Winter is well and truly on its way now as we leave the heat of summer behind and watch the leaves fall from the trees.
But, looking ahead to the cold season, have you put plans in place to ensure your home stays as warm and comfy as it can over the winter months?
As experienced Loughborough builders, we carry out a range of jobs in homes and businesses all over Leicestershire to help people prepare for the drop in temperatures, so, to give you a helping hand, here are a few tips of our own to help you be prepared.
Avoid boiler breakdowns and other issues
A great start when getting your house ready for winter is to check that your boiler and central heating is working well. After a long period of rest, over the summer months, it’s when we switch on our heating to full blast once more that any problems tend to arise.
So, a great idea is to plan ahead, by getting your boiler serviced or repaired and bleeding the radiators.
In addition, there are some real benefits to employing a builder or handyman to get work done to ensure your home is as warm and well insulated as it can be. Top tips for getting your house ready for winter might include the following:
- Have gutters and drains cleared to avoid blockages and fixed where necessary.
- Have loft and cavity wall insulation installed.
- Protect your pipes with a foam layer. This is called lagging and will help prevent frozen and burst pipes.
- Have loose or missing tiles fixed on the roof to prevent water getting in.
- Have any leaking pipes or appliances repaired as soon as possible.
Be prepared for the plunging temperatures!
There are also some crafty little bits and bobs you can do yourself. Try, for example, putting a piece of tin foil over a sheet of card and placing it behind the radiators. The heat will reflect back into the room, instead of into the walls.
Have a look at draught proofing your home too. Take a look around to see where any cold air might be getting in through windows or doors and use insulating tape or foam to fill in the gaps. It can save a packet on the heating bills.
In addition, ensure you have the proper insurance cover, so that, should any of the typical winter disasters happen, such as a broken boiler or burst pipe, you’ve got the cost of repairs well and truly covered. And check you’re on a good energy tariff so you can rest assured you’re not paying over the odds to heat your home.
Then, once it actually starts to get colder, bear in mind tips such as keeping oven doors open after you’ve been cooking, or putting a rug down over cold wooden floors and tiles, keeping doors and curtains closed where you can. Again, these are great ways to make your home feel much cosier.
If you need any building work or home maintenance done to prepare your house for winter, get in touch with a member of our team today to find out more about how we can help.