Regarding long-term investments, your home is as valuable as it ever gets. For this reason, you must take the time and effort to maintain every brick and shingle, in and out, keeping it in good condition year-round.
With the winter fast approaching, now is the time for you to take the proper steps to protect your property from damage by the elements.
Without further ado, we present the ultimate home maintenance checklist for fall and winter:
Inspect your chimney and fireplace
Whether you have a wood-burning or gas fireplace for heating up the indoors, it's crucial to ensure that it's venting properly to prevent fire accidents.
Telltale signs to look out for include intense smells, excessive smoke, and loud crackling noises.
Additionally, you can check the chimney exterior for the build-up of combustible debris.
Even better, you can schedule an inspection with a professional for a thorough job.
Clean out the gutters
Home maintenance often ignores rooftops when they should be top priority.
Spend some time clearing debris out of the gutters and downspouts. Additionally, inspect the brackets that hold the gutters in place and replace faulty ones that could allow water to flow into the building.
This way, you can avoid ice buildup, wood rot, water incursions, and pooling water that could adversely affect the foundation.
Check and winterize your plumbing
Disconnect the hoses from faucets outdoors, and remember to close the valves for your outdoor water system.
Additionally, you should inspect visible pipes for potential leaks and repair them. Finally, to prevent pipes from freezing, especially those in the basement and other unheated areas of the home, cover them with insulation.
Check the doors and windows
As the weather drops, it's essential to keep you and your loved ones warm in the coming months.
If you have summer window screens, take them down and store them somewhere safe. Then, check the doors and window frames for signs of damage and fix them. You can also install weather stripping on the former and replace damage to the caulking around the latter.
Inspect your yard
Inspection of the exterior isn't limited to your decks and patios. You should also check your yard and ensure it's ready for winter.
Inspect the trees close to the property to ensure that the structure has adequate protection against windstorms.
You can also contact a tree specialist to help remove rotting or aging branches that would sway loose in windy conditions, causing damage to the structure.
Insurance is essential
As much as we take precautions to protect our property from damage, there's no way to foresee all potential risks of the winter season.
When these damages and disasters, such as theft, vandalism, and floods, eventually occur, you're faced with the high cost of repairs, which you may not be ready for. A standard home insurance policy can protect your home and help cover the cost of repairs.
Protect yourself with the right insurance policy
Having the right policies to cover damage to your property and additional protection absent in standard home insurance policies is essential.
For example, many home insurance policies cover wind damage but not that caused by flooding. Also, standard home policies do not always cover personal belongings. Thankfully, add-on plans that offer more coverage than the standard policies are available.
The independent insurance agents at Joyce Insurance will work with you to find the right policies that suit your individual situation and needs. Call us now to get started.