If you've been in Surrey or White Rock for a few winters, you know the drill. Atmospheric rivers, freezing rain weeks, and the cold snap that can crack a hose bib. This checklist hits the highest-leverage items.
Outside the house
- Disconnect garden hoses and shut off exterior taps from inside
- Check window and door weather stripping (replace if compressed)
- Inspect exterior caulking on trim, windows, and door frames
- Drain and store outdoor furniture cushions
- Tighten loose deck boards and railing fasteners before frost
- Confirm exterior light fixtures are sealed and functional
Inside the house
- Test smoke and CO detectors (replace batteries)
- Reverse ceiling fan direction (clockwise pushes warm air down)
- Check attic insulation depth (R-50 minimum for BC code)
- Inspect window caulking from inside (look for daylight gaps)
- Replace furnace filter
Every job I take gets a written scope before I start, so the price is agreed in advance and the list stays the list.
When to handle it yourself versus call
Most of this checklist is genuinely DIY-friendly: hose disconnection, battery swaps, ceiling fan reversal, attic insulation check. The items where homeowners most often book me are exterior caulking (wet weather closes the cure window fast), weather stripping replacement on stubborn doors, deck and railing tightening, and the small carpentry items that compound if ignored. Those are the calls worth making before October, not after.
