How to Weatherproof Your Newtown Home This Season

Cold temperatures, strong winds, snow, and constant rain can adversely affect the structural foundation of Newtown homes. Weather conditions outside have a good probability of damaging the interior unless it’s completely sealed, so taking the best care of the home you’re in now will help you in the long run, whether you’re planning to sell or are in your home for the long haul. To protect your property, take the steps needed to keep your home functioning as a warm sanctuary during the cold winter months.

Thankfully, there are several affordable and straightforward improvements you can make. It’s useful to know these changes will ultimately help you save money by decreasing your household expenses while increasing the property’s sustainability.

As you consider new Newton real estate, learn what it’s going to take to protect your current investment. Make sure your home’s roof works strongly as the first line of protection. Weatherproofing is one of the most effective steps you can take to protect your home from adverse weather conditions.

Examine your roof by looking to find any loose, cracked, damaged, or missing tiles, shingles, or other materials. You might need to contact a roofing professional with the required qualifications and resources needed to conduct an inspection and make any necessary repairs.

While viewing Upper Makefield homes for sale, if you are unsure about how to find a qualified local contractor to inspect your roof, you can use an organization called the National Roofing Contractors Association. The NRCA is a great resource as it maintains a directory with the names of local registered roofing contractors.

You might also need to insulate your home’s attic or basement to keep it warm during the winter. Hot air can quickly escape through an energy-inefficient attic and, in the event that your roof becomes buried in snow during winter, the escaping heat could melt snow and cause ice to form, consequently creating cracks, leakage, and a host of other problems. This destructive process can ruin a roof and make it dangerous for professionals to stand on it to complete repairs.

Gutters are essential for your Newtown home's general upkeep because rainwater and moisture are every building's worst enemy. Even after you purchase your new Newton real estate, your new home's roof, windows, walls, and its very foundation can all become severely damaged by these elements. While your roofing is the most critical water barrier for your home, water seepage from clogged gutters can cause considerable damage as well. Therefore, maintaining clean gutters is paramount to keeping your home free of unwanted water.

Whenever rain runs down the edge of your roof, your home's gutters capture the water in a drainage funnel and direct it away from the home to avoid damage. Accumulating water can pose a serious threat to your foundation if you don't have rain gutters or if they’re clogged to the point where they cause insufficient drainage. During a particularly hard and prolonged rainstorm, water can penetrate underneath your roofline, trigger leakage, gush against windows, and flood the land near your home's foundation or your basement.

From the roof to the gutters, blocked water can become frozen in cold weather and swell enough to cause damage. Fortunately, you can reduce the chances of this problem by installing a mesh filter or some other type of guard to keep leaves and other debris out of your roof's gutters.

While you are looking for new Upper Makefield real estate, if your current home has older windows, it’s vital to confirm they’re in proper working order and completely sealed. This is especially important if you plan to place your home on the market. Installing storm windows can help to bring another level of protection to your home, thereby making your home more marketable while keeping you and your family warm and safe from the harsh winter weather.

You might be able to avoid replacing an entire window by focusing on a damaged area, smoothing it, then staining, painting, or applying some other type of surface treatment. Additionally, you will need to use some type of perimeter sealant to improve and renew the windows. The perimeter sealant will help to balance for sashes, enabling them to slide efficiently. Latex caulk or silicone sealant around aged windows can also be extremely effective.

If you think your current home’s windows might need repair or do not match your desired home style, now is the time to upgrade them. This will enhance the whole aesthetic of your home and prepare it for harsh winter conditions.

If you have drafts in parts of your home, easy-to-apply treatments and fixes can work best. For example, using a self-adhering weatherstrip around the edges of doors and windows can play a huge role in keeping cold air out of what should be warm spaces inside your home. This will raise the comfort level of your residence while simultaneously reducing energy costs.

If you’re looking to learn more about how to weatherproof your home or about Newton or Upper Makefield real estate, please don’t hesitate to reach out to Mark + Tina for expert guidance.