Are you winter ready?
It's fall, y'all!
Whether you're currently sipping a pumpkin spice something or other while basking in the beautiful autumnal sceneries or you're grumpily bundling up with another layer to rid the horrid chill from your bones, this one's for you! As your friendly, neighborhood contracting & painting crew, we're here with a few hot tips for gearing up for the cold weather in & around your home.
Clean out your gutters. If left unchecked, clogged gutters and downspouts can lead to flooded basements, foundation and/or driveway issues, roof damage, amongst many other concerns. And what may seem like such a small thing will burn a nice sized hole in your wallet.
Shut off your outdoor water faucets. Busted water pipes from freezing temperatures = no bueno. Need we say more?
If you have any perennial plants, winterize those beauties (or find & hire a landscaper/gardener!)
Clean out your dryer vent. This isn't seasonal by nature. But if you haven't done this in the last year, we highly recommend it...if you aren't a fan of your home catching on fire, that is!
Test out your smoke detector and check the batteries. This one speaks for itself.
Make sure your home's heating element is working. Whether you take care of it yourself, or you contact a professional, maintenance care—furnace filter changes, a boiler test run, etc—is essential and needs to be done long before freezing temperatures set in. This is one of those areas where it will save lots of $$$ to be proactive instead of reactive.
Switch the direction of your ceiling fans. If you’ve never heard of this one, you might be scratching your heads, but it is, in fact, a thing! And not just any old thing, but one that helps with the energy efficiency of your heat! So if you’re hearing about this for the first time, you want counterclockwise in the summer and clockwise in the winter. The clockwise updraft will distribute warm air more evenly. The way to do this is with a small switch on the side of the motor—or some newer models will even have the option on a remote control.
Stain wood decks and fences. Staining serves two masters-form and function. Though it does obviously beautify your wood, it also seals it and thus protects it from the elements!
This list certainly isn't exhaustive, but we hope it's a helpful start (especially for you summer lovers who are going into survival mode!) Some of these you may be able to tackle yourself, some we have referrals for, & for the rest...PJA will swing into action & save the day!
