As we’ve shared before on the Restumping Melbourne blog, ‘constant’ is a word that we appreciate and consistently use. It means that though we’re innovating every year and always growing, we know the practices and the information that never grow old. (Or as we say… timeless). Planning ahead for seasons is definitely one of these themes and it’s time to start winterizing. We see and visit a lot of properties that deal with the issues associated with colder weather and love to give out the most up-to-date advice every year so that this issue (or these issues) is/are as minimalized as possible.

*Of note, this is one of two for this month as we just have too much information to share in one blog post.

First of all, a friendly reminder to those who are unfamiliar: ‘what IS winterizing?” Winterizing is a great practice that at worst-case scenario assumes that the home is empty. Ignore that. If you’re in your home, you should still follow the same practices to make sure that your pipes don’t burst, that your heat doesn’t turn off… you get the picture. Here are some of our favourite tips at Restumping Melbourne:

Prepare the plumbing system. You want to purge all of the water out of your existing plumbing system, especially if you’re not going to be home. There’s nothing worse or more expensive than pipes bursting. And… nothing worse to come home to. That said, this advice is specific to those who are heading somewhere warmer for the season: Empty the water heater, drain the entire system of your pipes and bonus points if you’re able to look into filling different fixtures with anti-freeze. You can ask the Restumping Melbourne team for more details.

Insulation is also a key word here and a very important one. As this Yale Climate Connections article shares, “Living in an energy-efficient home does not just save money on utility bills. A well-insulated, weather-tight household heat longer than one that’s poorly insulated and drafty.”

Two other key tips for this post:

• Make sure that you schedule an inspection for both your furnace and your chimney at least on an annual basis.
• Make sure that you’re taking a look at your energy/power bills and consulting with experts if you need an energy audit to either understand it better or figure out how to lower it.

And while we’re talking about winterizing, the concept remains in the summer. You just want to do your research about the best ways to insulate, so that the hot air remains outside on warmer days, as does the cold air when winter comes calling.

According to this article, properly insulating and preparing your home for any season can save you upwards of a thousand dollars, as it mentions – especially important during COVID-19 if different families have been impacted. Whether it impacts you or not, this is vital information to know.

As mentioned, – this is one of two. There was just too much information to fit in one blog post and properly serve our community of customers and readers. So, stay tuned…

If you have additional questions heading into the colder seasons, please reach out to Restumping Melbourne. We’re experts at your foundations and reinforcing them, but we definitely also know our way around the other elements of a home to keep it warm and safe.