Essential Home Maintenance Measures in Anticipation of Winter

Home maintenance is crucial all year round, if you expect to retain the structural integrity of your residence. Nevertheless, some maintenance measures become increasingly prudent, especially as the seasons of severe weather elements are about to roll around. This home maintenance becomes more urgent when winter is approaching, ensuring that your structure will be able to withstand the erratic weather patterns while also keeping you and your loved ones safe. The following are a few of the essential home maintenance measures you should engage in anticipation of the winter months.

Ensure that your outdoor balustrades are secure

Before winter comes about, you need to make sure that outdoor balustrades are in good condition. With heavy rain and snowfall, your exterior flooring will become increasingly slippery. If your handrails are not secure, chances of slipping and falling will be quite high. Thus, our balustrades become even more important in ensuring that you can navigate inside and outside your home without the risk of injury. Inspect the balustrades for any signs of loosening, especially if the rails as being held in pace with fasteners. You should also ensure that the balustrades are sturdy and opt to replace them if they are past their shelf life.

Ensure that your gutters are cleaned and maintained

Another essential maintenance measure to carry out before the winter is inspecting and cleaning out your gutters. Gutters may be an overlooked component of your roofing, but they play a significant role in ensuring that your roof and structure are protected from water. If the gutters are filled with dead leaves and twigs, the chances of them clogging will be quite high. With the increased precipitation during the winter months, it will only be a matter of time before you have water stagnating inside the gutters. The stagnating water does not only pose the risk of structural but the volume of water could also cause the gutters to come away from the roof. It is, therefore, prudent to engage in roof maintenance and repairs to ensure that your gutters are working at optimum.

Ensure cracks and crevices are sealed

As the cold weather approaches, critters of all shapes and sizes will be in search of warm places that they could use as shelter. Your home can easily be at risk of a pest infestation if it had cracks, holes and crevices that these insects can use to breach your residence. When embarking on home maintenance, ensure that any visible access points are sealed with caulking.