Winter Home Maintenance Checklist for New England Homeowners

If you own a home in Massachusetts or New Hampshire, you know winter doesn't play nice. Freezing temperatures, ice dams, heavy snow loads, and freeze-thaw cycles can cause thousands of dollars in damage — but most of it is preventable with the right preparation.

After 20+ years of seeing what winter does to homes across Greater Boston and Southern NH, here's our complete winter maintenance checklist.

Roof & Gutters

• Clean gutters and downspouts — clogged gutters are the #1 cause of ice dams. Do this before the first freeze.
• Inspect your roof — look for missing, cracked, or curling shingles. Fix them now, not during a January ice storm.
• Check flashing — around chimneys, vents, and skylights. Loose flashing = water entry point.
• Consider heat cables — if your home is prone to ice dams, installing heat cables along the eaves is cheaper than water damage repair.

Exterior & Foundation

• Seal gaps and cracks — caulk around windows, doors, and where siding meets trim. Even small gaps let cold air (and mice) in.
• Inspect siding — damaged siding lets moisture behind the wall, which freezes and causes structural damage.
• Grade away from foundation — soil should slope away from your home to prevent water pooling and freeze damage to the foundation.
• Disconnect outdoor hoses — water left in hoses can freeze back into the pipe and cause bursts.

Plumbing

• Insulate exposed pipes — especially in unheated areas like basements, crawl spaces, and garages.
• Know your shut-off valve — if a pipe bursts, you need to shut off water immediately. Find it now, not during an emergency.
• Let faucets drip in extreme cold — a slow drip prevents pressure buildup in pipes that could freeze.
• Service your water heater — flush sediment and check the anode rod. Your water heater works hardest in winter.

Heating & Insulation

• Service your furnace/boiler — schedule professional maintenance before heating season. Replace filters.
• Check attic insulation — inadequate attic insulation is the root cause of most ice dams. You should have R-49 to R-60 in Massachusetts.
• Seal air leaks — check around electrical outlets, recessed lights, and attic hatches. These are major heat loss points.
• Test smoke and CO detectors — heating season increases carbon monoxide risk. Test every detector and replace batteries.

Windows & Doors

• Check weatherstripping — worn weatherstripping on doors and windows is like leaving a window cracked all winter.
• Inspect window glazing — foggy double-pane windows have lost their seal and their insulating value.
• Consider storm windows — if you have single-pane windows, storm windows are a cost-effective alternative to full window replacement.

Emergency Preparedness

• Have a generator or know where to get one (power outages happen every winter)
• Keep rock salt or sand for walkways
• Have your contractor's number handy (that's us: (781) 528-0069)
• Know the signs of ice dam damage: icicles hanging from eaves, water stains on ceilings