How to Prepare Your Property for a New England Winter

New England Rent To Own

As longtime New Englanders, we’ve weathered a few storms. Those nor’easters can temporarily shut down civilization and do quite a number on your property in the process. Don’t be that house on the block; caught off guard by the first snowstorm. Now is the time to start preparing your property for winter!

Tune up your snow equipment

Imagine this: You drag yourself out of bed on a Monday morning and see that your driveway is buried in snow. Oh, and the power’s out. Before you can make any coffee, you trudge through the snow to your shed. It is then that you recall, in horror, that you’ve completely neglected to maintain your snow blower and generator.

Don’t get stuck calling your more prepared in-laws begging for a shower. Here’s a checklist to make sure your generator is in ship-shape when you need it:

  • Keep the battery charged (if it has an electric start feature)
  • Empty fuel when not in use
  • Fire it up every 30 days
  • Change the oil
  • Replace the air filter and spark plug

Remember to look over your snow blower as well and replace components as necessary:

  • Inspect and replace belts
  • Check skid shoes and scraper bars
  • Tighten bolts
  • Maintain fuel system
  • Replace the starter cord
  • Replace shear pins
  • Change the spark plug
  • Change the oil

Give treated wood a fresh coat of paint

New England Weather Sheds

Hate painting? We offer vinyl siding as an option for our sheds with 19 standard colors to match your home.

Wooden doors, window frames, and siding need a little TLC to hold up against New England winters. The key to longevity is to first prepare the surface prior to painting. This includes scraping off any peeling paint, using sandpaper, and washing the surface.

Clean your gutters

If you’re really on top of things, this will be your second time cleaning your home’s gutters this year. It’s really best to tend to them in both the spring and the fall.

Get your ladder out and consider using standoff stabilizers. These prevent the ladder from resting on the gutters themselves, which can cause damage. Lay a tarp over the ground underneath (saves you from raking), put on a pair of garden gloves, and chuck the gunk below.

Organize your storage shed

Sheds made for New England winters

One of our storage sheds built to last in New England winters. It didn’t stay empty for long!

With summer officially over, it’s time to make room for patio furniture and other items that will spend the winter in your shed. Do you really need to keep that stack of old plant pots? If they haven’t been touched in the past two years, they’re probably worth getting rid of.

Install shelves and racks to hold tools and lawn care items. If you want to really double down on shed organization, check out our post ‘Organization & Storage Ideas For Your Storage Shed’.

Look after your veggies

A New England winter won’t be kind to your poor veggies if they are left unprotected. Start by cleaning up your garden beds and removing any dead vegetation. Fungus and disease can use rotten fruit and vegetables to survive the winter.

After you’ve cleaned your beds, cover them with a 1-2 inch layer of compost and mulch. If you have perennial herbs and flowers, add another layer of mulch after the ground freezes. This is also a great time to expand your garden. Build a few beds, fill them with soil, top with mulch, and you’ll be ready to plant in the spring.


In New England, we simply can’t declare a snow day for each inch of snow. Our only option is to adapt! For a hearty outdoor shed that was built to coexist with the snow, browse our Maine made storage sheds.

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