Have you felt it yet? The bite in the air? It’s not quite sharp enough yet to make you wince. Not quite awake with cunning to entirely take you off your guard. But it is there. Jack Frost is stirring in his slumber. And we need to be ready.
As the low, autumn days darken still and nature’s mood begins to fidget and grumble, opportunities to address frailties in our beloved properties begin to dwindle. The winds howl stronger. The rains thrash louder. Shelter and coco seem the only reasonable response to such hectic and foul hours. Before you know it, it is all too late. Winter has come. The iceman has awakened. Your home is now, and for the many months to come, in it alone.
There is, however, still time. Not an awful lot of time, but enough to make a difference. Your property needs preparation and you can give it to them. Roll up your sleeves and dab on that battle paint. Because, friends, we’re going to war. Here are 5 things that you can do to prepare your property for the oncoming onslaught of winter.
Exterior Care: Whist the weather is still not as bad as it could be, checking the exterior of your property for wear and tear should be a top priority. It’s not so easy addressing cracks in walls and missing tiles on the roof when Mother Nature is attacking you from all angles. Clear out your gutters and make sure drains are not blocked, so you have a good chance of everything functioning as they should over the coming months. If you don’t, you could be in for a nasty surprise just when you don’t need it.
Boiler Service: If there is one thing you do not want to happen in the middle of December, it is for your boiler to conk out. Having no hot water or heating can put you in quite a chilly mood, and so, getting it serviced ASAP after summer really is a very sensible move. Do this and, at the very least, you will keep nice and toasty inside, no matter what crazy antics are going on outside.
Radiator Bleeding: This sounds quite graphic and unpleasant, but all it really means is that you let air out of the radiator that may have become trapped within it. This ensures that everything is tickety boo and that there will be no issues in warming the place up when things start to get a little chilly. If you have never done it before, worry not. It’s a fairly simple process and you can find out exactly how you can do it here.
Insulation Creation: Money is pretty tight for most of us right now, so ensuring that your property is well insulated is a smart move if you want to save yourself a bit of cash. Keeping the heat inside and the cold outside is exactly what you want from your property during winter, so make sure that you’re doing all that you can to remain snug and warm.
Ventilation Care: It’s undoubtedly important to keep the heat in your home as much as you can, but don’t ignore the need for air entirely. Condensation can cause walls and ceilings to become incredibly damp, incredibly quickly, increasing the risk of some quite unpleasant health issues to appear. Make sure any extractor fans you have are working well and think about other areas of ventilation that can be exploited when the time is right. It is an area often overlooked, but supremely important.
Winter can be quite cruel and unforgiving, so preparing yourself for the icy elements as soon as possible is a very wise thing to do. You may not be able to do everything on this list – you may not need to do everything – , but doing what you can with the time that you have left will give you the best possible chance of reaching spring unscathed and sitting pretty.
We at Belvoir Edinburgh hope that you are all doing well during this difficult time. Take care of yourselves and those around you. Keep warm and keep smiling.
Bring it on, Mr Frost!
