Top 5 Things to Check in a Home Before Winter Hits
Published on December 8, 2025 | 6 Minute read
Melanie
Ortiz Reyes
Content Specialist
Winter doesn't send a courtesy text before it arrives. One day you're enjoying fall foliage, the next you're scraping ice off your windshield at 6 AM while questioning every life decision that led you to live somewhere with "real seasons."
Your home feels the same way. The difference is your house can't throw on an extra sweater when things get cold. It needs a little help.
Here are the five things worth checking before winter shows up uninvited.
1. Your Furnace (Before It Ghosts You)
Nothing builds character quite like waking up at 2 AM to discover your furnace decided to take an unscheduled vacation. In January. During a cold snap.
THE CHECK: Replace the air filter if it looks like it survived a dust storm. A clogged filter makes your furnace work harder than a coffee maker on Monday morning.
Test the thermostat. Turn it up a few degrees and listen for the system to kick on. If you hear strange noises (banging, screeching, or what sounds like a raccoon learning the drums), call a professional.
Schedule a tune-up if you haven't had one in the past year. Technicians check for carbon monoxide leaks, clean components, and catch small problems before they become expensive emergencies.
THE COST OF IGNORING THIS: Furnace repairs in December start around $300 and climb quickly. Emergency weekend service calls? Add another $150-200 to that. A new furnace runs $3,000-7,000. Suddenly that $150 tune-up looks pretty reasonable.
2. Your Pipes (And Their Freezing Phobia)
Frozen pipes are the home equivalent of getting a flat tire in the rain. Annoying, expensive, and totally preventable.
When water freezes, it expands. When it expands inside your pipes, physics gets aggressive. Pipes burst. Water goes everywhere. Insurance adjusters get involved. Nobody wins except the restoration company.
THE CHECK: Find exposed pipes in unheated areas: crawl spaces, attics, garages, and exterior walls. Wrap them in pipe insulation sleeves. These foam tubes cost about $2 per six-foot section at any hardware store.
Disconnect garden hoses and drain outdoor faucets. Water left in these lines freezes first.
Know where your main water shutoff valve lives. Take a photo of it. Save that photo somewhere you'll actually find it during a panic.
THE PREVENTION TRICK: On nights when temperatures drop below 20°F, let faucets connected to exterior walls drip slightly. Moving water freezes slower than standing water. Yes, this wastes water. Burst pipes waste more water plus your entire weekend.
3. Your Gutters (The Unsung Heroes)
Gutters are the middle child of home maintenance. Nobody thinks about them until they cause a scene.
Clogged gutters create ice dams. Ice dams force water under shingles. Water finds its way into your attic, down your walls, and onto your holiday dinner table if you're particularly unlucky.
THE CHECK: Climb up there (safely, with someone holding the ladder) and scoop out leaves, twigs, and whatever else has taken up residence. A plastic scoop or garden trowel works fine.
Flush gutters with a hose to check for proper flow. Water should run freely toward downspouts, not pool in sections.
Make sure downspouts direct water at least 5-6 feet away from your foundation. Extensions are cheap. Foundation repairs are not.
THE REALITY CHECK: Hiring someone to clean gutters costs $100-250 depending on your home size. Repairing ice dam damage to your roof and interior runs $1,000-10,000. The math here isn't complicated.
4. Your Windows and Doors (The Draft Champions)
That mysterious cold spot in your living room? Not a ghost. Just air leaking through gaps around windows and doors.
These leaks make your furnace run constantly while you pile on blankets and consider moving somewhere tropical.
THE CHECK: Hold a lit candle or incense stick near window and door frames on a windy day. If the flame flickers or smoke wavers, you've found a leak.
Check weatherstripping around doors. If it's cracked, compressed, or missing chunks, replace it. The adhesive-backed foam kind takes about 10 minutes per door.
Inspect window caulking. Cracks or gaps mean air (and money) are escaping. Caulk is cheap. Running your furnace 24/7 is not.
THE QUICK FIX: Window insulation film costs $15-25 per kit and covers several windows. It's basically shrink wrap for your windows. Does it look amazing? No. Does it work? Surprisingly well.
THE PAYOFF: Sealing air leaks can cut heating costs by 10-20%. For a typical home spending $1,200 per year on heating, that's $120-240 back in your pocket. Plus you can actually sit near windows without feeling like you're camping.
5. Your Roof (The Thing Above Your Head)
Roofs are easy to ignore because they're up there and you're down here. Unfortunately, gravity ensures that roof problems eventually become ceiling problems.
Winter exposes every weakness. Wind lifts loose shingles. Ice finds tiny cracks and makes them bigger. Snow adds weight to questionable spots.
THE CHECK: Grab binoculars and inspect from the ground. Look for missing, curling, or damaged shingles. Check for excessive granule loss (shingles that look bald).
Examine flashing around chimneys, vents, and skylights. Gaps or rust spots need attention.
Look in your attic on a sunny day. Light coming through the roof boards means water can too.
THE PROFESSIONAL CALL: If you spot problems or your roof is over 15 years old, get an inspection. Most roofing companies do free estimates. They'll tell you if you need repairs now or if you're good for another season.
THE STAKES: Minor repairs cost $200-500. Ignoring them turns into major repairs costing $2,000-5,000. A full roof replacement runs $8,000-15,000 depending on size and materials.
The Weekend That Saves Your Winter
None of these checks require special skills or expensive tools. Most homeowners can knock out all five in a Saturday afternoon. The ones that need professionals (furnace tune-ups, roof inspections) are worth the cost.
Think of it as insurance you actually enjoy buying. A few hours now beats a few weeks of dealing with frozen pipes, ice dam damage, or a dead furnace during the coldest week of the year.
Winter is coming whether you're ready or not. Your home just needs a little help preparing for it.