Prepping your Home for Winter

If you live in an Ironwood Custom Builders home, you know prepping your home for winter is a pretty easy task. At Ironwood Custom Builders of Salt Lake City, we build homes in Utah that need little maintenance. Because today’s new homes are built with energy efficiency in mind, homes are tighter than ever before. That means you save on utility costs like heating your home, but it also means you don’t have as much maintenance because you don’t have to put on and take off storm windows for the season.

Because homes are designed so much better than in the past, there’s not nearly as much seasonal maintenance to worry about in the fall. Still, there are a few things you need to do before that first snow flake falls.

Rake any leaves – If you have a lawn service, then move on to #5. If you don’t, then grab the kids and hand them a rake. It’s best to do the raking in the fall so any snow that falls can easily melt into the soil. With a layer of leaves between the precipitation and soil and you can create a nice bit of mold. If your area permits it you can burn the leaves or bring them to a composting site. Click here for information about composting in Salt Lake City.
Aerate lawn – This step can be done in either the spring or fall. Aerating the lawn before fertilization allows for better penetration. Leave cores to decompose. Seed immediately after aerating for a lush lawn next spring. Many hardware stores offer aerating tools for rent.
Fertilize the lawn – Fertilizing the lawn in the fall will ensure a beautiful lawn in the spring, it’s also simple to do. Visit your neighborhood hardware store or big box chain and pick up your favorite brand of lawn fertilizer. Use the spreader and to distribute evenly all over your lawn. Remember to keep pets and children off the lawn for the manufacturer’s recommended amount of time.
Turn off outside water – This is a simple enough task, simply turn off the water faucets that are outside. Be sure to leave the tap open so any water left inside the pipe doesn’t crack the pipe when it expands from freezing. There should be a valve to bleed the line between the off valve and the faucet, but it’s still a good idea to leave the faucet open. You may want to blow out any water in hoses as well.
Store hoses and sprinklers – Once you’ve emptied the water from any hoses, sprinklers and other attachments, bring them into the garage to store them for the season. We build oversized garages in all our homes so there’s plenty of room to store all your garden accessories. There’s no excuse to leave anything out in the yard.
Overwinter your Geraniums – Not only do geraniums have a lovely aroma, but they are nearly impossible to kill making them the perfect plant for those who are missing a green thumb. Geraniums can be made to go dormant, and then brought back to beautiful life in the spring.
Prune back bushes, and hedges – You can do this in the spring too, but why wait? Clean up any dead branches and debris. Don’t forget to compost the clippings.

That’s about it. Getting your home ready for winter is easier than it’s ever been, especially if you live in a brand new home by Ironwood Custom Builders.