Prepare Your Home for Winter in Chicago’s NW Suburbs

By Martin Vehlow

Martin Vehlow is a trusted real estate advisor serving Chicago’s northwest suburbs, with a focus on Lake and McHenry counties and northern Cook County. A lifelong Lake County resident and Real Estate Negotiation Expert, Martin combines deep local knowledge, strong negotiation skills, and hands-on property expertise.

Anyone who owns a home in Chicago’s northwest suburbs how demanding winter can be on a house. The cold lingers for weeks at a time, snow and ice return again and again, and some years the season simply refuses to leave.

There’s no reason to wait for the first major snowstorm to start preparing. A little work now can prevent expensive problems later, and it’ll keep your home comfortable all winter long. I’d recommend working through these steps before the cold really settles in.

1. Shut off and drain outdoor plumbing. Outdoor spigots are easy to overlook, so I’d start there. Before temperatures drop in earnest, shut off the water supply to those lines if your home has dedicated shutoffs. Disconnect your garden hoses, drain them completely, and store them for the season.

You also need to drain the spigot properly. It’s a simple step, yet any water left in those lines can freeze, expand, and potentially burst a pipe. Nobody wants to discover that kind of damage when the water goes back on in the spring.

2. Get your heating system ready. Next comes the furnace, which needs to be ready to do its job. Replace the filter if it’s dirty, and if the system hasn’t been inspected or serviced recently, consider scheduling that now. It’s also worth walking through each room to confirm that furniture or other belongings aren’t blocking vents and registers.

If you have a fireplace or wood-burning stove, have the chimney inspected and cleaned now, if needed. The first truly cold night of the year is the wrong time to find out there’s a problem.

3. Walk the exterior of your home. Clean out the gutters and make sure the downspouts direct water away from the foundation. Then inspect the roof for damaged or missing shingles. If you have a drone, it’s extra helpful for checking the roof.

Also pay close attention to the areas around your windows and doors. If you see gaps or feel a draft, relatively inexpensive weather stripping or caulking may help once the temperature drops. This is also a good time to trim any branches that could fall during heavy snow or an ice storm.

4. Test your home’s safety features. Take a few minutes to test your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors and replace the batteries if necessary. If you have a sump pump, make sure it’s working properly, and consider adding a battery backup. The check matters most in homes with a basement.

For homes prone to power outages, consider whether you have a backup plan to keep important systems running. Winter weather can create problems very quickly, and it’s far better to discover something isn’t working now than when you actually need it.

Remove screens to let light in. Many homeowners never think about this bonus step. If your window screens are removable, consider taking them out for the winter, as I do. This lets more natural light into the house during the season’s shorter days. It also gives you a chance to clean the screens and windows and store the screens properly until spring.

On its own, this step won’t change much, yet every bit of natural light helps over a long winter.

You don’t need to finish everything on this list in a single weekend. Even a little prep before winter arrives can save you a lot of money, stress, and inconvenience later.

If you’re thinking about selling your home sometime in the next year, this is also a good time to consider the bigger maintenance items that could come up during a future home inspection. I’m always happy to offer another set of eyes and help you prioritize what’s worth doing and what probably isn’t.

Call me at 847-217-1512, email me at mvehlow@jamesonsir.com, or visit blog.lakecountyhomesales.com. I’m happy to help you sort out what’s worth tackling first.