How to Protect Your Home from Winter Weather

In the UK Winter officially lasts from the 22nd of December 2019 to the 20th of March 2020, however, if you live in the UK, then you will know that winter tends to feel like it lasts much longer than that. We can be experiencing winter weather anywhere from October through to April or May.

With that weather comes the risk of gale force winds, ice, and snow. All of these factors can be detrimental to your homes and can cause an untold amount of damage to the exterior and interiors of your property - not to mention the ability to cause ill health.

So, here are some of our top tips for protecting your home from winter weather.

 

Insulation Is Key

Poor heating is one of the leading causes of major air leakage in your home, and the main cause of this is poor insulation. Although it is, of course, wise to have your home insulated all year round, this is especially important in the winter months as a well-insulated home not only leads to a warmer house, but to lower energy bills and better health due to lack of exposure to winter temperatures.

There are many different types of insulation that you can invest in for your home, such as wall insulation, roof insulation, windows and doors insulation, and floor insulation.

Invest in one or more of these, and you will protect your home from cold air, help t lower your energy bills and even protect your home from damp and mould – both of which can be notoriously hard to treat and are bad for your health. By installing proper insulation you will minimise these risks. 

 

Prepare for Freezing Temperatures, Snow and Storms

With it, winter brings not only the dreaded prospects of ice and snow but also of freezing weather, gale winds, and storms. So, it is important that you protect your home from freezing winter weather.

As mentioned above, insulation is one wat to combat the cold in winter months. But what else can you do?

Checking your roof is a must to ensure that it doesn’t have broken slates or tiles, holes in the roof or a leaning chimney. If it does – get this repaired asap! Check on your popes too to insulate them internally and externally where possible – even in crawl spaces, garages and lofts!

 

Take Care of Outdoor Areas

Your garden is a part of your home and also needs to be shown some love in the winter months when it will be hit the hardest by winter weather.

So, make sure to plant some evergreens as these will be able to survive the winter and keep your garden looking alive. Remove any vulnerable plants to the safety of indoors and be sure to have some gritting salt on hand to de-ice paths and steps to prevent them from getting damaged – or yourself from having a nasty fall!

Take care of outdoor furniture and decorations too, such as patio sets, greenhouse, and decking to ensure that they have been winter-proofed to protect them from wind, rain, and snow.

It would also be a good idea to trim any large or over-hanging trees, as well as tying down or removing any easily moveable furniture. This will prevent trees from falling down or garden furniture being blown around in the winds and damaging your property.

It is important that you take the time to care for your home during winter as you don’t want to be faced with ill-health or a huge repair bill if something goes wrong – especially if that something was preventable in the first place.