Winter damage is not evenly distributed. A handful of failures account for most of the money — burst pipes, ice dams, water where the ground drains towards the house, and heating that fails on the coldest night because nobody looked at it in October. Everything else on a typical checklist is maintenance wearing an urgent hat.
The four that matter
1. Anything that holds water outside
Disconnect and drain garden hoses, shut off the interior valve to each outdoor tap, and blow out an irrigation system if you have one. An attached hose is one of the most common causes of a burst outdoor line, because water sits in the bib rather than draining back.
Then insulate the pipes you can actually reach — crawl spaces, garages, unheated basements, outside walls. Foam sleeves cost very little and this is an afternoon.
2. Gutters and where the water goes afterwards
Clogged gutters are the mechanism behind ice dams: meltwater cannot drain, refreezes at the eaves, and backs up under the shingles. That shows up as a stain on a bedroom ceiling in February.
The part people skip is the downspouts. A clear gutter emptying next to the foundation just moves the problem — extensions should carry water several feet away, onto ground that slopes away from the house.
3. The heating system, before you need it
Change the filter, and have the system looked at if it has not been serviced in a couple of years. Gas appliances are the one place to be unsentimental: a cracked heat exchanger is a carbon monoxide problem, not a comfort problem. Test your carbon monoxide alarms the same day, and replace any over about ten years old.
4. Where cold air gets in
Weatherstripping on doors, caulk around window frames, and — the one that is nearly always worth more than the rest combined — sealing gaps where pipes, wires and vents pass through the exterior. Those penetrations are usually the largest single air leak in a house and they are also where mice come in.
The honest ranking: if you only do two things, disconnect the hoses and clear the gutters. Between them they prevent the two most expensive winter failures, and both are under an hour.
Worth paying for, and worth doing yourself
| Job | Who | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Hoses, outdoor taps, cabinet doors on cold nights | You | Ten minutes, no equipment |
| Gutters and downspout extensions | Hire it | It is ladder work, and the fall is the risk, not the gutter |
| Pipe insulation in a crawl space | Hire it | Cheap, unpleasant, and quick for somebody who does it often |
| Furnace or boiler service | Licensed HVAC | Combustion and gas. Not a general-handyman job. We do not verify licences — check with your state board. |
| Weatherstripping and sealing penetrations | Either | Easy but tedious; a good half-day job to hand off |
| Chimney sweep, if you burn wood | Hire it | Creosote is the cause of most chimney fires |
When to do it
Before the first hard freeze, which in most of the country means October rather than December. The practical marker: do it while a ladder is still safe and while somebody local still has availability. By the first cold snap, everyone who does gutters is booked, and prices reflect that.
If the house will be empty
Leaving for a few weeks changes the calculation. Do not turn the heat off — set it to about 55°F. Shut off the main water supply if nobody is checking on the place, since a burst pipe with nobody home is the difference between a repair and a renovation. Ask somebody to look in after any serious cold, and make sure they know where the main shut-off is.
Frequently asked questions
When should I winterize my home?
Before the first hard freeze, which in most of the country means October. The practical test is availability: by the first cold snap everyone who does gutters and pipe insulation is booked, and ladder work in bad weather is genuinely more dangerous.
What are the most important winterizing jobs?
Disconnecting and draining outdoor hoses and taps, clearing gutters and extending downspouts away from the foundation, servicing the heating system before you need it, and sealing the gaps where pipes and wires pass through exterior walls. If you only do two, do the hoses and the gutters.
What temperature should I leave the heat at when away in winter?
Around 55°F. Turning it off entirely to save money is how pipes freeze, and the saving is not remotely close to the cost of one burst line. If nobody will be checking on the house, also shut off the main water supply.
Do I need a professional to winterize a house?
Only for parts of it. Hoses, taps and cabinet doors are ten minutes of your own time. Gutters and crawl-space work are worth hiring because they are ladder and access jobs. Anything involving gas or combustion should go to a licensed HVAC contractor — we do not verify licences, so confirm any claim with your state board.