Get your home ready for a Massachusetts winter in one visit
The winter list is a dozen small jobs: a drafty door, a storm door that will not latch, an outdoor faucet nobody shut off. Put them all in one request, local pros nearby quote the whole list, and it gets done in one visit instead of six weekends.
- Clear prices
- You see the price before you book. No hidden fees.
- Same-day availability
- Many jobs can be done the day you ask.
- 48-hour make-it-right
- Not right? Tell us within 48 hours and we make it right.
- Real local pros
- Local people who run their own businesses, reviewed by us.
What winterizing covers
Best done from late October through November, before nights stay below freezing. Outdoor faucets come first.
- New weather stripping and door sweeps on exterior doors, so you stop seeing daylight around the edges
- Installing a storm door, or adjusting the closer and latch on the one you have
- Shutting off and draining outdoor faucets, disconnecting hoses and adding faucet covers
- Foam pipe insulation on exposed pipes in basements, crawl spaces, garages and along outside walls
- Plastic window film kits or removable rope caulk on drafty windows
- Caulking gaps around window trim and where pipes, vents and wires come through the walls
- Swapping screens for storm windows and checking that the storms close tight
- Clearing gutters and checking downspouts drain away from the foundation
Have ready when you book
- Your list, even a rough one, and a photo of each spot: the drafty door, the faucet, the basement pipes
- Where the indoor shutoff valve for each outdoor faucet is, if you know (often in the basement near where the pipe goes out)
- Sizes if you have them: door width for a storm door, window sizes for film kits. If not, the pro measures
- Whether you want the pro to bring materials, or you already bought weather stripping, film or covers
Winterizing an older Massachusetts home
A large share of homes in Greater Boston were built before 1940, and old doors and single pane windows lose the most heat. Worn weather stripping, a missing door sweep and gaps at the window trim are cheap to fix and you feel the difference the same night. Start there.
Frozen pipes are the expensive one. Pipes on outside walls, in unheated basements, crawl spaces and attached garages freeze first, usually once nights fall into the teens or below. Shut off and drain every outdoor faucet before the first hard freeze, even frost-free ones, because a hose left attached traps water in the valve. Insulate exposed pipes, and on the coldest nights open the cabinet doors under sinks on outside walls.
Mass Save runs home energy assessments for the bigger work, like attic insulation and whole house air sealing, through your gas or electric utility. A handyman visit covers the quick fixes in the meantime, and the two fit together well.
Doing it yourself vs hiring a pro
Plenty of this is a good Saturday job: stick-on foam weather stripping, a slide-on door sweep, window film with a hair dryer, faucet covers and slip-on pipe foam. If you can reach it and the parts come in a kit, you can probably do it.
Book a pro when the list is long and the weather is turning, when a storm door needs hanging or a door no longer closes square, when the outdoor faucet shutoff is stuck or leaks, or when pipes run through a tight crawl space. Putting the whole list in one request is where the time savings is: one visit, the right parts on the truck. Leaks, burst pipes and anything past the shutoff valve go to a plumber, and that is in the same app.
Handymen you can book
Local pros who take this kind of work. Open a profile to request one.
How a job goes
Four steps from the problem to done. No phone tag.
Say what needs doing
Pick the job, add a line or a photo, and your town. It takes a couple of minutes.
Get a clear price
Your request goes straight to local pros who do that work. You see the price before you book, with no hidden fees.
Pick a time
Choose the pro and the time that suits you. Same-day availability for many jobs.
It gets done
Your pro does the job. If something is not right, tell us within 48 hours and we make it right.
Winterizing questions
When should I winterize my house in Massachusetts?
Late October through November, before nights stay below freezing. Shut off and drain outdoor faucets before the first hard freeze, which in Greater Boston usually comes in November and earlier in central and western Massachusetts.
Can one pro do weather stripping, a storm door and faucet covers in one trip?
Yes. Put every job in one request with a photo of each, so the pro can plan the visit and bring the right parts.
At what temperature do pipes freeze?
Pipes in unheated spaces are at risk once the outside air drops to about 20 degrees Fahrenheit, sooner with wind or on an outside wall. Insulating them and keeping cabinet doors open on cold nights helps.
Do frost-free outdoor faucets need winterizing?
Yes, at least partly. Disconnect the hose so water drains out of the valve, and if the faucet has an indoor shutoff, close it and open the outside tap to drain the line.
Is window film worth it?
On older single pane windows, yes. Clear shrink film cuts drafts noticeably for one season and peels off in spring. For the long term, storm windows or replacements do more.
How do I get a price?
Post the list with photos. Local pros quote it in the app, you see each quote before you choose, and you pick the day.
Winterizing by town
Pick your town for the local handyman page, nearby towns and the pros who work there.
Need winterizing?
Describe the job, get a clear price from a local pro, and pick a time that works.