Welcome to the wonderfully white wonder that is Ottawa. Caring for your home in the cold winter is different from the summertime here.  The days may be less bright, but the bright lights and the gleam in people’s eyes as the holidays approach is something words cannot describe.

Perhaps you dislike the cold temperatures and sparkling snowflakes, but it is something that many people in this world do not get to experience, so I say, get a nice warm coat, gloves, hat, scarf, and boots, and get out there and enjoy the weather. Caution: you may want to bring some tissues… runny noses have been known to occur.

We however love winter time, those who have embarked on projects with us are experiencing some of the more inconvenient parts of a winter reno. But we bring smiles and fast-paced work to each of our sites. We realize that our clients get excited about this time of year as well. We typically want to wrap projects up before Christmas so that they can resume normal lives. It is imperative for us to be on time and efficient. There are a few things homeowners can look after before we arrive that can help us tremendously!

1. You might have had your furnace on already but the filter might need to be changed. Ideally you want to be changing it once a year, perhaps more if you notice it is getting full and isn’t producing the same air quality anymore.
2. Your house has a very important device inside, it is called a heat recovery ventilator. It also has a filter which needs to be cleaned or changed, easiest to do along with your furnace filter.
3. If you have moisture imbalance in your home, perhaps you have invested in a humidifier. A house can get very dry with the furnace blowing hot air around. A humidifier helps not only with air quality but also with protecting your furniture and flooring. Keep in mind your humidifier, if it is a little older, may need to be cleaned as well,
4. We sometimes forget this needs to be done, but it is also quite important. Your exhaust fans need to be checked and possibly cleaned. These are all fans including range hood, and bathroom fans.

If you keep track of these items on an annual basis you are going to save yourself from possible headaches and possibly expensive repairs over the years.

We hope that you are enjoying the pre-holiday festivities and also staying warm this time of year.