cold air out.
Tips for preparing your home for winter

Prevent Freezing Pipes

Frozen water pipes are a very real probability in homes that have freezing temperatures in the winter. Frozen pipes are a problem because running water won’t go through them, or they could burst, causing damage to your home and plumbing.
 
 
To prevent frozen water pipes, locate which pipes are most susceptible to freezing. These are usually located on an outside wall, or in a room that gets colder than others. Make sure to insulate these pipes with some foam insulation, which is very easy and quick to install. You can also get a heat cable and wrap it around the pipes.
Prevent pipes from freezing
 
 Know where your water shut off valve is, so that if you do have a pipe that bursts you can shut the water off from the source.
 

Lawn and Garden

Clean your gutters to prevent buildup of rain and snow. Make sure down spouts are directed away from the house to eliminate water in the basement. Put away patio furniture and kids’ toys to protect them from the elements.
 
 
Make sure handrails and stairs are solid and sturdy to prevent falls when it gets icy. Check shingles and replace any that are missing to prevent leaks. Drain the water from outdoor hoses, disconnect them, and store hoses inside.
Tips for getting your home winter ready

Preparing Your Home For Winter

All of these tips will help you get your home ready for winter. In the long run, a little bit of preparation will help you save money on energy and heating costs, and prevent any major disasters from happening to your home over the winter.

And now that you’ve done all the hard work, make yourself a cup of tea, put on your slippers, and watch all the snow build up from inside your cozy home!

preparing your home for winter

*This is a sponsored post, which means I was paid in exchange for this content. However all ideas and opinions are my own*

If you liked this post, you might also like to see a tour of our house, or a summary of how we built it ourselves.


3 Comments

Previous Post: « Master Bedroom Makeover Reveal
Next Post: How to spray paint Christmas ornaments »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Habiba says

    November 22, 2017 at 4:16 am

    Do you already have snow? Wow! I can remember, that when I was a little child we used to have lots of snow here in the south of Germany. Now, not so much. Basically just slush and that will take a couple more weeks to arrive. I like the list of things to remember, that you provided. Will be pinning it.

    Reply
  2. Yami says

    November 27, 2017 at 10:13 am

    Those are all great tips! I am glad that we don’t get much snow here in Georgia, but we do make sure to prep for the cold!

    Reply
  3. Stephanie says

    December 6, 2017 at 7:01 am

    Great tips. Cold weather may suck, but your house looks so pretty in it! I have to say though, it reminds me why I don’t miss Ohio in winter. 😉 Thanks for sharing at our link party!

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

Welcome! We are Tony and Jessica Vanderveen, and are accidental real estate investors in Ontario. Find out how you too can create long term wealth, while maintaining your work life balance. Find out more...

Looking for something?

Categories

  • Buy and hold real estate investing properties
    • 4th House: Raised Bungalow Build
    • Cabin Vacation Rental
    • Rental House
  • DIY Projects
    • Craft Ideas
    • Furniture Makeovers
    • Gardening
    • Outdoor Ideas
    • Woodworking
  • Fix and Flip Houses
    • First House
    • Flip House
    • Second House
    • Third House
  • Real Estate Investing Tips

Explore the Archives

Footer

You might also like

Chalk paint picture frames

DIY Chalk Paint Picture Frames

how to install an above ground pool yourself

Top tips to install an above ground pool

How to make maple syrup

2017 Year In Review

Melt and pour soap making for beginners

Copyright © 2023 · Divine theme by Restored 316

Copyright © 2023 · Divine Theme on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in

This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish.Accept Read More
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Non-necessary
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
SAVE & ACCEPT