Water first
Frozen pipes are the failure that costs the most and announces itself last. Decide early between two strategies: keep the house heated above freezing all winter, or drain it down completely. Heated is simpler and lets you use the house; drained is cheaper to run and unforgiving if a single line is missed. Either way, shut off and drain the exterior spigots and any irrigation, and know where the main shut-off is before you need it in the dark.
- Exterior spigots off and drained; hoses disconnected
- Irrigation blown out
- Main shut-off located and labelled
- If draining: every trap, the water heater, the washing machine lines
- If heating: thermostat no lower than the low fifties, and a freeze alarm that calls a phone
Heat and power
Service the furnace or boiler before the first cold night, not after. Fill the oil or propane tank and set an automatic delivery — an empty tank in January is how heated houses freeze. Test the generator under load and check it has fuel. If the house has a woodstove, have the chimney swept; if it has heat pumps, clear the outdoor units so snow cannot bury them.
Everything that lives outside
The dock comes out before the ice forms, not after. Boats, lifts and moorings are pulled and covered. Outdoor furniture, grills, planters and anything that holds water comes in or gets turned over. Gutters are cleared after the last leaves. A long private drive needs a plowing arrangement agreed in October, with stakes set so the plow can find the edges under a foot of snow.
- Dock, lift and boats out
- Furniture and planters in
- Gutters cleared; downspouts directed away from the foundation
- Driveway staked; plowing contract signed
- Firewood stacked where you can reach it in a storm
The people
The last item is the one that saves the others. Someone local should have a key, know the shut-offs, and be expected to look in after every storm and hard freeze — not to reassure you, but to send photographs. A freeze alarm that texts you is worth its price; a person who answers the phone at midnight is worth more. That, in the end, is what the property-care arrangement on this site exists to be.
Sources + further reading
The Upstate Edit is an independent editorial perspective by Matthew Nolan. Market information is educational, may change and is not a guarantee of future results.
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