Use the last frost-free days of the year to make your house and garden winter-proof. Our checklist will help you. Download now for free!
Darkness, moisture and frost make it uncomfortable not only for us humans in the cold season. Also, some plants around the house, the garden furniture and certain technical devices such as the motor lawn mower take it very badly if you leave them unprotected outside in winter.
The receipt will follow in spring: Peeling wood paint on the furniture, stunted parts of plants and a stuttering engine are the consequences of the frost, which you can easily avoid.
Reduce heating costs with a free checklist
Table of Contents
The same applies to the house. Inadequate winter preparation is particularly noticeable in the wallet: The heating costs reach unimaginable heights due to the operation of a poorly maintained and inefficient heating system, especially since energy prices continue to rise (see: Renovating heating systems)
Elaborate construction work is not always necessary to reduce energy consumption. Often, the interaction of a few smaller measures is sufficient: for example, sealing the windows and doors or installing thermostatic valves.
In addition, especially in winter, the building envelope, i.e. the facade, must be absolutely leak-proof, because this is where frost can cause expensive damage. Here you can get through the winter well with immediate measures, but you cannot avoid the major renovation next spring.
Home and garden checklist
So that you can properly winterize your house and garden, you can download our checklist here for free.
- Clean the gutter
- clean gullies (on flat roofs)
- Check roof cover
- Close cracks in the masonry with acrylic compound
- Check tiled staircases, grout cracks, replace broken tiles
- Check window sealing, if necessary re-grout with silicone
- Check that windows and doors can be closed, tighten and oil any hinges
- Attach sealing strips to the front door
- Have the boiler cleaned
- Vent the radiator
- Check the boiler pressure
- Have the gas boiler serviced
- Changeover to winter operation and clock to winter time
- Are all radiator valves working?
- Is the underfloor heating evenly warm?
- Is there still enough heating oil in the tank?
- Buy / order road salt, snow shovel and broom
- Drain the water in the external pipes, close the waste water taps well
- Do not repaint peeling paint on wooden facades, but protect with silicone impregnation
- Is the mailbox watertight?
- Are all the shutters working?
- Are the roller shutter boxes sealed without tension?
- Are the outdoor lighting working?
Checklist: tools and equipment
- Clean garden tools of resin and the like, remove rust, grease and store
- Empty the garden pump
- Store all waterproof coating materials (acrylic varnish) and paints in a frost-proof and dry place
- Clean the (motor) lawn mower, top up the lubricating oil to the maximum, allow the fuel to drain, clean the air filter
- Give the knife bar or chain for sharpening
- Oil all metal parts on electrical devices well
Checklist: plants and garden
- Shorten the lawn to a maximum of 4 cm and fertilize with potassium
- Bring sensitive plants into the house
- Relocate fish from ponds below 80 cm depth to the aquarium
- Cover the pond with a leaf protection net (mesh size 20 mm)
- Thinning out hedges
- Do not empty the swimming pool, it is sufficient to cover it
- Cut back trees
- Are the external sockets waterproof? If not, switch off
- Place potted plants in a light, airy and cool place, but frost-free
