Is your home ready for winter, here’s a handy winter ready home checklist to help you get ready for the cold months. It’s still officially summer, for a couple of days at least, but winter can rear its chilly head anytime soon. Don’t get caught off guard, use this winter ready home checklist to get your home in shape before the snow starts to fly and the cold settles in.

Whether you live in a newly built home or an older home in Omaha, there are still many things you’ll need to do to make sure you home is winter ready. Newly built homes are better insulated – doors, windows and between the walls, but there are still many things to do to make sure you home is ready for winter.

Winter Ready Home Checklist

Fill the Gaps

If you have a basement check to make sure that all windows are sealed up. If not use caulk to fill the gaps. The same goes for any cracks in the foundation or erosion. If you have either it’s best to have a professional take a look to see what needs to be done to fix the foundation. While you’re at it, check for radon, too.

Overwinter your Plants

If you’ve got plants such as geraniums that have been blooming all summer and fall, now is the time to bring them inside and let them go dormant. Simply cut back any dead blooms, leaves and branches and store in a dark area. You won’t need to water them all winter long. In spring bring them into the light and start watering them. Put them outside when any chance of frost has passed.

Clean Gutters

If you don’t have a service and you don’t live in an association that takes care of this sort of thing, now is a good time to clean the gutters. Of course you’ll want to wait until all the leaves have fallen. Clean out any debris – leaves, twigs, acorns etc… and then flush gutters with the garden hose to make sure everything is running smoothly. Make sure downspouts run away from the house to prevent your basement from getting wet come spring.

Lawn Care

Now is a great time to fertilize and seed your lawn before it goes dormant for the winter. Fertilize and seed the lawn after the final raking if possible. Sometimes Mother Nature doesn’t cooperate and snow flies before the leaves can be raked up. If this happens, don’t worry, your lawn will probably be just fine.

Turn off Outside Faucets

Don’t forget to turn off your outside faucets. It doesn’t take much to end up with a broken pipe due to freezing. Drain the line before turning off the water to the outside faucet and leave the spigot open so it dries up leaving no water to freeze.