Your home is your biggest investment. You decorate your home, take care of it, and protect it from all kinds of tough conditions. It’s important to secure and protect your home since it’s one of your largest investments. Your home is up against a lot, and the best-known threat is the elements, like fire and floods. 

By far, winter plays a harsh reality for your home. Since the extreme cold can be unforgiving on your house, discover four ways to protect your home from the winter season. The days are getting shorter, the temperature's dipping, and before you know it, winter will be here. Though every season comes with its fair share of frustrations, the winter is definitely the worst for your home. Between camouflaged patches of black ice and snowstorms that take out the power for days, the chilliest season wreaks havoc on houses nationwide.

With the winter season comes cold weather and snow, making the landscape picturesque and tranquil. It’s great fun for kids as they get out and play but, for homeowners, snow can be a real hassle. Snow and ice can cause devastating damage to both the inside and outside of your home. The first thing to know is that water damage—particularly damage linked to frozen and burst pipes—accounts for the lion's share of homeowners insurance claims. Winter can bring a lot of unexpected problems to your house. These typically detrimental conditions tend to lead to a lot of residential property damage. 

While you may not be able to protect your home against everything, you can take steps to drastically reduce the likelihood. Additionally, if you can show your insurance provider that you took the necessary precautions, then you will increase your chances of having a more successful claim. The good news is that you can take steps to protect your home during these winter storms, cold weather, and freezing temperatures. We have put together a short guide to get you started and ready for the winter.

Here are some ways to protect your home during winter.

Protect Indoor Pipes 

The cold weather can cause your pipes to freeze. In some cases, this can lead to the pipes bursting, which can flood areas of your home. If you are not planning on using your sprinklers or outdoor faucets during the winter months, then you are better off draining those items of water to prevent them from freezing. You should also make sure you have adequate ventilation throughout your home that will warm up the pipes. You should know where your water shutoff valve is located just in case flooding occurs. Pipe insulation, which you can install yourself around any exposed copper or PVC water pipe, costs as little as 50 cents per linear foot. Use it under sinks, in attics and crawl spaces, and on pipes along exterior walls. Pay special attention to basements, where 37 percent of all burst pipes occur. 

Note: A frozen pipe can cause flooding in your home and damage your walls, flooring, and belongings. It can leave you going through the painstaking effort of cleaning up the floodwaters and repairing any damage done to your home. An experienced plumbing professional can thoroughly inspect and repair or replace your pipes during the offseason before a winter emergency arises.

Inspect Chimney and Fireplace

Winter is the perfect time of year to huddle around a lit fireplace. However, before you start using it again, you want someone to come up to clean it thoroughly. Soot and other types of debris build up over time and impact the quality of the fire. Be sure to get your fireplace checked before the holidays to ensure proper ventilation. Prior to lighting the first fire in your fireplace this season, make sure you've had it inspected and cleaned by a professional—or you could be inadvertently putting yourself in danger. Dirty, blocked, cracked, and leaking chimneys, flues, and venting can result in the release of fireplace pollution in your home, as can improperly installed or incorrectly maintained components. Fireplaces, chimneys, and heating equipment are some of the biggest causes of home fires, according to the Consumer Product Safety Commission. Have them serviced and inspected annually. Make sure the inspector examines the condition of the chimney—the brick periodically needs upkeep to prevent water from leaking in—as well as the cap, which keeps heat-seeking animals out.

Another thing you may want to do is install a fireplace door. Cold air can enter through the chimney, and even if you are running the heater inside your house, cold air can still get inside through the chimney. This means you are wasting money heating your building only to still feel cold.

Seal Windows and Doors

If you want to keep your home warm and prevent water from getting inside this winter, it's time to head to your local hardware store for some window film.

You need to be mindful of gaps and cracks around the doors and windows. Cold air can pass through these cracks and create drafts inside your house. Additionally, a resilient sealant also helps with winter rain protection. You do not want moisture entering your home and potentially flooding a room. The small investment in sealing these areas will pay off big time in the long run.

