for about $40 at your local home improvement store. Caulk in a 10 ounce tube costs about $10.

Consider installing storm windows if they are not already installed in your home. They are a more cost-effective option to replacing windows and are just as efficient.

Insulate, Ins

Home improvement projects abound in the spring, summer, and fall, but what home repair projects do people do in the winter? Answer: All the projects that happen the rest of the year. However, projects such as replacing windows, painting rooms, and putting on a new roof are difficult to start and even harder to follow through on in the winter because of the weather. Solution: Wait until spring.

Plenty of other home repairs are more appropriate for the winter like securing your home so that it can survive that winter weather. Now that winter has arrived, follow these maintenance tips to secure your home for the winter:

Sweep the Chimney

Have your chimney cleaned. The easiest way to do this is to hire a professional. Leaves and birds nests stuck in a chimney can block ventilation and endanger your health. At the very least, check your chimney once a year.

Have a chimney cap installed to prevent water and outside debris from entering your chimney.

Seal Doors and Windows

Caulk or weather-strip gaps around doors and windows to prevent warm air from escaping and cold air from coming in. Pick up a caulk gun for about $40 at your local home improvement store. Caulk in a 10 ounce tube costs about $10.

Consider installing storm windows if they are not already installed in your home. They are a more cost-effective option to replacing windows and are just as efficient.

Insulate, Insu

tart and even harder to follow through on in the winter because of the weather. Solution: Wait until spring.

Plenty of other home repairs are more appropriate for the winter like securing your home so that it can survive that winter weather. Now that winter has arrived, follow these maintenance tips to secure your home for the winter:

Sweep the Chimney

Have your chimney cleaned. The easiest way to do this is to hire a professional. Leaves and birds nests stuck in a chimney can block ventilation and endanger your health. At the very least, check your chimney once a year.

Have a chimney cap installed to prevent water and outside debris from entering your chimney.

Seal Doors and Windows

Caulk or weather-strip gaps around doors and windows to prevent warm air from escaping and cold air from coming in. Pick up a caulk gun for about $40 at your local home improvement store. Caulk in a 10 ounce tube costs about $10.

Consider installing storm windows if they are not already installed in your home. They are a more cost-effective option to replacing windows and are just as efficient.

Insulate, Ins

e maintenance tips to secure your home for the winter:

Sweep the Chimney

Have your chimney cleaned. The easiest way to do this is to hire a professional. Leaves and birds nests stuck in a chimney can block ventilation and endanger your health. At the very least, check your chimney once a year.

Have a chimney cap installed to prevent water and outside debris from entering your chimney.

Seal Doors and Windows

Caulk or weather-strip gaps around doors and windows to prevent warm air from escaping and cold air from coming in. Pick up a caulk gun for about $40 at your local home improvement store. Caulk in a 10 ounce tube costs about $10.

Consider installing storm windows if they are not already installed in your home. They are a more cost-effective option to replacing windows and are just as efficient.

Insulate, Ins

imney once a year.

Have a chimney cap installed to prevent water and outside debris from entering your chimney.

Seal Doors and Windows

Caulk or weather-strip gaps around doors and windows to prevent warm air from escaping and cold air from coming in. Pick up a caulk gun for about $40 at your local home improvement store. Caulk in a 10 ounce tube costs about $10.

Consider installing storm windows if they are not already installed in your home. They are a more cost-effective option to replacing windows and are just as efficient.

Insulate, Ins

for about $40 at your local home improvement store. Caulk in a 10 ounce tube costs about $10.

Consider installing storm windows if they are not already installed in your home. They are a more cost-effective option to replacing windows and are just as efficient.

Insulate, Insulate, Insulate

Make sure the insulation in your attic is adequate. Not sure? Because insulation depends on where you live and involves the level of resistance to heat flow, ask the staff at a local home improvement center how much insulation is recommended where you live. Most houses need at least 12 inches of insulation. If you can see the ceiling joists, you know you don’t have enough insulation as these are about 10 inches.

Insulate your attic door as well to prevent warm air from escaping. Seal any holes leading down into the house with spray foam, looking for open plumbing or electrical. Not only does the right amount of insulation keep your home warmer in the winter, it keeps it cooler in the summer also.

Check the Roof

Ok, it’s cold, but make a quick trip up to the roof if you can.

• Replace loose shingles or have a professional replace them. Damage sustained from snowstorms or rain that stains indoor ceilings from the roof is costlier and more difficult than replacing a few loose shingles in the first place.

• Trim any tree limbs that are hanging ove