For North Carolina homeowners from Raleigh to Wilmington, keeping up with an annual home maintenance schedule helps reduce expensive home repairs in the future. This fall, take the time to prepare your home for the winter weather to come. From waterproofing your basement to insulating your crawl space, preparing now can help reduce your home heating costs this winter and protect your basement and wallet from water damages related to flooding, winter storms, and other repairs. Homeowners who take the time to prepare their homes for winter weather can reduce pests and mold growth, and save energy on home heating and cooling this year.
Check out these fall maintenance tips to help protect your home’s foundation this year.
Flood Protection for Rainy Winter Days
If you live in Winston-Salem or another community throughout North Carolina, the fall season brings more than pumpkin spice and sweaters. It also means shorter days, colder temperatures, and more rainy weather. Before your home is impacted by winter storms this year, consider these simple ways to protect your most important investment from the costly effects of winter weather.
To protect your home from flooding due to winter storms, start by installing an effective interior drainage system and efficient sump pump in the basement. It’s important to ensure your sump pump is connected to a backup battery power source so its protections continue when the lights go out during a storm. Reducing moisture levels in your basement with a sump pump and other waterproofing can help reduce pests and minimize mold and mildew growth this fall.
Another simple way to reduce moisture in your basement is to install washer and dryer units above ground. If you do have a washer/dryer room in the basement, adding a dehumidifier and fans to improve airflow will reduce moisture buildup and minimize the pests and mold it attracts this winter.
Additionally, homes with a crawl space also need protection from moisture buildup with added insulation this fall. Professional insulation installation and waterproofing will protect your home against future water damage from leaks, flooding, and moisture.
Winterproofing Your Home This Fall
To protect your home against water damage, first service your gutters this fall. Clearing leaves and debris from gutters and making sure downspouts are pointed away from the home or buried underground is an important part of a fall home maintenance plan. If water pools near a home’s exterior walls it can damage the home’s foundation over time.
Winterproofing your home before the temperatures go down can help protect it from costly water damage related to winter storms and reduce your heating bills. One of the most expensive home repairs in the winter is related to water damage from frozen and burst pipes. Before winter weather arrives, check your home’s pipes from top to bottom for leaks and fix them immediately.
Leaky pipes can damage areas throughout a home and standing water, especially in the basement, can attract pests and mold growth. Adding insulation to your basement, crawl space, and around pipes will help protect your home from water damage due to burst pipes this winter. Regulating temperatures with improved basement insulation will also help reduce heating and cooling bills.
Winterize Roofs and Outdoor Areas Too
If your roof needs repairs, fall is a better time to complete them than the winter months. Preparing now for damaging winter storms can help protect your wallet from more expensive roof and other repairs this year. From heavy snow to damaging winds and rainstorms, winter weather can damage roofs when not properly prepared.
In addition to the basement or crawl space, and roof, you can protect your home from winter damage by winterizing your outdoor areas too. Start with your outdoor hoses before the temperatures drop by disconnecting and draining water from the hose. For added protection, turn off the water supply to outdoor faucets. Leaving the handle in the open position helps release pressure during freezing temperatures. Install insulating covers over your hose bibs for even more protection.
Service HVAC Units to Reduce Heating Bills
Do you want to save money on heating bills this winter? Servicing your HVAC unit this fall can help. Improving outputs and insulating around the HVAC unit, as well as doors and windows, will help lower heating costs in your North Carolina home. To identify and reduce drafts in the home, run your hand around doors and windows and add caulk to insulate against drafty areas.
Protect Your Foundation From Winter Storms
To ensure your home’s foundation is ready for winter, schedule a free foundation inspection to identify cracks, leaks, and other damage. Water can seep inside your home’s basement or crawl space from small cracks in the foundation. Before winter storms arrive, identify and fix foundation issues to protect against water damage and flooding. For a free home inspection and repair quote to get you ready for fall, including information on basement waterproofing, contact your local basement waterproofing and foundation repair experts at Tar Heel Basement Systems.
