Preparing Your Melbourne Home for Winter

Why winter prep is worth it

Melbourne winters are long, grey and wet, and they find every weakness in a home. Draughts make rooms hard to heat, blocked gutters lead to leaks, and closed-up houses breed damp and mould. A bit of preparation in autumn saves you money, keeps the house comfortable, and avoids the scramble of fixing things once the cold has already set in.

The best time to do all this is autumn, before the weather turns and before every tradie's calendar fills up. Here's what to work through.

Keep the water out

Winter is wet, so your first priority is making sure rain drains away instead of getting into the house.

• Clean the gutters thoroughly once the autumn leaves have dropped
• Check downpipes and drains flow freely and clear any blockages
• Inspect the roof for cracked tiles, lifted flashing or rust
• Check flashings and seals around chimneys, vents and skylights

Look for early leak signs

Before the heavy rain arrives, check ceilings, cornices and the tops of walls for existing stains or damp. Sorting a small issue now is far easier than chasing an active leak in July.

Seal the draughts

Draught-proofing is the cheapest way to make a home warmer, because heated air escapes straight through gaps you can't always feel.

Common culprits and fixes:

• Under doors — fit door seals or draught excluders
• Around window frames — replace perished seals and weatherstripping
• Gaps around architraves and skirting — fill and seal
• Unused vents and old fireplaces — block draughts where appropriate
• Floorboard gaps in older Melbourne homes — seal or cover with rugs

Even a handful of these small fixes adds up to a noticeably warmer, cheaper-to-heat home.

Get heating ready

There's nothing worse than turning on the heater on the first cold night and finding it doesn't work.

• Service or check your heating before you rely on it
• Clean or replace filters in split systems and ducted units
• Bleed and check radiators if you have hydronic heating
• Confirm safety around any gas heating, and keep up with servicing

Doing this in autumn means any repairs happen on your schedule, not during a mid-winter cold snap when everyone else needs the same help.

Manage moisture and mould

Melbourne homes get shut up tight over winter, which traps moisture from cooking, showers and drying washing inside. That's exactly what mould needs.

To keep it under control:

• Use exhaust fans in bathrooms and the kitchen, and let them run
• Crack a window when you can to move stale, damp air
• Avoid drying washing indoors where possible, or ventilate the room
• Check wardrobes and corners on external walls, where mould starts
• Address condensation on windows rather than letting it sit

Good airflow makes a bigger difference than most people expect.

Safety and the little things

Winter means more time indoors, more heater use and darker evenings, so a few safety checks are worth it:

• Test smoke alarms and replace batteries
• Check outdoor and path lighting, since it's dark early
• Clear slippery paths of leaves and moss to prevent falls
• Secure loose fencing and outdoor items before winter storms

Getting it all done in time

The catch with winter prep is that it's a cluster of small jobs that all want doing at once, and autumn goes quickly. If you'd rather not spend your weekends up ladders and chasing draughts, MB Handymen & Carpentry can knock over the whole list, from gutters and seals to heating checks and minor repairs, in one visit, so your home is ready well before the cold sets in.