For the many buyers who purchased Adirondack second homes this year, the first winter brings a decision that can determine whether they face a routine season or a costly disaster. The choice is whether to keep the house heated or to have it winterized, and in this mountain region, the most expensive winter damage tends to trace back to that single fall decision.
Winterizing means draining the water from the plumbing and adding antifreeze to the system. Done properly, it is usually the less expensive option, but a careless job can cost far more than it saves. “If you get the water out, you’re good. If you don’t get the water out, you’re in trouble,” said Chase Jermano, the broker of Tina Leonard Real Estate. Even a small amount of water left in a toilet can freeze and crack it, which is why he recommends hiring a professional or having one show you the process. Owners who choose to keep the heat on should set the thermostat no lower than 55 degrees Fahrenheit. Jermano also recommends a monitor that tracks indoor temperature and moisture, along with a remote water shutoff valve that can be closed from a phone if something goes wrong.
The calculation changes for older houses. Many homes in the region date to the early 1900s, and those without a recent plumbing update may not tolerate winterizing well. When water is reintroduced in spring, connections in older pipes can come apart, depending on how the plumbing was originally installed. For those homes, keeping the heat on through the winter may cost less in the end. Deep cold can damage finishes, too. Jermano recently listed a former church where the kitchen tiles had cracked after the building was left too cold.
Automatic fuel delivery is the safest arrangement, though it still needs watching. A stretch of several weeks at 20 below zero or colder can burn through fuel faster than the delivery schedule anticipates, and a routine refill can quickly become an emergency call. The boiler or furnace should also be serviced before the season begins, since a heating system that fails while no one is home can lead to frozen pipes within a short time.
Snow removal means more than plowing the driveway. Roofs and decks need clearing as well, ideally before ice dams have a chance to form. Timing matters here, because once a midwinter thaw arrives, the contractors who clear roofs are booked up, and an ice dam can force meltwater into the house. A caretaker or a trusted neighbor who checks on the house regularly remains one of the most reliable safeguards, since routine visits can catch a small problem before it turns into a large one.
The most expensive first-winter error Jermano sees is burst pipes. He has seen $50,000 or more in damage happen within minutes in a house where the heat simply was not set high enough. In another home, pipes ran too close to an exterior wall without enough insulation. They froze and burst, flooding a finished basement two winters in a row.
Houses with older single-pane windows benefit from storm windows, or at least plastic film, which cuts drafts and heating costs when the owners are staying there. For owners driving up on winter weekends, Jermano’s first piece of advice is about the car rather than the house, and it is to invest in good snow tires. “If you’re going to be here, you want to be able to make it everywhere safe,” he said.
For many new owners, the first winter is when they learn how much an Adirondack house depends on the preparation done in the fall. More information is available at tinaleonardrealestate.com.
