You may make a habit of preparing the interior your home but what about the outdoor space? Protect your patio, driveway, entrance, and garden by taking these steps before the winter weather kicks in.
- Check for Green
Whether your paving stones are in your driveway, walkway, patio, or garden, you’ll need to protect them from the ravages of winter. High quality materials like Indian sandstone paving stones should look great and hold up for many years of use. They can, however, be damaged if left in the wrong conditions. Now is the time to check for moss and other vegetation growing between or underneath your paving stones. Remove them before the winter to reduce the risks of them allow excess water to accumulate under the stones and cause damage. Moss growth can also create a safety issue in winter’s wet, icy conditions. Invasive plants will be more difficult to remove from cold or frozen grown so now is the time to remove them.
2. Stop the Big Freeze
Water can be the enemy. Freezing conditions can quickly turn a little water into a destructive force that can damage your paving and stonework. Look for anywhere water is likely to accumulate. Level out paving stones to make sure there is no indentations where water can sit and then freeze as the weather cools. Add drainage, if needed, to keep water away. This will not only protect the look of your outdoor space, it will make it safer for your family and friends to walk across the area. To further keep walkways from becoming dangerously icy and slick, use salt or cat litter on walkways.
3. Clean the Gutters
We love the colours of autumn leaves but they can cause problems. Protect your home by cleaning leaves and any other debris out of your gutters before winter begins. Even if most of your areas precipitation takes place in the spring, even relatively small amounts of winter sleet and snow can quickly create huge problems. Having the gutter cleared keeps water accumulation which could then freeze into ice, possibly causing damage to your home or gutters.
4. Mulch Like You Mean It
Your lovely landscaping could be at risk if the winter turns particularly harsh. To protect your plants, trim them back in the autumn and then add a full layer of mulch to protect the roots of the plants. This will help prevent winter cold from causing damage to your plants. The mulch can also help to protect your home. Mulch provides drainage to wick away moisture which might otherwise pool around your home’s foundation and potentially cause damage.