3 Pre-Winter Home Repairs That Only Get More Expensive If You Wait

While spring is usually seen as the season for cleaning and tidying up a home, this season of rebirth comes directly after the season of cold. It is the very weather and temperatures that occur around winter where lax repair work around the house can lead to worsened problems. 

While several different problems may come to mind, here are three especially notable problems that would best be handled before the first frost.

Treating Your HVAC

While a problematic HVAC system is one of the most obvious things to have fixed before winter, there are still some home owners who forget to give it regular maintenance. 

Professional HVAC companies know what a premium central heating is in the winter and will generally charge more for work in the winter than in other seasons.

Fixing a Damaged or Weakened Roof

You should make it a regular habit to look over your roof after every major storm and maybe once a month. By making regular checks, you can fix small problems before they grow out of control or require major work. 

This is especially notable when it comes to temperatures conducive to snowfall; a weakened or damaged roof increases the risk of a partial collapse when a heavy layer of snow continually presses against the roof. 

Snow also does a great deal of obscuring where problems might be, leading to nothing but frustration should you decide to investigate your roof after a snowfall. 

Another reason to inspect for cracks and damage in your roof is to avoid mold and structural damage as snow and ice melt, turning into water that can penetrate your imperfect walls.

Rectifying Cracks in the Foundation

The winter is the worst time to inspect and make work on a concrete foundation. Moisture can worsen problems that may extend beyond where you can see, possibly to the foundation’s underside. 

One of the easiest ways for water damage to play havoc with a foundation is when temperatures cause water to freeze and expand; the pressure generated by these form changes can result in upward-reaching cracks or erosion of the soil. 

Because weather and temperature also play roles in concrete work, it is least recommended to wait until winter to repair a cracked foundation.

Winter is a time to relax and spend time with family through various holidays, not fixing up problems in your home that you decided to put off. Be vigilant in checking your home for problems throughout the year and remember to make repairs a priority issue. 

If you aren’t sure what to look for, call professionals like Fischer Roofing to help you out. The last thing you want for your home in the winter is to resort to starting fires inside it, tolerate a constant draft from an unclear source or discover that your doors and windows aren’t closing quite right because the foundation shifted.