subject: Winter Home Maintenance 101 - Fix Your Basement Before It Is Not Too Late [print this page] We are always in the quest for finding the opportunities to save couple of bucks. We often miss the opportunities that come knocking at our door. The chilling cold winter brings a lot of those money saving opportunities. They can be easily cashed by following few winter home maintenance steps. Winter often leaves behind a lot of damage that may require huge finances to fix. While most people discuss about how important it is to take care of the roof, the chimney or even the outdoor furniture, I would say it is time we take care of another sector - more precisely, the basement. While all the other areas are just as important (you would not want it to rain in your home now would you - consider fixing your roof for the winter) most people forget about the basement. Let us not forget about it and start with it this time.
First of all, look for any cracks in the floor or water seepage through the walls. It is better to insulate the pipes to keep them warm so they do not burst when the temperature starts getting close the freezing point. Double check where the downspouts drop their water - while this is not technically a basement issue, make sure they do not end up flooding your basement when the snow starts to melt in serious amounts. With houses older than 40 years it is advisable to disconnect the downspouts from their original piping system and allow them to dump their water above ground - this way, you make sure no water reaches the basement. Basement leakage can also occur due to bad grading as well - therefore make sure you prevent this as well since on warm winter days you can have a little flood on your hands and have everything in your basement ruined. It's time to grab that shovel and re-slope the grass to avoid this.
These few winter basement maintenance tips can save a lot of money and annoyances and provide comfort to enjoy the beauty of winter. The monetary and health advantages can easily be acquired by doing these simple chores. People should make it a habit to prepare for the winter and avoid all the damages that can easily be stopped for taking place. They do not require that much effort too. A little help from every member of the family can make the task easier to accomplish.
