Be prepared : Part 2

In our last 'be prepared' post we tackled draughts in the home. 
Today I'd like to invite you to wrap up, get out, and check out the outside of your home.

Here're some simple tips to get you started.  Stand back to get an overview of each side of your home. I call it 'squint and scan! Start from the top and work your way across and down the building, just as a scanner scans a piece of paper. Take your time, you're looking for anything out of the ordinary, from top to bottom

The roof: Difficult to get a full view without ladders (make sure both you and your equipment are in sound condition and safely attached before you leave the ground!), but look for any slipped or missing coverings, foreign objects, or patches that seem overly 'weathered' (old, dry, cracked ...).

Gutters and trims: Water always finds away to penetrate, and it's not always your roof at fault when the worst happens and you spring a leak. Trims and gutters often age and wear first, leaving your home open to damage.
Make sure gutters are cleaned. Fall brings huge quantities of falling leaves and once wet they become heavy and force your guttering to expand, stressing joints and opening up cracks in the process. Once cleaned out, take a look at some of the latest repair, sealing, and waterproofing products on the shelves of your local harware store. Most will do the job and save you money in the process, but do call in the experts if you have any doubt of the size of the problem. Money invested early is always worth stretching the budget.

Walls and sidings: Look for bulges, breaks, cracks and water stains.
The latter may be the result of those over-stuffed gutters you've already identified, but stains further down the wall could be the sign of a defective overflow pipe. Check out the cause asap and fix it quickly.

Painting outdoors can be a big expense, but your home needs an overcoat that works! Don't skimp, making it stretch another year could be costly. If the weather or the budget just won't work with you this year, then plan it in now for the Spring.
Bulges and cracks need attention. Homes do settle over time, and cracking may occur, but this is not an area to mess with. Call in a recognized contractor to give it a once-over (don't hesitate to ask around for a recommendation from friends or family if you don't have a good address yourself). Bad news? Get another estimate before you sign on the dotted line.

Windows and doors: Hopefully you've tackled any gaps on the inside of your home, but draughts do come in from outdoors, so check seals where walls and windows join, and get them renewed if needed. A small job with big benefits!

Ground level: Were walls meet the ground there is usually a 'rain band' that helps protect the material of the wall itself. Often concrete, this band can become cracked and pull away over time, leaving your walls 'bare' and prone to rising damp. Get it on 'the fix list', and get it sorted.

Balcony and terraces: High use areas for part of the year, balconies and terraces often get a bum deal in the winter months. Frozen and forgotten about, wooden additions suffer when the mercury falls, so check them out carefully. Some love and care here will ensure years of extended pleasure in warmer days.

Drives and paths: Age is a terrible thing! Over time, the actual ground under our feet sinks and moves, and whatever is built above it will either be up to the movement, or not.
Cracks can appear, and paths and drives become an eyesore that can seriously effect the value of your home, making future buyers run scared in the face of the thought of having to redo such large surfaces. If your hard surfaces are suffering, take a look at a product that hit the market this year. Made by RustOleum, this driveway transformation product takes the headache, and the financial bite out of this once frightening job.

Pools and outdoor furniture: Pools need to be 'wintered' correctly to protect them against colder weather, so check with an expert and follow their advice. Keep a close eye on your monthly heating bills too if your pool's system is linked to your home's, as mistakes or breakdowns here can end up costing big bucks!
Winter furniture indoors, or if you're short of space, then wrap them up well. I like to clean off and treat furniture before I 'hibernate' them, but if you don't get round to it all, at least free them of dirt and dust before packing them away for the winter, so that it doesn't 'eat' into the surface.

Plants: Time to pull them out or wrap, or cover them up! Clear surfaces of fallen leaves that rot and damage the ground underneath them, staining concrete and killing of grass.
Save the roots of potted plants by topping off with bark shavings, and use hessian to wrap up delicate bushes, or move them indoors or find a more protected area.

Whatever the size of your eventual job list, the more detailed you are in the inspection at the start, the more economies you'll make in the future, so bite the bullet, grab your coat and get checking!