Questions about a seasonal home?

[Valerie226]

What's a good source for info on how to deal with the upkeep & maintenance of a home you live in only part time? Looking especially for what to do in a cold climate. Thanks.

[Meganator]

Is this a home where you are there occasionally during the winter, or are there for a few months, then not there at all for a few months?

I don't have first-hand experience, but our best friends have a 2nd house in northern Wisconsin. I know they have made arrangements with the local propane company to keep the tank filled, and the guy who plows the road and their neighboring driveways does theirs also. I think the main things they do are leave the heat on very low, and turn off the well pump/purge the water pipes.

[Kay Henderson]

The biggest issue is keeping the pipes from freezing. This can be handled one of two ways -- either keep the heat on at 55 ° or turn off the water and drain the pipes. I would suggest asking locals, especially property management people.

My DH and I were involved in a family cabin here for many decades. Since it was shut down at the end of summer, but could be used by various different people at any time of the year, we developed a list of instructions for shutting it down in cold weather. It concluded with the summary statement, "When you are ready to go, the furnace and pilot are off, the water is drained and anti-freeze is added to the toilets, dish-washer and drains in the sinks, etc [the rest of the instructions........

Good luck! Having a thorough procedure saves a lot of grief come spring (says she who learned the hard way).

Kay

[cinbis]

We bought a summer cottage in Maine a year and half ago. The town shuts the water off from Oct. through April. We drained the pipes ourselves last year, but this year I hired a plumber. I remove anything that can freeze. I put all the cleaning products in bins and store them in our basement at home. Then they're ready to go for next year. As I was cleaning out last fall, I kept notes of what I would need to replenish in the spring. We keep the electricity on, but shut the phone and cable off. We shut the heat off. It's too expensive to keep on.

I don't know if it was necessary, but I put knick knacks away and covered some things with plastic bags. I put candles in ziplock bags.

I would be curious to know if there is a website with information.

[Valerie226]

Yes, this is the kind of info I need. We haven't bought the property yet but are considering something in montana. We are hoping to have a vacation property that we can use several weeks a year (and more than that after retirement) in not too many years.
We're not sure if the expense and difficulties of closing/opening things up is something we want to do for the next 5 years so we're trying to get an idea of what's involved. We would hope to use the property during winter at least occasionally. We're pretty handy about home maintenance but we live in a mild climate where even pipes freezing would be rare. I had no idea you'd need to out antifreeze in a toilet...how much?? I'm sure we would not want to keep the heat on at 55 degrees. Way too expensive. We so I was hoping there was some written up list of things to do or consider before learning things ( as kay said) the hard way. It would be on a well, septic, probably propane for heat.

[cinbis]

As I was writing my previous response, my husband and I were discussing putting anti-freeze in the toilet. He did that last year....I assume the plumber will take of that. I'm not sure how much my husband put in. The plumber told me he will charge around $75 to drain the pipes, etc. We have a w/d, portable dw and fridge with ice maker. I thought under $100 was reasonable. Neighbors told me they put trays of charcoal out to prevent moisture. I didn't do that and had no problems. We have propane heaters. Last year we disconnected them, but probably won't bother with that again. If we go up there to check on things, we can just light the pilots. I would think it would be difficult to use the place occasionally in the winter and not leave the heat on. Draining the pipes is a considerably amount of work. Asking others in the area what they do would be a good idea.

[misskitty100]

I'm sure we would not want to keep the heat on at 55 degrees. Way too expensive.

When I was a college student in eastern Washington (pretty close to Montana) our apt. rental agreement specified if we left the apt. during the winter for holidays etc. we HAD to keep the heat on or pay for any damages related to frozen pipes.

Are you working with a realtor? They may be able to put you into contact with people in the area you are looking at that can tell you what they do to maintain their homes in the winter.

[Peweh]

Just want to caution anyone in this situation... if you have a pet and put Antifreeze in the toilet, make sure you CLOSE the lid and leave a note for yourself on it for in the spring to flush ASAP as soon as the water's back on. I worked in a Vet Clinic in a summer resort for my college summers and saw a few dogs met their early demise because they drank from the antifreeze toilets... very sad.

Also edited to add my parents shut off their cable/phone in their summer house for the winter but make sure to tell the companies this is a seasonal disconnect; this way they are guaranteed their same phone number stays with them and the hook-up fees are cheaper and generally don't require a visit from the companies' techs.

[mbrogier]

Could I put in a vote for draining the pipes regardless. When it took two years to sell our house in Michigan, there was a two week period right before Christmas when my BIL and realtor were too busy to go by and check on the house (don't blame them) and the furnace pilot blew out. :eek: That was the two week period the weather plummeted. There was 3" of water in our kitchen. Replacing all the pipes under the house plus the toilet (I had no idea a toilet could shatter like that...) :eek: on the day after Christmas will teach you how inexpensive and easy draining a few pipes really are.

My parents had vacation houses. We had a lot of fun and actually took trips we wouldn't have otherwise because my dad felt like he actually had to get his money's worth out of his investment. :D A couple of hours of weather proofing each season will be nothing compared to the countless hours you'll enjoy with your family. (I just told my story so you wouldn't have to deal with what I had to...) I hope you buy your dream vacation property and enjoy it!

[Valerie226]

good warning about the anti freeze. I have a toilet drinking cat.
We knew we'd have to drain pipes but that's no different than what you'd do if you need to do some regular plumbing work. There must be a book written on this subject but I'm not finding it....

[RunnerKim]

This is a total tangent but I thought I heard something recently that they were going to start putting something nasty tasting/smelling in antifreeze because of the problems of pets (and maybe even kids??) drinking antifreeze?? anyone else hear that??

Kim

[mbrogier]

I haven't heard that, but my cat drank it and lived to tell about it. He's not very bright, though.

I don't get why they don't make it taste bitter. They put stuff in acetone to make it taste bad.

[tbb113]

I googled winterizing your vacant home and found these links (http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=winterizing+a+vacant+home)

[Valerie226]

thanks for the link. When I have more time I'll track down a bunch of these them & see if they have what I need. thanks! Our agent has not been too much help.

[Kay Henderson]

That link looks great. We always did what had always been done!

Which reminds me -- unless the home you buy is from folks who have inherited it and don't care less, the sellers can probably tell you exactly what they did every fall. They might not be willing to give you detailed written instructions, but would hopefully be willing to describe it in a phone call. Properties differ in their details and there are often little oddities that are helpful to know about. (Cabins, particularly, are often built on the cheap. At least ours was!)

Kay