Your first winter in a new home is a milestone. The heating goes on, the evenings draw in and, before long, it starts to feel properly lived in. It’s also a season when you might notice a few things you haven’t seen before.
Perhaps there’s condensation on the windows one morning. A fine crack has appeared above a door, or a door itself suddenly feels a little tighter than it did a few weeks ago.
Usually, there’s a simple reason for it. Your home is still drying out and settling and colder weather can make some of those changes more noticeable. So, as your home heads into its first winter, here are a few things worth knowing.
First things first: your home is still drying out
It takes a lot of water to build a home. Plaster, concrete, mortar and paint all contain moisture and, while your home is ready to live in when we hand you the keys, some of that moisture will continue to leave the building naturally over the months that follow. That’s completely normal.
What you don’t want to do is rush the process. Turning the heating up as high as it will go won’t help. A comfortable, fairly consistent temperature, together with good ventilation, gives your home the chance to dry gradually. And in winter, that ventilation becomes particularly important.
A little condensation? Don’t be surprised.
Cold mornings and warm homes are a good recipe for condensation and that goes for all homes. Add in the extra moisture already leaving a new home, plus showers, cooking, washing and drying clothes, and you may find some condensation collecting on your windows. But don’t panic – there are some easy ways to keep on top of the moisture and avoid it from escalating into damp:
- Keep your trickle vents open
- Use extractor fans when you’re cooking or showering
- Try to maintain a comfortable, consistent temperature
- Avoid drying wet clothes directly on radiators
- Give larger pieces of furniture a little space from external walls
- Wipe away condensation when you see it
It can feel counterintuitive to let cold air into a warm home, especially when you’re trying to keep the heating bills down. But good ventilation doesn’t mean throwing every window wide open for hours. It’s simply about giving moisture somewhere to go.
Now’s a good time to get to know your heating
You might not have given your heating much thought when you first moved in but by the end of October and moving into November, that tends to change. Spend a bit of time getting familiar with your thermostat, radiator controls and heating schedule beforehand. Modern new homes are designed to retain heat well, so you may find your new home behaves quite differently from an older property.
Rather than letting the house get very cold and then turning the heating right up, aim for a comfortable, steady temperature. If your home has an air source heat pump, how you use it matters too. Heat pumps are designed to maintain a steady temperature over longer periods, rather than delivering short bursts of heat in the same way you might be used to with a traditional boiler.
The information provided with your new home will explain how your particular heating system works. It’s worth a read before the really cold weather arrives.
Keep the air moving
We know that “open your windows” isn’t particularly appealing advice on a cold, dark morning and thankfully, you don’t need to sit in a freezing house.
Your new home has already been designed with ventilation in mind. Keeping trickle vents open and using your extractor fans when cooking or showering will help fresh air move through the house and excess moisture escape.
If you do notice a build-up of moisture, opening a window for a short period can help too. Small habits make a difference here, particularly during that first winter.
You might spot a few small cracks
One day, there’s nothing there. and then the next, you notice a fine line above a door frame or where the wall meets the ceiling. Small settlement or shrinkage cracks are common in new homes.
As the materials used to build your home lose moisture, they can shrink by a small amount. That movement can show itself around skirting boards, door frames, ceilings and where different materials meet.
In most cases, these cracks are cosmetic and can be filled when you come to decorate. It’s also why it’s worth giving your home some time to settle before making too many decorating changes. We know it’s tempting to get started straight away but sometimes the best thing you can do is give your home a little time.
Doors can change too
Timber responds naturally to the conditions around it. As temperature and humidity change, it can expand and contract slightly. So a door might feel a little tighter than it did in summer, or you might notice a small gap around a piece of woodwork. Your home hasn’t been through a full year of changing seasons yet so some movement along the way is to be expected.
Don’t forget the outside
Winter home care isn’t all about what’s happening indoors. Fallen leaves have a habit of finding their way into drains and gullies so give these a quick check every so often and clear away any build-up.
If you have an outside tap, disconnect your hose before freezing temperatures arrive. It’s a small job, but an important one that you’ll be pleased you took the time to do. And if your lawn or planting is fairly new, don’t be alarmed when the garden starts looking a little quieter. Growth naturally slows during autumn and winter before picking up again when the warmer weather returns.
Mostly, just enjoy your new home
Your home doesn’t need lots of attention just because it’s new.
Keep it comfortably warm. Let it breathe. Wipe away condensation when it appears and keep an eye on the small changes that come with a home drying out and settling.
Before long, all the things that feel new now will become second nature. You’ll know exactly where you like the thermostat set, which room catches the winter sun and which spot on the sofa is best on a cold evening.
That’s part of settling in too. If you do spot something that doesn’t seem right, or you’re not sure whether something is a normal part of your home settling, our Customer Care team is here to help.
