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The Canadia'n Champion, Tuesday, October 6,1998 - RE5 Protecting your home from winter's icy clutches Pretty soon the Iast leaves of autumn will have made1 their way into the compooting bin, it'Il be time once( again to tumn your thoughto to protecting your home1 fmom the icy grasp of winter. After al, you want your, home to provide the maximum amount of warmth and comfort at a reasonable coot. By doing a few relatively simple things in and around your home now, before the real deep freeze sets in, you can avoid unpleasant surprises down the road - and possibly reduce your heating costs at the same time. Reducing drafts and heat loso by caulking and weatherstripping for instance, can have a major impact an the energy effi- ciency of your home. Test windows and doors To see if your home could use some reinforcement, try testing your doors and windows to see how they stand up. Take a feather or a piece of tissue paper and hoid it around the edges of your doors and windows. If you detect movement in the feather or tissue, chances are you're losing some heat through poor seals or cracks. And this, of course, translates directly into higher heating bis. If you find you have leako, the situation can usually be easily remedied by apply- ing some caulking or weatherstripping around the edges of your windows or doors. Or, if you find you have a draft blowing in beneath your door, consider installing a doorsweep. Consuit experts To find out which type of remedy is best for your par- ticular situation, try talking to the experts at your local hardware or building supply store. They should be able to recommend a suitable product. Also try con- sulting some home maintenance books, or publica- tions put out by the govemment and govemment-relat- cd agencies. You can also consider installing tempo- rary storm windows. Available in kits, these are made of plastic which shrinks to fit your window frame when you apply the heat of a hair dtyer. ÇAg OD C . If coot isnt a major concemn, you may even want to consider installing some new windows or a new door. For windows in particular, you may also want to con- sider installing some of the insulating window cover- ingo now available on the market. Attie Also check your attic to see if your insulation needo topping up. Old insulation can become damp from condensation and womn down, thereby losing ito effec- tiveneso. By topping it up or replacing it altogether, you should see a noticeable improvement. You can do this yourself or hire an expert. Either way, make sure you use producto that are approved and highly rated for their insulation value. If you're a 'do-it-your- seller," make sure you take the necessary precautions. Walls If you have an older home with very little insulation in the walls, you know the effect that a good trong wind can have on your home - it feels like someone left a window open. To remedy the situation, you may want to consider having insulation blown in fromt the out- side. Be sure to shop around belore making your final decision and find out as much about available prod- ucts as you can. While checking your house, also make sure you take a good look at your basement. Check for any cracks or holes in the wails and inspect window openingo for a loose fit. By taking these simple precautionary measures, you can help protect your home from the worst winter has to offer - and save a little extra money at the samne time. This article is provided by local realtors and the Ontario Real Estate Association (OREA)for the bene- fi t of consumers in thte real estate market. Qc Canabian bampion IAN OLIVER Publsher Generai Manager: BillBegin Real Estate Rap: Kathy McLean Publshed by: The Canadian Champion, 191 Main St. E., Milton, Ont., L9T 4N9, 878-2341 Fax: (905) 876-2364 Ad oton n ac td nntht condiio hat, n tht vn tatpg hcltir hat portion of tht adoertioîog sP.c cpit d by tht îotatietogttht. wieha"nnonb t e fifo. e suriintbthatdfbt ý .-otr f a ntb o derg1ý t ý proî erl a fftn taoel aýrd may be wthdnawn oM any i. Pror o nbhi cfttGavl e, odD n ct "0oui estî rd. et'a p "P"" 0u t g ff, e ýA e w -tR thL aN Op U Bl a T ION. s 'p nuý i.. a 166blw Regiosn alRad1 Re0 na oad1 net j o uth0' t n ) of dAd trottec tuyacteredwîb nm er- heouslupgradesonci fumace & roof.1Two stai r- cases, lotsoofrwoo1-ork. nwal, a 71argeshporginal toa n p12t Diarercel: . sking$27990.25Nrht DeioAVE RoA IdAtO slesou Reop.co 853-2086(oo frsiri) 1XCELLENT33-1945 of VtuLU S RInG of ReLetuy arhitcewin) CORP. nom="U