Maintaining your Oakville home is very important in the winter months, not only to keep it looking good but also to avoid costly repairs in the spring time. It is essential to pay attention to items both inside and outside your home and should begin in the fall to do outside maintenance such as touching up peeling paint on the house, fences and trim. If you have a deck it should be waterproofed and sealed to be able to withstand harsh winter conditions. For energy efficiency all doors and windows should be checked for heat loss and weather stripping and caulking should be applied were needed. The roof should also be checked making sure that there are no damaged or missing shingles and that flashing and downspouts are in good working order. Make sure that all paved areas are inspected and that all cracks to paving are fixed as the winter will create farther damage.

Inside your home you should inspect your fireplace and call a chimney sweep if necessary. An inspection and maintenance should be preformed for your heating system. An inspection of your dryer hoses and exterior vents should be done at least once a year. Making sure that your hot water tank is in good working order is another step in maintaining your Oakville home. Just prior to the winter months it is good to have the ducts in your home inspected and cleaned-after all you will be relying only on the air that passes through them as you will not be able to open windows in the winter months. It is also good practice to have items on hand that could get you and your family through a storm and subsequent power outage. For instance check batteries in flashlights and keep them in a easy to find place. Make sure you have some candles, some non-perishable foods, bottled water, a manual can opener and either a traditional corded phone or cell phone.

Remember to check the outside of your Oakville home after a snow fall and monitor outdoor vents, gas meters and chimneys for ice and snow build up. Make sure to keep snow away from gas meters vents and basement windows. Also, make sure that your Oakville home is equipped with snow shovels, snow blowers and ice melter before the snow starts.

Taking the time to prepare and maintain your Oakville home will save time and money in costly repairs later and if you are thinking of selling in the winter months will show prospective buyers the house is well maintained.

For more information contact Jo Hardy

67 Lakeshore Ave West. Oakville Ontario L6K 1C9 (905) 338-9000

Cell: 416- 230-1425