Many new homeowners in Colorado may be surprised to learn that Colorado’s winters aren’t as severe as most of the country thinks they are. Nevertheless, Colorado does still get their share of severe winter storms, so as a new homeowner, you need to be prepared for when those winter snows start to fall.
It’s important to note from the beginning that the snowstorms in the winter can be brutal, so you want to be prepared for emergencies, make arrangements to keep you and your family warm, and make sure that your house is winter-ready shape. After a few winters in Colorado, you’ll know the importance of starting to winterize your home in the summer and fall seasons. The best way to winterize your home is to start with a roof inspection, move onto an HVAC unit inspection, and end with making sure you have enough insulation in your attic, basement, and entire house to make it through the winter. In this article, you’ll find a few more tips to help you prepare for a Colorado winter.
Get home renovation projects completed first.
The last thing you want is to be in the middle of a home renovation project when the biggest snowstorm of the year hits. While you may be just learning how to manage your finances, a winter storm that halts the renovation can be worrying not only for the state of your home but for your bank account as well.
If you’re planning multiple home improvement projects to spruce up your new home, you might be better off postponing your remodel until spring comes to Colorado. If you put off the renovation, then you’re assured that a major snowstorm isn’t going to halt work on any home improvement project you’ve hired a contractor to get done.
Clean your air ducts and heater filters.
The temperatures can be brutal when a snowstorm comes through Colorado, and you want your home to be warm, cozy, and secure. Once you’ve halted renovations on your home improvement projects, you need to have a professional come out and inspect your HVAC unit to make sure it’s going to hold up throughout the winter ahead. Your heater is one appliance you don’t want to have to do without in Colorado in the middle of the winter season. Don’t forget to have the professional HVAC service clean your air ducts while they’re there.
While you’re waiting on the HVAC professionals to arrive to do their inspection, you can change out your filters and clean up around your HVAC unit also to ensure that there’s no debris blocking your vents.
Don’t forget to make preparations for pets.
If you have a pet, whether it’s a dog or a kitten that spends most of their time romping and playing in the backyard, then take into account that a Colorado winter could be hard on them. Pets need protection just as much as people and homes do when the winter season begins. Ensuring that your pet has a place to get inside when the temperatures start to drop and that they have adequate food and water is extremely important.
Many pets are scared or made nervous by unfamiliar people, so if you’re having any winter renovations done or even when the HVAC repairman is at your home, you need to be able to keep your pet at ease during a renovation project, appliance repair, or inspection. It’s best to keep your pet away from the heater repairman or other appliance specialists when they are in your home. Even if you have to put a doggie daycare for the day on your credit card, it’s best to keep your pet safe and sound when contractors are near.
Make sure the fireplace is working properly.
Colorado wouldn’t be Colorado without building a fire in the fireplace during the winter months. There’s nothing like sitting in front of a roaring fire with a good book and a mug of steaming coffee while the snow falls outside. While it’s cozy and nice to use the fireplace in your living room, you need first to make sure that it’s working properly. It’s a good idea to have a chimney sweep come out and check your fireplace for you. You’ll want him to check your chimney, flue, and other parts of the fireplace also. The ultimate goal here is safety and peace of mind. The last thing you want is for a fire to break out in your home or smoke to back up in the living room because you forgot to have the fireplace inspected before lighting the first fire of the season.
Ensure that your appliances are up and running properly before the winter season sets in as well. If you’re going to get new appliances, you probably wonder what to do with the old ones. Repurposing old appliances, such as old fridges, washers, dryers, and even dishwashers, has become popular in recent years, so check into that before you just put the appliances out on the road for pickup. If you’re putting new appliances on your credit card or looking to finance them instead, make sure that you turn it into your home insurance to see if there are discounts available, especially if they are energy efficient.
Rent a storage unit for outside stuff.
The inside of your home isn’t the only thing that needs attention before winter begins in Colorado. It’s important to trim your tree limbs so that ice doesn’t weigh them down, causing them to snap and possibly fall on your house, car, or anything else in your yard. You might want to check your finances, then look into storage prices in Denver, CO, so that you have a storage unit to store your outside items for the winter. A reliable storage center will take credit cards, and even if you don’t have much money, they are usually affordable as a safe space for your belongings.
The great thing about storage units is that you can use them for your lawnmowers and other outside equipment during the winter months, then use them for other things for the rest of the year. You can even store old appliances, new fridges, and other items in your storage unit at any time. Just make sure that the storage unit you choose is a climate control storage unit and that you can use it in the future with no problem.
Inspect and wrap your pipes.
Your plumbing can be one of the first things to go when the temperatures plummet in Colorado. You want to make sure that you wrap your pipes to keep them from freezing and have a plumber come out and inspect your plumbing before the winter begins. Other things to take care of are cleaning out your gutters, putting in storm windows against the cold, and ensuring the future of your home by scheduling remodel projects in the spring.
These are just a few tips for preparing for your first winter as a homeowner in Colorado. It doesn’t cost a lot of money to get prepared, but you do want to do home renovations and the like as soon as possible to increase your home’s value and secure the future.
