Seasonal Guide: Winter Home Maintenance Checklist (Alberta Edition)
Updated April 2026
Summary:
Getting your home ready for an Alberta winter means working through the most vulnerable areas before the cold sets in. Inspect your roof for damaged or missing shingles, clear your eavestroughs to prevent ice dams, and check your siding and windows for cracks or failed seals. Examine your foundation, trim overhanging tree limbs, insulate exposed pipes, and have your chimney cleaned. Throughout the season, keep snow away from your foundation and exterior vents clear.
Winters in Alberta are tough, especially on your home. In order to keep your home snug, warm, and dry, here is a seasonal guide to home maintenance. With this simple checklist, you can make sure your house stays in good shape for years to come.
Check Your Roof
Missing or damaged shingles can allow moisture to get into your roof, causing many different problems, including roof damage, as well as mould and mildew problems. Each fall, you should have your roof professionally assessed and make sure you get any repairs done before winter begins.
What to look for:
From the ground, scan your roofline with binoculars if needed. Look for shingles that are curling at the edges, visibly cracked, or missing altogether. Dark patches or streaks can indicate missing granules, which means the shingle is wearing thin. If your roof is more than 15 years old and showing any of these signs, it’s worth having a professional take a closer look before the first snowfall.
Check Your Eavestroughs
Debris such as leaves and twigs can cause ice dams to form in the winter. Ice dams keep your downspouts from draining properly, causing a buildup of water by your roof. Ice dams are also heavy and can cause your eavestroughs to sag, causing them further damage.
Before winter begins, make sure your eavestroughs are clear and in good repair. To make this task less onerous in the future, you may also want to consider installing a leaf guard.
What to look for:
Walk the perimeter of your home and look up at your eavestroughs. Are there sections that are visibly sagging or pulling away from the fascia? Are there gaps at the joints where sections meet? Run a hose and watch whether water flows freely to the downspout or backs up and overflows the sides. Also, check the ground directly beneath the eavestroughs after rainfall; a clear drip line in the soil suggests water is spilling over rather than draining through.
See also: eavestrough installation & repair services.
Check Your Siding
Cracks or other damage to your siding are an invitation to water. Should water get under your siding, it can cause a whole host of problems, including damage, mould, and mildew. Make sure you check your siding thoroughly and get any damage repaired by a professional.
What to look for:
Walk slowly around the exterior of your home and inspect each side up close. Look for cracks, chips, or warping in the siding panels, and pay attention to the areas around windows, doors, and corners where water is most likely to penetrate. On vinyl siding, look for panels that have come loose or are buckling. On Hardie board, watch for peeling or bubbling paint, which can signal that moisture has gotten behind the surface. Press gently on any suspicious areas. Soft or spongy material underneath is a red flag.
See also: siding installation & repair services.
Check Your Windows
A broken or worn-out window seal can allow unwanted moisture into your home and increase your heating bill. Check all your windows, especially those in rooms you don’t use very often, and make sure they’re sealing properly.
What to look for:
On a cold day, hold your hand near the edges of each window frame and feel for drafts. Condensation or frost forming between double-pane glass is a clear sign that the seal has failed, and the insulating gas has escaped. From outside, inspect the caulking around each window frame: it should be smooth and continuous with no cracks, gaps, or sections that have pulled away from the wall. Any compromised caulking should be removed and replaced before temperatures drop.
Check Your Foundation
Cracks in your foundation can let water into your basement, creating secondary damage. A cracked foundation can also indicate a much larger problem, so it’s a good idea to assess your foundation thoroughly at least once per year.
What to look for:
Walk around the base of your home and inspect the exposed foundation at ground level. Hairline cracks are common and generally not cause for alarm, but horizontal cracks, stair-step cracks in brick or block, or any crack wider than about 6mm (1/4 inch) should be assessed by a professional. In your basement, look for water stains, white mineral deposits (efflorescence) on the walls, or a musty smell, all of which suggest moisture is seeping in. Also, check that the ground around your foundation slopes away from the house rather than toward it, since pooling water near the foundation is one of the most common causes of basement leaks.
Assess Your Trees
Large trees around your home are beautiful and can provide useful shade. However, overhanging limbs can also be a potential hazard. Wet, heavy snowfall can weigh the branches down, causing them to break under the pressure. This, in turn, can cause damage to your roof and phone lines.
Check to make sure none of your tree limbs hang over your house or power lines. If they do, hire a professional to come and trim your tree before winter arrives.
