Basic Home Maintenance - Caulking & Sealing
This video series by Joe Wise, owner of Buildwise Construction, teaches you how to and the importance of caulking and sealing around the home. Watch the related videos for additional steps and more caulking and sealing tips.
This video gives you advice for adding weather stripping to your front door to help prevent heat loss.
This video has great sep-by-step instructions for how to weatherize your windows, doors and more around your home. Be sure to watch the related videos for more general weatherization tips.
This is a guide about weatherizing your home. Keeping your home warm and dry during the winter months can be a challenge. Weatherizing your home will help you stay comfortable when it is cold out and will save on your heating bill the process.
If you have doors or windows in your home that let in the cold winter air, here is a very simple draft stopper idea that I use. I purchased 1 yard of fleece fabric from the "bargain" table. This 36 inch length should work at any exterior door.
I have a 1/2 French door (only one side opens) going out to my back porch. I would like to have ideas on how to eliminate air coming in around it. I have tried weather stripping, but it falls off or the dogs tear it away from the side.
Free Home Weatherization Programs for Energy Efficiency
Check with your power company, your county, state, and nonprofit organizations to see if there are any free weatherization programs available. I did and had my house completely weatherized for free.
Insulate Outdoor Water Pipes Early
We had an unusually cold snap during the last few days in Houston. Many folks had pipes which burst. Others were outside in their cold weather gear wrapping pipes and covering outdoor faucets.
Winterizing an Older Unoccupied Mobile Home
I need some advice about a mobile home/trailer. Here's the situation. I bought my father a mobile home back in 93. It is a nice well maintained home, but it is now 30 years old.
Preventing Ice Dams On Your Roof
If you have trouble with ice dams in the winter, try putting "ice melt" salt into nylon stockings and laying them in the valleys of your roof. It keeps the salt from running off and melts the snow and ice slowly! It really works.
Where Can I Find Plastic Film for Windows?
I am looking for a 6 mil 48 inch wide roll of clear not frosty plastic for storm window application. Does anyone know I might find this?
For those who live in a nice warm climate that doesn't shift for the seasons, the coming of winter brings significantly fewer chores. However, those who live in changing climates can save some money by completing a few pre-winter chores.
Insulating Windows Against Summer Heat
The temperatures in FL are starting to go up and pretty soon we'll be back in the heat and humidity. Does anyone have any good, inexpensive suggestions for something to put on the inside of my home's windows to help keep out the awful heat?
We live in a modular home and are having problems with wind forcing cold air into the house around the window frames. Caulking would seem to be one answer. How about using an insulating foam bead? Any other ideas? I am lazy and cheap.
We live in an older rental home and almost all the windows are singled paned so before the Arctic weather arrived I went to Home Depot and bought 4 x 8 panels of insulation at $8.95 a sheet.
Cutting Heating Costs for a Trailer
My husband and I spend the winters in the southern states, living in a travel trailer. We have a string of days where the weather is very cool and that is when I do my cooking and baking, enough to get us by for several days' meals.
Winterizing Outdoor Water Faucets
I forgot to winterize my garden hoses, they are still attached to the outside faucets of the house. It's been snowing and in the 20s for days now. What should I do? I'm afraid of my pipes freezing.
I bought a roll of thick plastic and cut it to fit over several windows of the house, and the house is much warmer. I just hung some string across on two nails, or screws and secured the plastic to the string with clothes pins.
Ice Buildup in Windows Causing Water Damage to Ceiling
We have recently noticed since our winter months began that we have a lot of new water damage on our ceilings. The ice builds up in our windows and water runs down the walls, when it warms up. Help, what can we do? What is the problem and can our home-inspector be sued?
Recycle Comforter as an Insulating Curtain
We made a warm window curtain from a faded, old queen-size comforter, leftover fabric and clearance curtain panel for $1.50. My daughter needed to cover patio doors facing the north for the winter.
I'm new to this, but was wondering if anyone had tips on winterizing an old house, i.e. windows, etc.?
This is the time to prepare for winter if you live in one of our colder states. Waiting until the last minute to prepare for the cold or an outage most often results in spending extra money or putting money out for repairs.
Cardboard Strips Used With Winterizing Paper
Where can I find those slim cardboard strips that used to come with the winterizing paper? Should I make my own?
Making Storm Windows for a Porch
How does one make storm windows for a porch?
For those who live in a nice warm climate that doesn't shift for the seasons, the coming of winter brings significantly fewer chores. However, those who live in changing climates can save some money by completing a few pre-winter chores.
This is the time to prepare for winter if you live in one of our colder states. Waiting until the last minute to prepare for the cold or an outage most often results in spending extra money or putting money out for repairs.
Tips for Winterizing Your Home
Consider getting your furnace (HVAC) inspected by a professional. Remove all combustible materials away from the furnace. Change your furnace filters monthly.
Save Energy by Winterizing Windows
Windows can account for as much as 35 to 40 percent of a home's heat loss. With heating costs on the rise, that can translate into significant dollars. New windows are not in everyone's budget, so if you are looking to increase the energy efficiency of existing windows, here are some simple tips for sizable energy savings.
