The average low temperature of the Birmingham winter months is around 36°F and the average snowfall is around 1 inch. While snow isn’t as prominent, the cold weather can still have an impact on your home’s exterior. To be safe, you should perform some preventative outdoor maintenance before the colder months come.
If you’re not sure what pre-winter home maintenance should include, read on. You’ll learn some maintenance tips for keeping your home safe throughout the winter.
Inspect Your Roof for Damages
Your roof’s biggest job is to protect your home from the weather. It can’t do this if it isn’t in its best condition. Unfortunately, you may only notice there’s a problem when it’s the dead of winter and your ceiling is dripping.
Performing a basic roof inspection and possibly performing simple repairs can prevent this from happening. Sometime before winter, get a ladder, prop it on a wall, and climb it until you can see your roof’s surface. You may have to do this in a few different places to see all the angles.
While you’re there, look for anything that could cause a leak. Check for ripped or missing seals, missing or broken shingles, and so on. You can then hire roofers or perform the repairs yourself (be careful if you do the latter as roof falls can cause serious injuries).
Clear Your Gutters of Debris
Your home’s gutters are also an important part of your home’s weather resistance system. If they can’t properly direct water away from your roof, it will sit there. This can attract certain water-loving insects and cause damaging mold to grow.
Therefore, it’s important to check your gutters for any dirt, leaves, and so on. You can do this at the same time that you inspect the roof. If your gutters are dirty, clean them yourself or hire professionals to help you.
Cut Dangerous Branches
The branches of your property’s trees can easily crash down onto your roof. This is most likely to happen when winter’s intense wind storms and heavy weather arrives. For this reason, it’s a good idea to trim any branches that look loose or diseased.
You can identify dangerous branches yourself. However, a professional arborist will probably be more capable of spotting tree weaknesses.
Seal Windows
Nothing makes your home colder than a draft from a broken window seal. Be sure to inspect the seals around your home’s windows before winter. If any of them are cracked or broken, get them replaced.
Let Us Help You with Your Pre-Winter Outdoor Maintenance in Birmingham
You may feel somewhat annoyed by the inconvenience of performing these outdoor maintenance tasks. If you do, remind yourself that caring for your home in little ways is important. Doing so will prevent you from experiencing larger issues and having to pay larger fees.