How to Prepare Your Business for Winter

Although winter is often associated with festivities and charm, it’s also linked with harmful weather conditions and difficult circumstances. This is especially true for businesses that may be forced to reinvest their usual tactics to remain active and competitive during the winter seasons. However, some businesses struggle to adapt and risk losing a loyal customer base and an influx in revenue during the process. Luckily, this article will explore everything about winterizing services and how they can help your business prepare for the next drop in temperature.

1. Make Sure Your Plumbing is Running

Adequate plumbing services are a crucial part of any business as they ensure that both staff and patrons can gain access to running water and heating. However, these systems can face a lot of damage and decay as the years go by, causing them to suffer a wealth of faults. If you have begun to notice weird noises coming from your furnace or frequent bouts of cold water, even when the tap is turned to hot, it’s time to get in touch with a local plumber as soon as possible. These contractors are highly skilled and can help assess the overall performance of your plumbing network and provide you with a wealth of solutions for your problems. If your business is home to a septic tank, these plumbers can also help to eliminate any waste build-up and make sure that your local waterworks are kept clean and hygienic at all times. Home Guide states that an average plumper typically charges $75 to $250 for small jobs and a further $500 to $800 for larger jobs. In turn, this could be considered one of the most cost-effective winterizing services as it ensures that your plumbing system can continue working for many years to come. However, the source also notes that plumbers tend to impose a call-out charge of $50-$200, so that should be accounted for when organizing a budget for this type of work.

2. Prepare for Snow

Though snow is a great excuse to build snowmen for hours on end, if a company doesn’t prepare for these situations in advance, it can wreak havoc on their daily routine. If heavy snowfall occurs, staff may not be able to get to work and customers may also prefer to stay at home rather than indulge in your services. That’s why it’s so important to hire a commercial snow removal service early on so that your work is not affected by the weather. During this process, a contractor will typically use a special piece of machinery such as a snow plow or shovel to remove large quantities of snow from your premises. These services may also be recruited to clean off residential streets or to grit the roads after a storm. As such, these are very popular winterizing services that can help your business achieve more traction and engagement, even in the most troubling of weather conditions. Lawn Love highlights that snow removal services tend to cost $50-$140, with the median average sitting at $100. Yet, if you own a particularly large premises or if your workplace is engulfed by snow, you could experience costs of up to $1,000. Although this may seem like a very costly investment for some, it’s extremely beneficial for those who operate in areas where there’s a lot of snow, and they are keen to stay open no matter what.

3. Weatherproof Your Furniture

During the summer, your customers may wish to spend a lot of time outside, lounging on the selection of outdoor furniture on offer. Yet, as soon as the weather turns, they may be more inclined to stay inside and soak up the warmth. In turn, you must continue to use a variety of winterizing services to help preserve these essential elements. For example, you could apply a plethora of unique sealants and coatings to help repel water damage, or even place a simple sheet over the furniture to ensure that it stays dry. All of these items can be purchased online or in your local hardware store, making them accessible products to add to your inventory. If you want to protect these items from the great outdoors, consider moving them inside. Perhaps you could make room in a storage unit or basement to ensure that these pieces can remain safe and dry for a few months. It may not seem like much, but these techniques can help to extend the longevity of your furniture, ensuring that you can continue using it year after year, without having to worry about purchasing a new set every summer.

4. Ready Your Roof

Despite their immense strength and durability, roofs are especially vulnerable to severe weather conditions. Over the years, your roof will come in contact with a variety of harmful elements such as intense rainfall, snow, and UV light, all of which can cause a wealth of damage and decay. This can lead to a mountain of issues including mold infestations, dampness, and watermarks. Not to mention, if your roof contains a lot of cracks and gaps, it can quickly become the perfect hideaway for pests and rodents. If you’re starting to feel concerned about the quality of your roof and are eager to find some wintering services that can help, be sure to get in touch with a commercial roof repair service as soon as possible. This will allow a qualified roofer to survey the structure and highlight any glaring issues or weaknesses. If the roofer has decided that the structure is completely unsalvagable, they may recommend a commercial reroofing service. According to Superstorm Restoration, a new roof can cost $5,100 to $10,000. Although this may seem like an extensive cost, it can work to save you a lot of money in the long run. Since new roofs offer better insulation than older roofs, your business can now turn its heating down and save money on its overall utility bill. Therefore, businesses now have the chance to earn a lucrative return on this simple investment.

