As much as we hate to acknowledge it, our fantastic summer is soon coming to a close. Of all the things we need to prepare for the upcoming winter, one of the most important is our beloved summer homes – our cabins. Whether it’s your first year with a cabin, or you’ve had one all your life, it is extremely important to winterize your cabin. Here are some great tips on getting your home away from home ready for the long, cold winter.
- Board-up all screen windows. While this may seem like a time-consuming effort, you will be happy you did it when spring rolls back around. Unprotected windows can easily be damaged by snow, ice, and animals looking for a warm place to sleep during cold winter nights.
- Ensure you clean your BBQ and disconnect it from the propane tank. Store in a protected place where they cannot be tampered with.
- Clean out the eaves troughs to allow melting snow to drain properly in the spring.
- Trim any overhanging branches that risk dumping extra snow and ice onto the roof.
- Spread mothballs around the support posts to deter wildlife from trying to get into the cabin. Additionally, fill all holes with steel wool for smaller animals, like mice.
- Clean the wood stove completely – ensure there is nothing left that could have the potential to start a fire.
- Inspect the chimney stack for rust, tar build-up, and loose strapping where it attaches outside – clean all out.
- Remove any food you have left in your fridge or freezer, then disinfect and thoroughly wipe them clean.
- The water system must be drained properly. Residual water can freeze during winter and cause the pipes to burst.
- Disconnect all appliances.
- Take photos of everything. In the unfortunate event of fire, theft, or weather damage, it will make the process with the insurance company go much more smoothly.
- Do a final inspection of the property.
- Lock the cottage.
Following these handy tips will save you so much trouble in the long-run. While you might have insurance on your cabin, you don’t want to have to avail of it if at all possible, so ensuring proper winterization is of utmost importance.
If you don’t have insurance for your cabin, we strongly suggest you consider it. With cabin insurance, it’s important you understand the policy’s limits before you agree to coverage. Remember to include outbuildings, fences and so on when calculating the coverage you need.