There are a few things that are synonymous with Chicago: deep dish pizza, the love of the Cubs, and legendary cold winters. Chicago receives an average snowfall of 37 inches of snow per year, and when you live in a chilly climate that is susceptible to the treacherous lake effects rolling in off Lake Michigan, upgrading certain aspects of your home to be battle-tested against the elements is essential.
Although we are already in the midst of another chapter in the Chicago saga, now is actually the best time to run a home diagnosis on what areas need to be upgraded and reinforced to battle the elements. Here’s our top five areas to target!
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Install a high-powered heating system
One option is to install a radiant heating system below the floors of your home to keep the surface level warm. You can also consider the addition of an active solar system on your room to harness that energy to trim hefty heating bills in the winter with a more sustainable solution.
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Protect your windows
Winter is typically the best time of year to let you know if you have issues with your windows – and for obvious reasons. You will be able to access if they are leaking or rotting and in need of a desperate upgrade. You can enhance your south-side facing windows in your home to take in the lightest and warmth each day.
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Add in railings at every stairway
Adding a sturdy railing to hold on to isn’t just for seniors in the winter time, they can be extreme life-savers when black ice and slippery snow starts to accumulate. Every exterior stairway should realistically have some sort of railway — and you can make sure they blend in well with the overall DNA and personality of the home.
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Consider an efficient woodstove
With the newest woodstoves and pellet stoves on the market today, you can heat your home with extremely efficient and clean-burning devices. Not to mention the cost-savings to your monthly bottom line and how it can kick-start an entire room makeover with this new addition.
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Rethink the pathway and entrance system to the home
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Install a snow-melting system
One of the bigger projects you can undertake is the technology to implement in a heated driveway. It can greatly reduce the time and energy needed to continually shovel or plow your paths and driveway every winter, adding up over time. Not only does a snow-melting system keep your key walkways safer to move on, it is aesthetically beautiful by keeping your key pathways looking pristine and immaculate.
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Provide cover to the entranceways
Coupled with an efficient roofing system and eavestroughs that break up and propel the cumulated show away from the homes’ foundation, a sheltered entrance makes is safer for snow to not build up and provides easier access in. You never want giant snow piles surrounding the house to build up – especially with the devastating Chicago winters – but you can really get creative with the new build that blends function and form.
Hopefully those few tips will help get you started! Drop us a line and let us know what other projects you have on the go this winter!