'Winterise' your property to avoid unnecessary damage

Not preparing your house for the winter months can cause a lot of damage- to you home and your wallet! 

I’m sitting here writing this and the rain is lashing down – winter is definitely on its way.  Although it has been mild recently, there are a few tasks that should be undertaken now to hopefully avoid any nasty surprises further into the winter:

1.        Check guttering – now that most of the leaves are off the trees it’s a good time to check and clear gutters.  In our experience a lot of damp issues are often caused by blocked and overflowing gutters and down pipes.
2.        Check roof tiles and chimneys – you can take a look in the loft initially as this will show any possible damp spots.  If there are issues, get the roof checked for cracked and slipped tiles.  Another favourite area for letting in damp is chimneys.  Do they need capping?  Is the flashing in good order?  All these tasks can be checked by a good roofer or builder.
3.        Ensure all pipes are adequately lagged– this especially applies to external pipework, even a short run to an outside tap.
4.        Switch off the supply to outside taps and drain them down to avoid pipes freezing and bursting.

Always remember though that buildings need to breath, so ventilation is still very important to avoid a build-up of condensation.