Winter Is Coming: RBA Homes Has Three Good Reasons to Winterize Your Summer Home

With many of the custom homes along the New Jersey shore that we build occupied seasonally, it’s important that when the weather turns cold, our homeowners who batten up the hatches and head south prepare their home for the weather.  So how does one “batten up the hatches” to ensure that the home is properly closed for the colder weather, without worry of the potential freezing or other disasters that can strike an unoccupied home during the cold winter months?  Winter is coming:  RBA Homes has three good reasons to winterize your custom vacation home. 

Reason #1…Homes are not meant to be cold

Homes are like people and need to be kept warm to a certain degree.  Many homeowners turn off their heat before they leave for the season, which is not what we recommend.  By leaving the heat on and turning it down to 50° Fahrenheit you will be keeping the house warm enough to keep it from freezing should the temperature drop to below freezing for a period of time.  Homes are not meant to freeze and keeping your heat on is critical so that it doesn’t sustain damage when the temperatures drop.

Reason #2…Standing water can do immense damage when frozen

Another part of our recommended winterizing process is to drain all the waterlines to prevent ruptures should there be a power failure and the heat does go off for some reason.  This includes waterlines for your clothes washer and dishwasher, as well as your water heater, exterior faucets, toilets, showerheads and spray hoses in sinks.  Don’t forget any other water treatment equipment such as whole house filters, carbon filters, UV light filters, etc.  You may even want to consider a low-heat thermostat, which will help conserve energy when your home is not occupied.

Reason #3…Sheetrock doesn’t like moisture

Not only does sheetrock not respond well to extreme cold, finishes like paint and hardwood flooring are not meant to be exposed to the cold.  Your house has moisture in it naturally from the day-to-day things you do, like taking showers or washing dishes.  The last thing you want to do is let this freeze during the winter, causing damage like buckling of floors and walls.  By keeping your heat set to 50° there is less of a chance that this type of damage will occur during the winter months. 

If you have questions about how to winterize your home for the season, or you are considering building your new custom home in Monmouth or Ocean counties, contact RBA Homes today for details on why we are the builder of choice for custom modular or traditional home construction in New Jersey.