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Five home projects to do before the snow flies
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A little elbow grease in fall could save you from leaks, creaks and busted pipes when winter comes to town
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By Jay Somerset
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We're barely into mid-fall but in some parts of the country, fallen leaves have already had their first taste of snow. This past weekend I overheard two people talking about the snow that's fallen this year, and the projects they're hoping to finish before the weather really turns. After all, some home renovation or cleaning projects, especially those that involve a ladder, are better done in warmer, dryer weather.
Cleaning gutters, fixing small roof leaks, sealing windows-neglecting these autumnal tasks “can cost you thousands of dollars,” says Steve Watson, DIY expert and host of HGTV show Don't Sweat It, which is in its sixth season. While these aren't the sexiest jobs, spending a few dollars and carving out a weekend's worth of work is well worth it.
Since fall is a busy time-especially for those of us building gift projects to hand out over the holidays-none of these jobs require more than a day to do.
Here are Watson's winterizing tips:
1. Clean the gutters
Unless you want to create an ice dam in winter, now is the perfect time to clean out your gutters and check your downspouts so that the icy runoff has somewhere to run into. “Get up on a ladder and remove any debris,” says Watson. Debris causes water backflow, which can turn into a leak and create ice dams and ice rink-creating downspouts.
Watson also recommends installing gutter guards: inexpensive eavestrough covers that allow water in, but stop leaves and other debris from entering the gutter. “Keep these on year-round,” he advises.
2. Fix a leaky roof
"Whenever people find a leak they think it's going to cost $10,000, but that's not always the case,” says Watson. "Chances are if the leak is at an edge or corner, it's just a stopped-up gutter.” If you've got a leak, do not wait for winter before tackling the problem unless you enjoy smashing apart ice dams.
Once you've ruled out stopped-up gutters, find the source of the leak by checking your attic for watermarks. Then either patch the hole from inside or “drill a small hole from the inside of the attic through the roof and shingles,” advises Watson. “Then tar a five-foot-radius circle around the hole.”
A Band-Aid solution? Perhaps, but if we're talking about a small leak, sometimes small fixes are better than large repairs. “Not everyone's prepared to spend $12,000 on a new roof just because a little water is coming in.”
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