Winterize Your Home
/The temperatures are finally lower! Get your home winter-ready with these projects.
Did you freeze last winter?
First things first: there are lots of projects you can do to wrap up the warm season and say “Hello!” to chilly weather ahead, but the biggest difference between a cozy home and cold-weather misery is pretty simple: insulation!
Check your attic and get your insulation replaced if it’s inadequate. You certainly don’t want all your heating escaping through the ceiling. But don’t stop there; heat can escape through drafty doors and windows, and uninsulated pipes can freeze and burst in subfreezing temperatures.
Pro tip: It’s not too late to plan your updated bathroom and kitchen! The professionals at Hardwood Specialties will make sure all your plumbing, lighting and fixtures are as efficient as they are stylish.
Find new ways to stay warm!
Speaking of heating, what’s better than having toasty floors all through the dreary cold season? Yes, you can heat your floors!
Underfloor heating is easy to install if you’re redoing the tile in your bathroom, mudroom or kitchen, but it’s also pretty simple to add under your house, between floor joists. Check out our blog to learn all about it.
Embrace the cold weather with home updates.
Spruce up your mudroom with new paint, rugs, bins, and hooks in anticipation of all the boots and coats that will soon hang there. Head to Hardwood Specialties for high-quality paints, fixtures, lighting and decorating inspiration from the friendly pros.
Make sure your fireplace is ready to go with a professional inspection. Don’t wait too long to call the chimney sweep; they’re bound to be booked up when the temperatures dip below freezing!
Sometimes, it’s the simple things that have the biggest impact! Add cozy blankets and pillows all over the house for a welcoming space. You could even consider setting up a permanent hot cocoa bar to brighten up dreary afternoons.
Reverse your ceiling fans.
Flipping that switch on the base of your ceiling fan will reverse the blades and push rising hot air down. While you’re up there, if you decide your light fixtures and ceiling fans could use some updating … you guessed it. Come on by Hardwood Specialties! We consider fans and lighting to be the jewelry of a room, and we stock models and styles you won’t find anywhere else.
Do some fall cleaning.
The change in temperature can bring on the colds and flus, and you definitely want to make sure your carpets and upholstery are as clean as possible! Viruses, bacteria and mold all love to hang out in fabric. A good, deep cleaning will help you start the season right.
While you’re at it, check all your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors, too. It’s the season for less fresh air in the house and more accidental fires, so protect your family.
Don’t ignore the exterior of your home!
Clean up the fall leaves, and add a little bit of fertilizer and cold-weather grass seed in bare spots. You’ll thank yourself when your grass grows in thicker than ever next spring.
Also, double check your siding and decks for peeling paint. Now’s the time to touch up your exterior paint, before the wet seeps in and freezes, causing damage to the wood underneath. You’ve got enough warm days ahead to get painting!
Pro tip: Are you longing for a more welcoming home exterior, before the guests arrive for the holidays? Curb appeal is important! You can get the warm and fuzzies started before your friends and family even set foot inside your home. Hardwood Specialties can help.
A few more things for the checklist , courtesy of realtor.com:
Clean your dryer vents.
Store or cover your yard furniture.
Store your garden hose and insulate the outdoor spigot.
Inspect and clean out gutters and downspouts.
Happy Fall!
Enjoy this season of pumpkin spice everything! From all of us here at Hardwood Specialties, Happy Fall!
Contact us at Hardwood Specialties today to find out more about home improvement, from start to finish, and everything in between.
Or, better yet, stop in to get inspired for your next home improvement project.