Keeping The Bad Weather Outside Your Home
Being a proud homeowner means time, effort and a constant battle to weatherproof your home. Proofing your home in good or bad weather is essential, and even on a budget, you can find deals to keep your home weatherproofed all year round. Making a checklist is a great way to mark off the areas you proof as you go along.
Properly insulating your home, whether it’s blazing hot or icy cold outside will save money and electricity. An adequately weatherproofed home can be accomplished with limited funds, even down to kitchen remodeling. New appliances save energy, kitchen tile is cooler in a hot climate, and also new kitchen cabinets can finish a new look. Five main components can help anyone proof of their home against the elements. They are:
- Caulking
- Insulation Foam
- Weather Stripping
- Rubber Gasket Strips
- Clear Plastic Sheeting
Caulking can be used when proofing vents to the outside, including the one that hooks to the dryer hose. Caulk around window trim and edgings to weatherproof against drafts. Insulation foam can be sprayed between baseboards and walls as well as screened in patios to keep out bad weather. Television and cable line outlets can be proofed with insulation foam as well. Any doorway or window that leads to the outside could use some inexpensive weather stripping. Rubber gasket strips are used almost exclusively for proofing garage doors against blasts of cold air that may find their way into your home. In extremely cold areas of the country, clear plastic sheeting attached to windows using sticky tape and a warm blow dryer is a great cost-effective way to stay warm and toasty.
Home improvement stores seem to be sprouting up in most cities throughout the country, so finding a Home Depot, Lowes, Ace Hardware or even a local family owned store should be a matter of opening your phone book. With just a little bit of money and a little bit of elbow grease you can weatherproof your home quickly and easily. The energy you save will make your hard work worth all the effort.