Winter arrives in McCall earlier than most people plan for. This is the checklist we walk through with every home we care for, written down here so owners who are closing up for the season can use it, too.
Before the first freeze
- Disconnect and drain exterior hoses. Close every hose bib from the inside and drain any line that runs through an unheated space.
- Insulate vulnerable pipes and check heat tape. Any pipe along an exterior wall, in a crawl, or near a vent deserves a second look. Heat tape that worked last year is not guaranteed to work this year. Test it.
- Service the furnace and verify CO detectors. Fresh filters, a real mechanical tune-up, and a five-minute test of every detector in the house.
- Clear gutters and test downspout heat cables. A clean gutter in October is an ice dam you don't have in February.
- Inspect the roof from the ground. Missing shingles, loose flashing, compromised snow retention. Better caught now.
- Walk the envelope. Caulk lines around windows and doors, sealant at penetrations, and any visible gap an animal could work into.
Through the season
- Monitor roof snow loads on low-slope sections. Especially over bays, dormers, and covered porches. Shovel proactively, not reactively.
- Keep an eye on ice dams at eaves. The first sign of one is usually a stain on an interior ceiling. Don't wait for that.
- Walk mechanical rooms monthly. Drips freeze fast. A weekly glance costs nothing and catches most problems before they become expensive.
- Run the water in unoccupied rooms. Five minutes, once a week, keeps traps from drying out and surfaces the occasional leak early.
- Keep driveways and walkways cleared to the structure. Compacted snow against siding is a slow-motion moisture problem.
If you're not here every week
This is the work our property services team does on a standing schedule, so that owners who are down-valley or out-of-state don't have to worry about it from a distance. Reach out if you'd like an inspection route built for your home.