Depending on where in the country you live, you may get a ton of extreme weather during the winter. It may rain or snow excessively. Even if the main thing you have to worry about is high winds, you still want to be proactive. Remove and store all window screens. Install glass storm windows, creating an insulating layer of air between your windows and the cold outside air. These also provide an added layer of protection against driving rain and snow during a heavy storm, even if you have newer, double-paned windows.

Secure Outdoor Water Sources

Drain and store any garden hoses or sprinklers before the first frost to eliminate the chance that they’ll freeze and burst. For hose bibs, shut off the water supply valve inside your house or basement that feeds the line, then open the outdoor spigot (any water trapped inside will drain out). If you simply shut off the spigot itself, trapped water can freeze and cause a burst pipe inside. Just because you've disconnected your hose doesn't mean you're safe from leaks. To ensure you won't have frozen pipes and leaks to deal with this winter, shut off the water valves for outdoor spigots if you have them and drain water from your outdoor water lines. 

Clear Driveways and Sidewalks

Sideways and driveways can be treacherous when they are covered with ice from melted snow and slippery snow. You can keep your family safer from falls by having snow shovels handy. Clear away a path that your family can use to make access to your home more safely. After a heavy snowfall, it can be tough to see where driveways, flower beds, or walkways end and your lawn begins. Use fiberglass snow poles or driveway markers every several feet to line the edges of these areas. That helps provide a clear path whether you’re blowing or shoveling snow yourself or you hire a professional plow driver.

Clean and Inspect Gutters & Roofs

Clogged gutters can cause water to back up and then freeze once temperatures drop. Keep gutters clear and properly connected to ensure that melting snow runs off your roof and through downspouts. Roof leaks and flood damage can also be prevented by clearing gutters and making sure water drains away from the foundation of your home. 

If you suspect your roof has loose, damaged, or missing shingles, have a licensed roofing contractor do an inspection and make repairs before the first snow. Today, the average roof can hold about four feet of fresh snow before it starts to surrender. However, fresh snow piles up quickly, so it's important to make sure you're scraping it off and preventing any serious roof damage before it starts. And the one tool that'll help you do just that? A roof rake, of course. It can be fun watching icicles form around the exterior of your home but they can be lethal and cause damage. Remove any icicles safely by wearing safety goggles and a hard hat.

Insulate the Attic Floor

While insulating your attic ceiling may seem like a no-brainer, insulating your attic floors is just as important when it comes to home winter prep. Like proper ventilation, insulating your attic floors can also help you ensure that the attic maintains a cool temperature and that the melting snow on your roof doesn't turn into a pesky ice dam. Spending money to insulate your attic—exactly how much insulation you need varies by temperature in your region—will save you money in the long run in two ways. You’ll keep your home’s heat out of the attic and in living quarters, where it belongs, and by keeping the attic cooler, you may prevent damaging ice dams from forming on your roof.

Home Environment

During winter months, your family is at risk of picking up illnesses as bacteria can develop easily when your family is contained at home. Once one family member has a virus, this can easily spread to the whole family. You can take steps to help prevent an outbreak by keeping your home a little less warm so that bacteria cannot thrive. Turning down your thermostat by approximately five degrees can also reduce the risk of infection as well as save money.

Ensure that all family members follow basic hygiene steps by regularly washing their hands and make sure that the soap you use has an anti-bacterial agent. Ensuring that toothbrushes are replaced frequently will also minimize the risk of infection. A humidifier will also make your home a less bacteria-friendly environment. The best thing you can do to protect your home is to prepare financially for a winter emergency. An emergency fund should include three months’ rent and food to sustain your family during a winter disaster. Check the weather forecast to make sure that you are aware of when the warmer weather will begin—don’t just wait for it to happen!

Also, make sure to check out vents and any other areas where snow has collected and where melting snow can enter your basement. Clear away snow in roof gutters so that water can flow away easily and away from the home as intended. On the other hand, use those funds for major HVAC, roof, or window repairs during a winter emergency in your home. In fact, excess moisture from melting snow on your roof, the gutters, and the exterior of your home can cause huge restoration costs if these areas don’t  receive the proper maintenance before and during winter.