Top DIY Tips: How to Prepare your Home for Winter

As the nights draw in and the weather becomes more unpredictable, it’s worth spending time and potentially investing money in preparing your home for the cold winter months. Your roof, windows, and pipes can all be enhanced to help prevent heat loss, meaning your home stays warm and dry as well as keeping fuel bills low.

For example, faulty or poorly insulated roofs, typically account for a quarter of heat loss in the home, leading households to use more heat. But some simple, pre-winter home maintenance can make all the difference. Below is a short checklist from PermaGroup’s PermaRoof UK, to consider for improved insulation and cold-proofing your home.

1. Start on the ground

Before getting your ladder out, check your roofing from the ground for piles of leaves, debris and any build up, as these trap moisture from rain and can cause damp infestations. Binoculars can help give you a closer look and it’s important to check both pitched roofs and flat roofs.

2. Check your windows and doors

Following the summer, make sure all your windows still shut tightly. If there is any damage or gaps around the frames, you can seal these with caulk or a simple DIY window insulation kit. Skylights in particular require special attention, as they are more exposed to weather.

Draught excluders are also a cost-effective way to keep the cold out around doors, and reduce the chance of heat escaping – saving money in the long run.

3. Insulate your pipes

Cold weather can cause the water in your pipes to freeze and burst. Not only could this lead to a lot of expensive damage, but it may mean you have to move out while the repairs are undertaken. Insulating (or lagging) your pipes can reduce the loss of heating and prevent issues. Insulated tubing costs very little, and you can buy it from most DIY stores and fit it yourself.

Focus on the pipes that take hot water from your boiler or cylinder to your hot water taps. You’ll find them in airing cupboards, next to your boiler (between the boiler and hot water tank), or under your kitchen and bathroom sinks.

4. Declutter your gutter

After assessing your roof area, you may need to use a ladder to remove twigs, branches, algae, and moss from gutters and tiles. This will help to reduce moisture collecting and seeping into the roof. This would also be the perfect opportunity to install a GutterBrush and prevent clogging altogether.

It’s also worth cutting down or trimming any overhanging tress, branches or similar in proximity to the roof too, as this will reduce the chances of drains blocking.

5. Review your radiators

If your radiators are cold at the top and hot at the bottom you may need to bleed them. Bleeding radiators will not only increase their heat efficiency, it could save you money on your heating bills too.

6. Attics and loft conversions

If your home has an attic or loft conversion, it’s important to check the space regularly for signs of water leakage through your roof, especially after heavy rain. Doing so can help you spot damage that may not have been visible from the ground or while on the roof.

When running through your roof check, inspect your rafters and the wooden interior of your roof for signs of mould, damp, moisture, and rot.

7. When to call an expert

Across all areas of home and roof maintenance, there are always professionals on hand to help. As well as your own checks, it is a good idea to have old roofing inspected occasionally by a reputable roofer – to ensure you can head off any issues before they could become problems.

On top of this, you can speak to a range of experts for advice in different areas of installation and energy efficiency such as boiler servicing, and home health assessments to spot any signs of wear and tear.

To find out how we can support you, or for access to quality products and services from PermaRoof, visit the corporate website here.

PermaGroup has established links with some of the biggest names in our industry thanks to our reputation of excellence. Contact us to find out more about becoming a supplier or stockist of any of our products range.