Is Your Home Ready for a Connecticut Winter? An Exterior Checklist for Homeowners

 

Start With Both Feet on the Ground

Do not climb onto your roof to inspect it. Do not use a ladder to inspect upper-story windows, siding, or chimneys. These areas should be evaluated by professionals with the proper equipment and training.

You can learn a lot from the ground using binoculars or the zoom on your phone. If you cannot see something clearly, leave the closer inspection to a professional.

“No home inspection is worth getting hurt over. Keep your feet on the ground, and let trained professionals check the roof and other hard-to-reach areas. We would much rather help a homeowner find a problem safely than have them risk a fall trying to inspect it themselves.”
— Eddie Griffin, Owner, Brown Roofing

Here is what to look for before winter—and which areas Brown Roofing can help you address.

1. Roof Shingles and Flashing

Your roof helps protect everything beneath it. From the ground, look for shingles that appear missing, lifted, curled, or out of place. Notice branches or piles of leaves collecting where roof sections meet.

Flashing—the material that helps keep water out around chimneys, skylights, and roof connections—is another important part of the system. Problems here can be difficult to see from below. If you have noticed ceiling stains, attic moisture, or a previous leak, schedule an inspection even if the shingles look fine.

Brown Roofing can help with roof inspections, roof repairs, roof replacement, flashing, and skylight replacement.

2. Flat and Low-Slope Roofs

Porches, additions, and garages often have roofs with very little slope. These roofs need clear drainage routes so rain and melting snow can escape.

From a safe, accessible location, look for debris near drainage outlets or signs of water staining beneath the roof. Standing water, open seams, and damaged roofing require a professional evaluation.

Do not walk onto a flat roof because it appears easier to access.

Brown Roofing services EPDM rubber and SBS flat roofing systems, including repairs and replacement.

3. Gutters and Downspouts

Gutters need to carry rain and melting snow away from your home. When they clog, sag, or pull away from the house, water can spill over the edges and collect where you do not want it.

During a rainstorm, watch from a safe location for:

• Water overflowing the gutter.

• Drips at seams or corners.

• Water running behind the gutter.

• Downspouts spilling water beside the foundation.

• Runoff crossing steps or walkways where it could freeze.

Recheck drainage after the leaves finish falling. Arrange professional help for cleaning or repairs that require ladder access.

Brown Roofing installs and replaces gutters and can evaluate concerns with your existing gutter system.

4. Chimneys

Connecticut’s freezing and thawing can make existing chimney damage worse. Water enters small cracks, freezes, expands, and can gradually loosen mortar or damage masonry.

From the ground, look for missing mortar, damaged bricks, pieces of masonry around the chimney’s base, or a cap that appears loose or missing. Staining near the chimney inside your home also deserves attention.

Never climb a ladder to examine a chimney. An exterior look also cannot tell you whether the inside is safe to use. Arrange a professional chimney inspection before fireplace season.

Brown Roofing provides chimney inspections, cleaning, repairs, rebuilds, caps, and crown work.

5. Siding and Exterior Trim

Walk around your home and look for cracked or loose siding, missing pieces, and gaps around exterior connections. On wood trim, watch for peeling paint, dark staining, or visible deterioration.

These openings can allow wind-driven rain and melting snow to get behind the exterior surface. A small visible problem may also point to damage underneath.

Inspect siding from the ground. Leave ladder inspections and loose-material repairs to a professional.

Brown Roofing offers vinyl siding replacement and can evaluate concerns around siding and trim as part of that work.

6. Fascia, Soffits, and Roof Ventilation

Fascia is the board along the roof edge where gutters commonly attach. Soffits are the surfaces beneath the roof overhang.

Look for sagging panels, staining, holes, or signs of animals getting inside. These can indicate moisture damage or an opening that needs attention.

Vented soffits also help air move through the attic. Do not cover or seal ventilation openings to keep winter air out.

