By Meghan Streit
THE ERICKSON TRIBUNE

The cold sting of November air foreshadows what’s to come in Chicagoland: Like it or not, winter is on its way.

As any homeowner can tell you, a house needs year-round maintenance and regular upkeep, but no time of year takes a greater toll on a house than winter. Without proper preparation and maintenance, freezing temperatures and mounds of snow can leave your house in need of a lot of costly repairs come spring.

Save thousands of dollars
Home maintenance expert Hector Seda says taking steps to prepare your  house for winter can “save you thousands of dollars.” Seda has 25 years of experience in homebuilding and commercial construction, and has published syndicated columns and books on the subject of home maintenance.

“Preventive maintenance is really the key to you spending a lot less money on your house,” Seda says. “You should just make yourself a checklist for every season.”

He says one of the first things you should do is make sure any holes that would allow water to leak into the house are sealed. This includes making repairs to cracked or missing shingles, caulking windows and doors, and sealing other openings such as around airconditioning units.

Don’t procrastinate
He says some homeowners make the mistake of waiting until the middle of winter to take care of certain things that would be much easier to deal with in the fall—like fixing cracks in concrete foundations and walkways.

“Now is the perfect time to take out a concrete slab and replace it because with snow, you’re not going to see it,” Seda says. “Snow will sit and melt and find its way through to your foundation.”

He also recommends calling a chimney sweep to make sure your chimney is clean and in good working order before companies get too busy. And of course, you want to make sure that when it is blistering cold outside, your house is warm and cozy on the inside. Obviously you should check that your heating system is in optimal condition before you need to use it.