Most of us in the North Canton, Ohio and Alliance, Ohio areas are busy packing away the shorts and flip flops. Now is the time to pull out sweaters, mittens, and parkas! And the majority of homeowners in the Stark County, Ohio area are undoubtedly taking out their rakes and doing some yard clean-up. Yep, it’s that time of year again. And Snyder Home Improvement wants to give you a little fall to-do list to prepare your home for winter. By following these seasonal home maintenance tips, you can be sure that your house is ready for anything that the autumn or winter season wants to throw at it!
The first item on your fall to-do list? Well, since we are in autumn, it’s time to clean out those gutters! To make it easy on yourself, wait until later in the season to get up on a ladder and clean out debris. Most of the leaves should have fallen off of the trees by then. When you don’t clean out your gutters, rain, sleet, and snow can stop up the opening. This leads to ice dams backing up against the shingles of your roof—allowing water to back up and cause leaking!
While on the subject of leaks, Snyder Home Improvement wants to remind you that potential energy and money could be flying out of your North Canton or Alliance home from air leaks. Here is a trick that a homeowner can do: light a candle (make sure it is long) and walk around the areas of your home that you suspect might need to be sealed. Areas like doors, door jams, windows, window seals…anywhere that you see the candle flicker, there must be air coming from somewhere around the vicinity! Once the areas have been identified, make sure you follow the proper steps to seal the area. Doors can be sealed up with door jams at the bottom and sticky rope can be stuck along the door to ensure a proper fit. Windows can be sealed using a plastic film to cover the frame or caulking can be filled in around the window.
Snyder Home Improvement also reminds Stark County homeowners that just as you insulate your body in cold weather to keep the warmth from escaping, you should do the same to your house! Making sure that your home is properly insulated could make a significant difference in your monthly heating bills. And while the initial investment may seem a little costly, the savings will soon cover that. As a rule of thumb, Snyder Home Improvement suggests at least 12 inches of insulation in your home. If you can see ceiling joists, you need more insulation!
Keeping warm seems to be a major theme as you prepare your home for winter. So, even if the weather is warm right now, get in there and turn on the furnace to make sure it works. The first bone-chilling night is not the time to find out your furnace isn’t working! While you’re at it, it’s not a bad idea to have your local heating and cooling company come out to give your furnace a complete inspection. Such seasonal home maintenance tips may seem simple, but they will end up saving you from a lot of frustration when winter hits!
The last thing you want to hear as you snuggle by the fire is the wind whistling through the windows! Snyder Home Improvement touched upon what to do if your windows are leaking air; however, it is advised that if you have old, single pane windows, it might be time to think about replacing them with energy efficient windows. Now, Snyder Home Improvement knows that window replacement might not be within your budget, but if you replace a couple of windows at a time, those energy replacement windows will actually be putting money back in your pocket!
If you have already started to prepare your North Canton, Ohio or Alliance, Ohio home for winter, it might not be a bad idea to follow some of Snyder Home Improvement’s seasonal home maintenance tips! And if you need the advice of an expert as you go through your fall to-do list, choose a company that residents in Stark County, Ohio have gone to for years—Snyder Home Improvement! Give them a call today at 330.453.9355 or visit them online at www.snyderwindows.com. You can also “fall” in at 1208 Harrison Avenue SE in Canton, Ohio. They guarantee that you will “leave” as a customer!