Weatherproof Your Home for Winter!

Baby, it’s COLD outside! This week we’ve jumped from fall straight into winter, and though I do love the colder weather, I want to keep it OUTside. If you feel the effects of Jack Frost creeping into your home, try these tips for keeping him out!

Glass is a Conductor ~ If you live in a home that doesn’t have dual-paned windows, the glass in your windows is offering you little protection from the cold. In fact, it’s actually bringing the cold into your home! Though PG&E no longer offers rebates for replacing your windows with energy efficient models, here's an informational link from their website (http://www.pge.com/myhome/saveenergymoney/rebates/remodeling/windows/index.shtml). If window replacement isn’t in your budget, window coverings are your next best bet. There are a myriad of options for window blinds that have insulating properties, as well as lined drapery panels. If you need assistance in this area, I’d be happy to share ideas!

And, so is the floor! ~ If you have hard surface flooring, such as hardwood, stone or tile, your floors are also conducting cold air into your home. Homes with a crawl space beneath them often have no insulation between you and the cold, damp ground beneath your home. Most likely, you have some type of underlayment (such as plywood) under your interior flooring, and that’s attached to a sub-floor, which are the structural beams of your home’s flooring. That’s all you’ve got, and it offers little insulation properties, so adding fiberglass insulation to the underside of your sub-floor will greatly aid in warming things up. Wall-to-wall carpeting is another obvious option, but even large area rugs will help to cut the cold.

Seal it Up ~ One of the most common ways that outside air enters your home is around your exterior doors. If your doors don’t close tightly, add foam or rubber weather stripping around the inside of the door jamb to get an air tight closure. Another area to check on doors is at the bottom. If it doesn’t close tightly against the threshold, install a door sweep such as the one shown here.

Check back weekly for more decorating and home improvement tips! If I can give you any assistance with your design and decorating needs, please don’t hesitate to call or email me. Many times a single consultation is all that’s needed to pull your project together!

Everyone deserves a home they love ~ Inside and Out!