This time of year is the perfect chance to make some improvements to the home. While the temperature has dropped, there’s still a little while before the start of the really bad weather; this means you have the opportunity to get sorted before then, and any work you need doing outside won’t be delayed due to icey temperatures or rained off. Here are three jobs to tackle before winter.
Insulation and double glazing
When the weather has been mild for such a long time, it’s easy to forget just how bitterly cold it gets between December and March especially. It might have been a while since you had a hair-raising gas bill drop through the door, but it’s going to happen again unless you make some serious changes to the home! Double glazing prices can seem steep when you’re paying them in one go, however, the money you will save over the coming years they will eventually pay for itself.
When it comes to wall and loft insulation, often there are schemes and incentives from the government where you can have these done cheaply or even free. This is because they’re taking steps to reduce emissions and save the environment, and in the process you get to shave money off your fuel bills. Get these upgrades done before the cold of winter and you’ll find your house stays far warmer and holds heat better, meaning you don’t have to crank the heating up and your gas bill for winter 2018 will be far less scary.
Cleared guttering
Something as simple as blocked gutters can cause all kinds of problems. Leaves, litter and other obstructions can cause blockages causing gutters to leak, pour and stop working efficiently. This can cause staining to the bricks or rendering at the front of your house that looks unattractive. The water can also permeate the walls of the home and result in wet walls inside.
In turn, this can lead to black mould which not only looks awful but can be damaging to health too. Once the leaves have mostly come off the trees in a few weeks, get up on a ladder with some gardening gloves on and scrape out whatever has fallen into them. By the time the heavy rain arrives, you won’t be messing around getting them sorted and dealing with any issues the leaking has caused.
Heating and hot water maintenance
It will have been quite some time since you had the heating on, so give it a test run ahead of the cold weather to make sure everything is working. That way you won’t get caught short on a chilly day. Having your boiler serviced every year can prevent minor problems from turning into large and expensive ones. The last thing you want is to end up with no heating or hot water in the middle of winter, and calling out an emergency plumber or gas engineer if it happens at an inconvenient time will cost you twice as much. So it’s worth being organised and getting sorted ahead of time.
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