Getting Organized for Winter - Trees and Gutters

If you live in a part of the country where you experience winter, it's time to take care of a couple of items before it descends on us!

The first concerns trimming tree limbs. If you have limbs that are too close to your house, snow, ice or wind can cause them to break and damage your house. While you're at it, get rid of any dead or damaged limbs.


One year a neighbor's dead tree fell into our yard, damaging our fence (after we had spent hours priming and painting it!). In our area, it is not the responsibility of the owner of the tree to make restitution unless you have written a letter to said tree owner stating his tree is liable to do damage to your property! So you may want to check out your neighbors' trees and your insurance policy as well!

Another preventative measure is to clean out your gutters, especially with all the leaves falling - another reason not to have limbs close to your house. If your gutters are full, your walls, roof, or foundation can be damaged. I found a wonderful step-by-step article at Demesne on cleaning gutters.