Brown Roofing can evaluate roof-edge conditions and attic ventilation concerns during a roofing inspection.

7. Windows and Skylights

At windows you can safely reach from the ground, look for cracked glass, deteriorated caulk, damaged weatherstripping, and water staining. Indoors, notice drafts or moisture around frames.

Do not assume that every window opening should be caulked shut. Some openings are designed to let water drain out.

For upper-story windows and skylights, look from the ground or inside your home and arrange a professional evaluation when needed. Do not climb a ladder for a closer inspection.

Brown Roofing offers replacement windows and skylight replacement.

8. Exterior Doors and Garage Door Seals

Check whether exterior doors close securely. Look for daylight around the edges, worn weatherstripping, and damaged thresholds. These gaps can allow cold air and moisture inside.

Check your garage door’s bottom seal from ground level as well. Leave spring, track, and lifting-system repairs to a garage door professional.

Brown Roofing offers exterior door replacement.

9. Foundation and Basement Entrances

Look for new or widening foundation cracks, gaps around pipes, and water collecting near the house. Check basement bulkhead doors for visible damage and clear leaves from accessible stairwell drains.

If water repeatedly collects against the foundation, have the drainage evaluated. Sealing a visible gap may not solve the reason water is gathering there.

Foundation repairs and below-ground drainage concerns should be assessed by the appropriate specialist.

10. Walkways, Steps, Decks, and Railings

A loose handrail or uneven paver is more hazardous when covered with snow or ice.

Before winter, check for unstable railings, loose deck boards, damaged steps, and slippery leaf buildup. Watch where downspouts discharge, too. Water that crosses a walking surface can freeze into a difficult-to-see patch of ice.

Address these problems before the first storm makes them harder to find.

11. Trees Near Your Home

From the ground, look for dead limbs, broken branches, and branches rubbing against roofing or siding.

Snow and ice can add weight to weakened limbs. Have concerning trees evaluated by a qualified arborist. Never attempt to trim branches near power lines.

12. Outdoor Faucets and Irrigation

Disconnect and drain garden hoses before freezing weather. Check outdoor faucets for leaks, and have faucets and irrigation systems winterized according to their design.

Some systems need more than simply turning off the water. If you are unsure what yours requires, contact a plumber or irrigation professional.

13. Exterior Vents and Equipment

Look for leaves, nests, and other debris around accessible dryer vents, heating exhausts, and outdoor equipment.

Keep required clearances open, and do not cover exhaust openings to block cold air. Follow the equipment manufacturer’s winter instructions or ask your service technician for guidance.

14. Outdoor Lighting

Test lights at entrances, stairs, driveways, and walkways before the days get shorter.

Replace bulbs you can safely reach from the ground. Have damaged fixtures or wiring checked by an electrician, and make sure motion lights illuminate the areas where people walk.

Had Ice Dams Last Winter? Look Beyond the Gutters

If thick ice built up along your roof edge last winter, mention it when scheduling an inspection.

Ice dams can form when heat escaping into the attic melts rooftop snow. That water can refreeze near the colder roof edge and allow additional meltwater to back up beneath the roofing.

Clear gutters help drainage, but they do not solve every cause of ice dams. Attic air leaks, insulation, and ventilation may also need attention.

Brown Roofing can evaluate the roofing system and ventilation and help identify whether additional attic improvements should be considered.

Take Care of Small Problems Before Winter Arrives

You do not need to diagnose every issue yourself. Your job is to notice changes and get help when something does not look right.

Start with active leaks, loose roofing or siding, blocked drainage, damaged chimneys, and unsafe walking surfaces. Taking care of these concerns before freezing weather can help protect your home and make winter a little less stressful.

For concerns involving your roof, gutters, chimney, siding, replacement windows, exterior doors, or skylights, contact Brown Roofing to schedule a free inspection.

And remember: keep your feet on the ground. Leave roofs, ladders, and hard-to-reach inspections to trained professionals.

Brown Won’t Let You Down.