One of the easiest, but rapidly rewarding projects for home improvement is to winterize your home. The rewards are tangible very quickly, usually as soon as the next cold wind blows, or the next heating bill arrives. And, best of all, the project doesn’t require a lot of special tools or hardware knowledge.
The best way to get started with this project is to do a visual inspection of your doors and windows. If possible, this should be done on a bright day with a fair amount of wind. This will give you the two things you are looking: cracks that you can see daylight through and wind movement along your windows.
Start with the exterior doors, both the screen door and the main door. When the door is shut ask these two questions:
- Do you feel a draft along the edges of the door?
- Can you see light peaking in along your floor?
Windows
Your western and northern windows are generally most important, but it’s a good idea to inspect them all. First, just watch them as the window blows. Do you see your curtains or blinds move in the wind? If so, you need to seal those windows better.
Check the windows themselves to cracks and gaps along the window sill. Finally, press gently on the glass to see if there is any give in the way the glass sits in the frame. If the glass moves with a light touch, add window caulking to your list.
Now, comes the hard part. Measure your windows. Not just the size of the glass, but measure about an inch to either side of the windows or to the surface next to the window where you would attach plastic sheeting or heavier window treatments.
The least expensive way to fix your window issues will involve new caulking and interior plastic coverings. But the interior plastic on your windows may not appeal to everyone’s sense of style and beauty. In that case, consider replacing blinds with heavy, lined drapes.
Lined drapes either in addition to or instead of blinds offer many advantages. First, the heavy cloth traps cold air next to the window instead of letting it escape into the room. Second, in warmer months, heavy drapes prevent natural heat created by sunlight through glass from burdening your air conditioning. Third, heavy drapes create an additional privacy protection not offered by blinds.
For older homes or those less concerned about the aesthetics, plastic sheeting on the interior frame of the windows can also block the cold air from entering the room and running up your heating bills. Be sure to write down the window dimensions on your shopping list before heading to the store to pick up supplies.
At the store, you’ll need to examine the window-lining kits available and determine what is best for your needs. Several are packaged with a double-sided tape that adheres to the window frame and then to the plastic. This tape is super sticky and will pull a couple layers off your skin if you mishandle it, so it might also damage your paint. Test it is a small area before you apply it to all your windows and commit yourself to repainting window frames in the spring.
The other thing to look for when choosing the window-lining kits is to find pre-cut plastic as close to the size of your windows as possible. Hanging the plastic is not difficult, but it is a two person job if you have to cut the plastic to the size of your windows while you are trying to hang it.
You’ll also want to pick up a caulking gun, if you don’t have one, and window caulk. Both items together should run less than $20.
Finally, you’ll want self-adhesive weather stripping. It’s usually best to use the 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick weather stripping to assure that doors and windows can still open freely.
Once you return home, the process is very simple. The paper backing will pull off the weather stripping and it can be used along door frames and in the bottom of window sills to make sure they are sealing properly when closed. A pair of regular scissors can be used to cut the weather-stripping to the needed length.
Then, it’s back to the windows with the caulking gun. Again, this is easiest if done as a two-person project, provided your assistant takes directions well. The assistant should push the glass pane up and in, gently, to expose the cracks where the glass is able to rattle in the frame. Place the tip of the caulking gun in the cracks and move it slowly along the crack while squeezing the trigger. This will create a thin line on caulk on the edge of the window, that should remind you of a thinner strip of toothpaste. The direction on the caulk will tell you how long to let it set before you move on to the next project.
Finally, tape the upper edge of the plastic about 1/2” above the window on the window frame. If your were not able to find plastic that fits your window perfectly, trim the plastic, leaving about 1” on either side of the window to be sure you can stretch it properly to fit. You can always trim off the extra later.
Then, begin taping down the side of the plastic,. If you have particularly long windows, you may want to do half of one side and then half of the other to make certain you are keeping the plastic taunt as you go.
Finally, smooth the plastic down to the tape waiting on the bottom edge and secure the bottom of the plastic. Many of these products then offer a heat option to pull the plastic tighter and create a more secure barrier against the cold. Use a hair dryer on a low setting move constantly back and forth over the plastic to achieve this effect.
In addition, you might want to consider purchasing small rugs for the exterior doors to complete the anti-draft campaign.
All in all, this type of weatherizing for your home should take less than half a day, but the benefits are amazing. Being able to sit near the windows on a blustery fall evening and hear the wind but not feel it should be all the reassurance you need that it was worth the effort. If not, check you heating bill when it arrives and relish the difference.
Click here to purchase weatherstripping and caulking.
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