This month, we’re sharing tips and tricks to make your home as comfortable as possible before your guests arrive. First, we’re starting with a topic near and dear to family feuds everywhere: the temperature in your home.
Comfortable temperatures are relative, even at Thanksgiving time. By relative, we mean that your relatives coming over aren’t all going to love your house’s temperature – especially if you keep your thermostat a “too hot” 75 degrees or a “too cold” 65 degrees. But what if the problem with stuffy or cold temperatures isn’t your thermostat or what you set it at? Wat if you have – gasp – a draft?
Drafts are bad news for your house any time of year, but the worst has to be when company is over. You don’t want uncomfortable guests on Thanksgiving – except from indigestion from seconds and thirds! Here’s how to check your house for drafts and make sure the temperature’s comfortable before your guests arrive.
Priority rooms to check
You’re short on time, so here are your priority rooms to check for drafts. Obviously, the dining room or kitchen where everyone will be eating. You don’t want to invite a draft to Thanksgiving dinner! Also on your priority list should be the living room – or wherever you’re watching this year’s football game. If you have overnight guests, you should also check the guest room or wherever room they’re hitting the hay in at your place.
And don’t forget the kitchen. You or someone, or everyone in your house will congregate in the kitchen for the majority of the day to cook, wash dishes, or catch up. Make sure that room is a good place to live in for the whole day.
How do you know there’s a draft?
At this time of year in Michigan, is it colder than usual in a specific room or your whole house? If so, unless there’s an entry door in said room, you’re going to check the window.
The two biggest culprits for drafts are old caulking and worn weatherstripping. Another one is broken window locks that keep your window closed tightly.
There’s a draft! Now what?
At this point, you have plenty of time to contact a window inspector to guide you through what to do. We only recommend recaulking or replacing weatherstripping yourself if you’re an experienced DIYer – no, watching hours of YouTube DIY videos doesn’t count! If you’re inexperienced, you can make the problem worse, or miss an underlying cause of the draft.
While waiting for an inspector, or if you don’t have time to tackle the draft before guests arrive, install a heavy curtain to insulate the room or lay a towel in front of the windowsill to block the elements. The towel trick also works if you find your draft coming from your entry door.
Want your guests to have a cozy, happy Thanksgiving? Found a draft that needs attention? Contact us today and we’ll set up an appointment ASAP! Receive a free estimate here, too!