LA CROSSE, Wisconsin (WXOW) - For a first-time homeowner, preparing the house for winter may not be the easiest feat.
To alleviate some of the stress, staff from Couleecap and Habitat for Humanity taught some new homeowners what to look for Sunday.
"The temperature is changing and the heat is gonna turn on. And, the weather changing changes the way the outside of the house performs, and the siding moves around a little bit, and everything kinda moves a little bit," said Jason Mather, a construction manager for Habitat for Humanity.
Mather is teaching first-time homeowners, of low and moderate income families, how to maintain their house this winter.
"(It's) anything that affects your indoor air quality or the durability of the exterior of the house; that could be worn out caulk, worn out weather seals, air filters on your furnace," he said.
One of the most important things to do when the seasons change is clean out your gutter, according to Mather. That way, if there's heavy rain or snowfall, the gutter won't get backed up during the middle of the season, or leak into the house.
"A lot of the homeowners, they don't know the different things to do. We give them these quality homes – they're sustainable homes – but we wanted to help them sustain them with some long-term maintenance," said Amanda Acklin, Couleecap project supervisor.
Homeowners can use these maintenance skills all year round, Mather said.
"Arbitrarily, you can pick any time and it's also just good to have a benchmark," Mather said. "This is the time I do this stuff."
Turnout at Sunday's training was low.
Staff is looking forward to hosting another home maintenance session in the spring and hopes to attract a much larger crowd.