5. Prep Your Gutters

Many of us don’t give our gutters a second thought, but in fact, they are a vital aspect of any building. These slim mental structures are typically found just underneath your roof and work to collect any debris or dirt that has slid off of the roof. As such, a gutter helps to stop unwanted items from hitting the floor and spoiling the look and feel of your business’s exterior. Yet, gutters can easily become clogged or overfilled, making them less effective and more unattractive as a result. Though many business owners could simply climb up a ladder and clean out their guttering for themselves, this process might not be suitable for those who are disabled or work in a very large building. In this case, you may be better off recruiting a gutter cleaning service. The price of this service depends on how many stories your building has. So, as LeafFilter Gutter Protection suggests, it can cost $80-$250 for a single-story building and a further $150-$400 for a multi-story building. This may not seem like the most cost-effective or applicable type of winterizing service, but it can help to extend the longevity of your premises and make it more eye-catching for on-lookers. Thus, this can be a great way to draw new customers in and see high levels of revenue throughout the busier winter seasons.

6. Be Prepared to Repaint

Since winter is often linked with an increase in moisture, many buildings suffer immensely. More moisture encourages an increase in mildew, a common type of fungus that causes paint to discolor and peel away over time. Fortunately, there is a collection of winterizing services that can help combat these issues. Firstly, business owners are advised to use a bleach and water mixture to help kill the mildew. Not only will this stop the paint from deteriorating even further, but it will also help to halt the mildew in its tracks. Thus, you will no longer have to fret about a fungus infestation potentially harming your staff or customers. Once the mildew has been eliminated, you can begin to repaint your exterior. If you’re running your business from quite a small space, you can head down to your local hardware store to pick up a few cans of paint and complete the job yourself. But, if you’re working on a much more expansive area, it’s worth looking into some commercial painting services. These contractors will often use a series of expert tools such as extendable rollers and spray bottles to cover a large surface area in a short period. Plus, these workers can also offer advice on the best color scheme to use and how to maintain your exterior so that it continues to stand out from the crowd. Business Hue explains that the average commercial building normally costs $0.50-$0.80 per square foot. They also note that this typically includes a coat of primer as well as two coats of paint. Thus, this can be an ideal service to implement if you’re striving to improve the entire look and feel of your business and are also eager to protect it from natural deterioration.

7. Have Someone Check on Your Property

If you are responsible for a lot of buildings such as retail units or rental properties, you may benefit from working alongside a collection of acclaimed property managers. These individuals help to oversee the condition and maintenance of certain buildings, ensuring that they are always kept up to the owner’s standards. During the winter, these workers are particularly important as they can help to ensure that the harsh weather conditions have not negatively impacted the buildings. Plus, they can also help to seek out potential tenants and collect rent payments, making them one of the most invaluable winterizing services to busy landlords who don’t have enough time to manage all of their rental properties. Stessa explains that property managers typically take 8%-12% of the monthly rent collection, making it a relatively affordable service. As such, business owners can benefit from hiring a property manager during the winter as they can focus all of their efforts on improving their performance in their respective markets, without having to fret about collecting rent or finding new inhabitants.

8. Be Prepared for Weather Emergencies

Bad weather conditions don’t just affect the roads or business performance, they can also lead to a wealth of serious issues. During ferocious storms, your business may lose power, making it harder for your staff to operate the cash register or make important phone calls. If these power cuts last for extended periods, your business may be rendered useless for days on end. In areas where these issues are quite commonplace, you probably own a generator to help you stay online whatever the circumstances. However, if these machines are not maintained or serviced regularly, they can falter when we need them most. For those looking to avoid this potentially harmful circumstance, consider looking into some nearby generator repair services. During this process, a contractor will work to resolve any issues or faults and help to keep this vital resource running for many years to come. Yet, if your generator is too far gone, it may be best to just install a brand-new one. HomeAdvisor states that the price of these installation services depends on the type of generator you desire. For example, they note that a standby whole-house generator tends to cost around $5,00-$25,000, whereas an emergency portable generator can cost $1,500-$6,000. As such, it seems that there are winterizing services available for just about any type of budget.

Preparing for winter is a key process for any successful business as it ensures that they can overcome a series of troublesome circumstances including harsh weather conditions, exterior decay, and an overly competitive market. Overcoming all of these hurdles early on helps businesses stay afloat and ensure that they aren’t affected by dynamic changes in their sector. Thus, if you’re looking to increase your performance during the colder months, be sure to implement some of the winterizing services mentioned in this article.