Get Your Home Ready for Winter

Although we traditionally think of spring as the season for home maintenance, there are steps you should take in the fall to make sure that your home is ready for the winter months. By performing these common maintenance tips each autumn, you can help protect your home's value and prevent major repairs.

Roof and Gutters
Rain, ice, snow and wind can all cause damage to your roof and gutters. Now's the time to trim back all tree limbs and vegetation away from the roof. You also should remove debris, such as leaves and sticks from your gutters and downspouts. Clogged gutters don't allow water to properly drain away from the home, which can cause seepage in your ceilings and walls. You can also invest in gutter guards, a screen that prevents debris from entering the gutter and directs the flow of water away from the house and into the ground.

Water Heater
You don't want to find out that your water heater isn't operating properly when you need it most. So use this time to perform an annual inspection, which includes having your tank's pressure and temperature relief valve checked. In addition, remove sediment from the bottom of the tank by draining two gallons of water to improve heat transfer and the efficiency of your heater.

Heating and Cooling System
If you have a forced warm-air heating system, you should check the exhaust vent and air shutter openings for dirt and dust. Clean any lint and dirt from the blower blades, motor and burner (if you have a gas heater). Vacuum air passages and check and replace, if necessary, fan belts. To prevent airborne dirt from circulating throughout your home, wash out your reusable filter or replace it if it disposable.

Doors and Windows
To help control heating costs, you want to make sure that your doors and windows are properly sealed. Now is the time to repair or replace weatherstripping around door bottoms and jambs and window frames. Check for loose or missing glazing putty and caulking for deterioration. If you have storm windows, install them.

Water Pipes
Frozen or burst pipes can cause major damage to your home and be expensive to remedy. Before frigid weather hits, protect your pipes in unheated areas from freezing by adding insulation, which reduces heat loss from hot-water pipes and condensation on cold water pipes. This can be accomplished by wrapping the pipes with heating tape or blanket insulation and duct tape or by encasing the pipes with preformed plastic foam. In addition, examine your pipes for cracks and leaks.

Fireplace
Before you light the logs and get ready to settle in front of a cozy fire, make sure that your fireplace is in good working order. Clean the chimney flue and if needed inspected and repaired. Check the seal on your flue, which is designed to keep out drafts. Replace the seal if it is loose or damaged.

If you decide to do the fall maintenance yourself disconnect the power for any electrical or gas systems. In addition, before inspecting, cleaning or making any repairs refer to your owner's manuals for all equipment for proper instructions, which should be the final authority on any maintenance.

Although this list is merely a guide, it can help you keep your home in good shape and have a winter free of major repairs.

Prudential Olympia, REALTORS is an independently owned and operated member of Prudential Real Estate Affiliates, Inc., a Prudential Financial company. Equal Housing Opportunity.

Big Homes, Many Homes

It's unavoidable in the South Puget Sound region. Look around you, or go for a drive, and you'll see plenty of evidence. No, not Bigfoot -- growth. Vast tracts are cleared of forest or brush, roads paved, and soon many, MANY houses pop up on the brown dirt. The housing market is booming, and developers are scrambling to get in on the action, often with big houses on small lots. They argue for convenience ("minimal yard care!"), though the comments on a recent Olympian article suggest the public is split on this kind of housing.

Readers point out some obvious drawbacks of this kind of big-home, high-density housing: more polluted runoff to rivers and streams, a lack of private outdoor space, reduction in wildlife habitat, and a "sameness" to the homes being built. The latter issue is certainly exacrebated by the fact that homebuilders are becoming larger, and fewer. In In 1990, Centrex was the nation's largest builder, closing on 7,549 houses. By 2000, the largest builder was Pulet, which closed on a whopping 36,200 houses. (source)

Still, builders are finding willing buyers for these homes. Is this kind of development happening in your area? Do you see more benefits or drawbacks? Are there other kinds of development that can accomodate the demand for housing and still respect neighborhood esthetics and the environment? The Olympia Master Builders have some guidelines for building green, several of which address some of the issues ignored in cookie-cutter developments. Issues like home orientation relative to the Sun, investing in efficiency and quality, and generally thinking longer term about the home and its residents' needs.

The conversation continues...