What to look for:
Stand back and look at each tree on your property from multiple angles. Identify any branches that extend directly over your roofline, eavestroughs, or utility lines. Look for branches that are already dead or damaged, as these are far more likely to snap under snow load than healthy ones. Signs of a dead branch include no leaves in summer, brittle bark, or a noticeably different color from the surrounding wood. When in doubt, hire a certified arborist rather than attempting to remove large branches yourself.
Check Your Pipes
Burst pipes can cause massive amounts of damage in a very short time frame. To keep the water in your pipes from freezing, make sure they are appropriately insulated before the temperatures drop.
You should also make sure to disconnect any outside taps and drain them properly. If you are going away during the winter, make sure your house is no colder than 12.7 degrees Celcius and have a friend, family member, or neighbour check your house regularly.
What to look for:
Focus on pipes that run through unheated spaces, including exterior walls, uninsulated crawl spaces, garages, and under sinks on outside-facing walls. Check that any existing pipe insulation (foam sleeves) is intact with no gaps or tears, especially at joints and bends. For outside taps, turn off the interior shut-off valve that feeds them, then open the tap to let any remaining water drain out completely. If you’re unsure which pipes are most at risk in your home, a licensed plumber can do a quick assessment before the cold sets in.
Clean Your Chimney
A blocked chimney can cause a house fire and allow deadly carbon monoxide to build up in your home. Before you settle down in front of a roaring fire, make sure your chimney is free from debris, creosote buildup, and any unwanted residents.
What to look for:
Shine a flashlight up the flue from the fireplace opening and look for visible blockages, like bird nests, leaves, or debris. A healthy flue should have a clear, open view to daylight. Creosote (the tar-like byproduct of burning wood) builds up on the flue walls over time and is highly flammable; it usually appears as a dark, crusty, or shiny coating. Most chimney professionals recommend an annual inspection and cleaning if you use your fireplace regularly. Also, check that the exterior chimney cap is intact and in place, as a missing or damaged cap is the most common entry point for animals and debris into the flue.
Check Your Driveway & Sidewalk
Cracks in a driveway or sidewalk may seem like a purely cosmetic problem, but they can also indicate something is wrong. Asphalt or concrete that sags near your garage or home may mean that the soil underneath is eroding.
Sagging and cracked may also inadvertently allow water to pool near your home or garage, causing other secondary problems.
What to look for:
Walk your driveway and sidewalk, then crouch to look along the surface at a low angle. This makes it much easier to spot uneven areas or low spots where water collects. Mark any cracks with chalk so you can track whether they grow over winter. Pay attention to the area where the driveway meets the garage floor, as separation or sinking there can allow water to run directly into the garage. Fill minor cracks in asphalt with a rubberized crack filler before freeze-thaw cycles widen them further.
Check for Pests
Winter in Canada usually signals the arrival of unwanted houseguests. Bugs, mice, and other creatures are looking for a warm place to settle down for the winter. Make sure there aren’t any cracks that they can use to get in.
What to look for:
Inspect the exterior of your home at the foundation level, around utility entry points (where pipes, cables, and wiring enter the house), and along the roofline where the soffit meets the wall. Mice can squeeze through a gap as small as a dime, so even small openings deserve attention. Look for droppings, chew marks, or greasy rub marks along walls inside, which can indicate mice are already present. Steel wool packed into gaps and covered with caulk is a quick and effective deterrent for small entry points.
Shovel Snow Away From Your Foundation
This will help keep water from penetrating your foundation. Try to put your snow pile somewhere that allows meltwater to drain towards the sewer and away from structures.
What to look for:
After each snowfall, check whether snow is piling up directly against your foundation walls or basement windows. The goal is to maintain at least a 1-foot clearance between any snow accumulation and the foundation. Be especially watchful during Chinook thaws, when snow can melt quickly, and the ground may still be frozen beneath it, forcing meltwater to run along the surface directly toward your home rather than soaking in.
Remove Snow And Ice Buildup From Your Vents
Blocked vents can make it difficult for your heating system to effectively heat and cool your home. This puts unnecessary stress on the whole system and can lead to moisture problems. Too much moisture in your home can result in mould or mildew problems.
What to look for:
After heavy snowfall, locate all exterior vents on your home (dryer vents, furnace exhaust and intake vents, heat recovery ventilator vents, and bathroom exhaust vents). Furnace intake and exhaust vents are especially important because a blocked furnace vent can cause the system to shut down or, worse, allow carbon monoxide to back up into the home. Clear any snow or ice from these vents with a broom or by hand. If your furnace vents are at ground level, make a habit of checking them after every major snowfall.
Preventative and ongoing maintenance is key to keeping your home in good repair. Big 5 Exteriors can help you with all your siding, roof, and eavestroughs-related needs, including replacement and repair.